Thursday 2 May 2019

Thursday

As I write the rain is sheeting down on the window of the computer room.   It is not a warm day and promises to be a cold Bank Holiday Week-end.  I must say I am pleased to see the rain - my gardener has weed-killed my front lawn and sown the bare patches with grass seed.  We were hoping for rain so that he didn't have to water it so he will no doubt welcome the rain too.

 My God daughter came and we had a lovely relaxed evening - slippers, central heating on, wine, food, plenty to talk about, hot water bottles to take to our beds at half past ten as she had an early start to drive back the hour's journey to work.  This gave Tess and me a good early walk and plenty of time to get me to the hairdressers.   Then out to lunch with friend W and now home and waiting for a friend to call so that I can pay my car insurance which is due this week.

Hard frosts are forecast so I am relieved that I have not planted up my pots by the front door.   The pansies in them are ready for throwing out.   They have given me very good service over the winter months but are now looking very sad.   It is always fun planting up for Summer.

For the first time since I have lived in the bungalow, when I drew the curtains back this morning there was a grey squirrel in my garden.  I just hope he is not after eggs/baby birds from the nest in my garden hedge.   Nature it might be but, like the corvid shooting ban that has recently come into force here in the UK, when nestlings of birds which are endangered - birds like lapwing and curlew - are just clambering out of their ground nests and the carrion crows are just waiting for the pickings it is distressing to even think about.

14 comments:

Granny Sue said...

Sounds like a perfect evening. What is a Yorkshire platter exactly? Can't wait to see Yorkshire for myself in August.

We battle the brown-headed cowbirds here. They're like a parasite, in that they kick the eggs out of songbirds' nests, and then lay their own eggs for the songbirds to raise the cowbirds' young.

Then of course there are the blacksnakes that like to visit nests--our hens' nests included--for tasty meals. Country life is full of life and death situations, some larger but some very small, valiant battles.

JayCee said...

I hope your weekend isn't too cold. Do you often get frosts at this time of year?
We don't have squirrels, of any colour, but the crows, magpies and seagulls do loiter around looking for the smaller garden birds' nests to raid for eggs or newly hatched babies. We once saw a seagull swoop down and pick up a tiny duckling from our neighbour's lawn and swallow it down in one. Very distressing to watch.

Derek Faulkner said...

Please Pat, no talk of rain sheeting down. My water butt is now full (I filled it up with the hose pipe), today has been warm and sunny again. I measured some of the cracks running across my flower borders today and despite all the manure I dug in, the clay soil has cracks in it a couple of feet long and an inch wide. Oh for some rain.

justjill said...

Stay warm! Complete change here too.

Cloudia said...

Thank you for sharing this companionable post

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

I've hurried home twice today as black clouds massed on the north-western horizon. As I got in so the sun came out! So far no rain.
I'm sure a natural rain will do the lawn more good than any amount of work with the watering can.

wherethejourneytakesme said...

It has been a lovely sunny day again here in SW Scotland, a bit windier than yesterday - I need four more days like this so I can get enough gardening done. Hope your rain is not moving up country!

Rachel Phillips said...

The cold air is coming straight down the North Sea from the Arctic and hitting us full on. It arrived during the afternoon and the temperature has dropped dramatically.

Heather said...

What a lovely cosy evening you had with your god-daughter. How capricious the weather is, I
have had to put the fire on today. We have not had heavy rain here though my daughter who lives only a few miles away from me, had quite a noisy thunderstorm this afternoon.
I understand your concerns at seeing a squirrel in the garden. Nature can be so cruel - I remember having to frighten magpies away from birds nests in our hedge.

Joanne Noragon said...

Yesterday, watching my granddaughter's softball game in the warm, blazing sunshine, and the cold front dropped in and it was awful. Ruth and I left early.

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Cro Magnon said...

Nature can be cruel. I was just thinking of our local Fox's diet. He and his family must kill a lot of wildlife.

Derek Faulkner said...

Well, after all my whinging about lack of rain, we finally had a burst of heavy rain last night and the garden now looks pleasantly wet. Joy.

Anonymous said...

We watched highlights of the Tour of Yorkshire bike race last night and were amazed by the amount of rain that was falling.
We had a beautiful day here.
It's very hard not to interfere with natural processes isn't it.
Every year our local ducks raise ducklings in secret places then lead them out on to the sea shore.
Most are picked off by the black backed gulls.
My mother used to be extremely upset by this and count the various broods every morning.
Sue