Thursday 17 June 2010

Lazy, hazy, crazy days of Summer.
















Lazy??? I wish....these last few days I have been busy - in a way, as Bing Crosby would have said (if you are old enough to remember him) busy doing nothing. Yesterday I went out for the day with two friends - through Coverdale and Wharfdale and back through Nidderdale - glorious long views (no good for photography) and a visit to an embroidery/thread shop at the bottom of Wharfedale, of which more on another day.
Today I had to be a the doctor's surgery for nine o'clock and - yippee - I have managed to get my blood pressure back to normal by diet and exercise, so am feeling very virtuous. Then the rest of the morning was spent in The Golden Lion back room with a small (only three today) group discussing our writing - what a super morning we had. Now, in about half an hour, my God-daughter is coming for the afternoon and we are going into town.
But I just had to put this post on. Silaging is in progress on the farm and in one of the fields Geoff, who was cutting the grass, noticed a curlew fly off. He stopped the tractor to investigate, found a nest, and as a result has left one part of the field unmown for her. She is quite vulnerable there in the middle of the field so I do hope she manages to bring her young off. As I walked through the field early after lunch she heard me coming and flew off - so here in the photograph is a picture of her nest - there are four eggs (one is hidden by the leaf). What a nervy existence birds lead - she flew round making alarm calls for a good five minutes after we left her nest. I will keep you informed.
Then as we reached the beck at the bottom of the field we not only heard the ducklings but we briefly saw them. Mother mallard was determined to keep them well out of our way, so she hid silently with them under an overhanging bush. I pushed the camera through and took a photograph. It will be posted above but until I put it in the computer and enlarge it I don't know whether you can see the ducklings or not!
In this hot spell dog roses are popping up all over the place - shall post some tomorrow. Have a good day and, if you are in the UK, make the most of this lovely weather.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Glad to hear that your blood pressure is back to normal, and without medication too. Lovely photo of the curlew eggs, fingers crossed that they hatch and that she and her brood survive.

Tess Kincaid said...

I like Nat King Cole singing this particular song! What lovely eggs. Glad you're feeling fit as a fiddle!

Rosaria Williams said...

Eating well and exercising go hand in hand in giving us health and vitality. Good for you; keep it up. Glad the weather is gorgeous there.

ArtPropelled said...

What a treat to see this nest of eggs ..... and what a lucky curlew to have a piece of field especially for her.

Janice said...

These photos are just gorgeous...loving them all!!!
How wonderful that you are in control of your blood pressure by natural means! Great job!!!

Elizabeth said...

Gosh, I do love hearing about your very English life!
How happy mother curlew must be to be a very little bit protected.

Well done with the diet and excercise....
would that I could!

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

The eggs are so pretty, aren't they? So happy you left them protected. Sounds like you had a lovely day... lowering your blood pressure yourself is a wonderful accomplishment!! A lunch with writing pals and a visit to the embroidery shop... perfect!! I do hope you tell us more about that shop!! Those are exactly the sorts of places I long to visit when I travel!

Teresa said...

Congrats on the health report!

So nice that Mother Curlew's nest was left undisturbed. Nice pics.

Bonnie Zieman, M.Ed. said...

Sounds like you are enjoying this summer in your surroundings. How great that you managed your blood pressure without having to resort to medication!

the wild magnolia said...

This is my first visit, I think, and it was fun. Lovely photos and interesting nature information.

Birds have a tough time of it. Nesting and trying to protect their babies.

Great blog.

Unknown said...

Good to hear your health news, Weaver, and to know what an enjoyable days you've been having.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
The Weaver of Grass said...

I hope the curlew survives and rears her young. Although Geoffrey left the clumps of grass it is still rather exposed and I worry that a fox or a crow might raid the nest. She is very late nesting as most have chicks now - I wonder if her first nest was disturbed. The perils of being a curlew.

Heather said...

Glad your blood pressure is normal again - it can make one feel quite ill when it goes awry. What a lovely sight the curlew's nest is - I do hope she manages to hatch her brood. Your day sounded delightful.

Reader Wil said...

Congratulations that your bloodpressure is normal again! Your post is so full of summer, mown grass smelling fresh, young animals and flowers!

Titus said...

Wow to the curlew nest.
Too hot here for me today!

Cloudia said...

congrats on all of it, dear pal :)





Aloha from Waikiki

Comfort Spiral

The Weaver of Grass said...

The farmer saw a duck with twelve babies on the beck yesterday afternoon - baby curlew in the fields, baby goldfinches at the bird table - June is definitely busting out all over. Will keep you informed on the fate of the curlew. Thanks for the comments.