Sunday safari

I don't like to leave Nella at home when I go walking. Today I was hoping to photograph the Redwing and Fieldfare that have flown into the area from Northern Europe. Each year they come, I have never been able to capture them on camera.

As I walk along the lane I am surprised to see so many rooks nests......with the gales last week, it is amazing they have survived.

Many branches lie on the verge and in the fields.........some in mid-air, catch my eye......

The ditches are full. Only a month ago they were empty.....bone dry. How swiftly things change.
I arrive at the lane where the birds gather. How different it looks from a month ago. The wind is cold and bites at my face....my eyes water. The wind is always so aggressive along this stretch of road. I can see the birds in the tops of the oaks.
Voices carry on the wind. The birds fly across the fields and the moment is lost. How frustrating....another day perhaps.

In the distance I can see the farmer rounding up his sheep. I like Phil the farmer. His family has worked the land here for four generations.

I turn the corner, the old spaniel glances at me. We know each other well. His body is too weary to chase away a friend.

A rook flies overhead as I go through the gate into the garden.
Sparrows sit amongst the Dogwoods.....

and Gt Tits enjoy the fat balls in the feeder.

I check plants that have been re-located.

They are all looking healthy.

Hmmm something has been munching the Calendula petals.
The next bloom reveals all.....a tiny caterpillar. I think of Spring and what is to come. Happy safari Sunday.......

Sunday safari

The skies are grey and heavy with rain. Strong winds bring down branches and small trees.

My heart goes out to those living in the Lake District and Scotland....their homes flooded.....some people having to climb into their loft space to escape the water. The RNLI have done a wonderful job rescuing those that needed to be brought to safety.

Seagulls fly into the area......the seas are rough. They have come to feed inland......the farmers fields will serve them well.......

A brief glimpse of the sun brings out a Queen Bee. She finds a solar panel to warm herself.......

She is sleepy.....she stumbles across the Mahonia looking for blooms......

Eventually she finds them.........

Honey bees join her.......the sweet fragrance has drifted on the air and called them to the plant.......

A moth shelters on a window ledge trying to escape the rain and winds.

The weather forecast is much the same for the rest of the week. I do hope the sun is shining for you.........and that you are having a happy Sunday........

My journey with the garden......

When we moved here nearly eight years ago, I did not have any grand plan for the garden. The only thing I knew for sure, was that I wanted a sanctuary for wildlife. I read books, watched gardening programmes, and thought a lot. In the end I became so confused I decided to garden 'Cheryl's way.' If a plant, tree or shrub had something to offer wildlife, I would buy it. And so my journey began........ I would come home with a car boot full of plants and bareroot trees and then wonder where I would put them.

I love beech and knew I could never let it grow to it's full size. So one of my first plantings was the beech hedge, to guide you into the little copse.

There were a few small trees left, so I planted them in a corner of the garden and clipped them each year. What I never realised is how I would love their changes. From the pale green of Spring.....to the deeper green of summer......and then when autumn came, they would catch me out and stir my emotions with their wonderful hues. In winter, the leaves turn brown, and stay with the tree, reluctant to leave......giving cover and shelter to wildlife.

Rosa rugosa was my next buy and another hedge planted. You must be ruthless with this plant initially cutting it almost to the ground....if you do not you will end up with a weak and spindly shrub. The blooms satisfy the bees and birds feed on the hips during the colder months.

In summer it's sweet perfume would catch me and I could not walk by without taking a deep breath to inhale the heady fragrance. In autumn the leaves turn a beautiful buttery yellow. Each gift offered by nature, teaching me the wonders of each plant.

Thr first time I saw Mahonia Charity I was hooked. The pretty flowers with their sweet lily-of-the-valley fragrance....I could not resist. I bought six plants, and did not feel guilty. During the cold months the blooms would feed the bees that had woken up on a warm winter day.

I did not realise it at the time, I was creating the 'bones of the garden.'

Giving it structure and form.

Grasses feature heavily here. Birds gather in them during autumn and use the feathery heads to line their nests in spring.

I love them when they are frosted......
Ivy climbs fences, trees, obelisks.....you can never have 'too much' , if you love wildlife......

As each year passes I learn a little more........I am growing with the garden.
Mistakes are made, I live with them and learn to love them........

Winter is nearly upon us.........but there is always a little something to surprise and lift the spirit.........a garden is a journey and it never ends....plans wait in the wings, exciting ideas, giving pleasure during winter evenings....... I am planning, ideas fill my mind and excite me. I am happy, my garden makes me happy........

How about you?????

Sunday safari.

Heavy rain for the last 48 hours has left areas in the garden covered in water....it will drain away slowly.........this is normal for this area.

Strong winds turned oak barrels over, and small branches had fallen from the oak trees. Mr P gave me a helping hand to get the area tidy again..........

Today the sun came out and I must say it was more than welcome.....

Birds waited in the Dogwoods......eager for me to bring out the feeders.

Dunnocks are often mistaken for hedge sparrows. It is in fact a song-bird. It's song resembles that of the wren but lacks the wren's note of aggression.

By chance, a Wren came out of hiding and sat before me. They are busy, energetic, and elusive. As I raised my camera the bird did not fly.......but started to sing.

This tiny little bird singing in full voice is most beautiful. I stood.......just enjoying the moment. I doubt this will happen again. He will go back to the shadows hunting insects and singing amongst the ivy in the garden......

Blue boy (tku Marmee) arrived, he did not seem to like the attention the other birds were getting.

He pecked away at the sunflower seed, happy for me to observe.....
and to take as many photographs as I needed.

Blue boy is a wonderful source of entertainment. He often stops what he is doing, to see what I am doing. So funny...

Happy Sunday safari.........

Falling in love again......

It has taken a long time for me to love my camera. When Mr P gave it to me last year as a surprise, I was speechless. Not wanting to appear ungrateful, I gave my old camera to someone who really needed it, and started using the new one straight away.

Without doubt, the camera and I had a hate - hate relationship.....

I do not do technical.....I do not read manuals (so boring).......I could not even tell you anything about my camera, except that it is a Canon.......

There were times when I longed for my old camera.......it understood me......I understood it......
Then a few weeks ago something clicked......the camera and I had a relationship, we were in fact in love. It started to see things, the way I see things......we were working together as a team.

I remember Mr P saying to me when he gave me the camera. "Don't worry you will learn to love it...................eventually" He knows me so very well......

If ever there was a bird that liked it's photo being taken it is this one. He/She follows me around the garden....poses on branches....turning it's little head this way and that. For a little bit of fun, I would like to name him/her. Any suggestions?