Friday, April 27, 2007

ALL WORK AND NO PLAY......BUT DAISY STOLE SOME LOST HOURS

My favourite small bird the European Goldfinch. I love to watch them play on thistle heads in the common land at the back of my cottage.

This is turning out to be a really busy week with everything geared towards the Local History Exhibtion on Saturday. Naturally, the sunny weather has returned, so yesterday I downed tools regarding the exhibition to spend a few hours in my garden potting on some plants that I have been hardening off.

More birds from the family of finches, such colourful cheerful looking birds, flashes of pure colour as they fly by you.

I did something this year about plants that I will never do again, unless someone in England can recommend a better supplier. Last year I bought my plants from a garden centre and my children bought me some lovely perennials for Mother's Day from a supplier called Crocus. They were really good plants. This year I bought a few more perennials by post and then decided to buy my bedding plants that way, although they come as plug plants you seemed to get a good quantity of them. Once again my children said they would buy me some for Mother's Day, so with their order and me ordering as well the firm J. Parker's has had a substantial order from us.



The Blue tit, I love watching them crawl up the wall of my barn and swing from its gutters, such entertaining acrobats.

I have not been at all happy with the way the plants are arriving, obviously they send them out as they are ready, but this means they come in small dribs and drabs, my bigger complaint is the state of some of these plants. They come in plugs of 66, which as soon as I get I have been opening and potting on before putting their permanent homes. I am beginning to notice the plants that are slightly more mature and are sent out in slightly larger cases, such as the Geraniums and ground cover plants are all doing well, but I have lost half of my petunias, and nearly all my trailing geraniums. I am feeling very disgruntled about these as I not used to plants dying on me. I think I have learnt my lesson with bedding plants, back to the garden centre.


The Mistle or Missel Thrush, they are becoming rare in England, but not if you know where to find them. There is a beautiful one visits my garden.

After doing some gardening yesterday, I sat in the garden, watching the birds, there is a tremendous amount of bird activity at the moment. Just sitting in my garden chair, I watched different types of the tit and finch family, plus of course, common or garden sparrows, blackbirds and thrushes, including the beautiful mistle thrush, my crows, who don't wish to be photographed, plus the collared doves and wood pigeons. I counted eighteen varieties of bird life in one half hour. Whilst I was sitting there drinking a cup of coffee, Mr Heron flew over my garden and I was fascinated to see he was carrying quite a large fish in his claws, he must have been taking it home to the heronry. A Rook was chasing him as he had flown too near the rookery, though, the rook seemed to think he was chasing the heron, I could see Mr. Heron, was treating the rook with distain. The Heron is marvellous to watch, those great wings that seem to go so far without flapping, he is a silent flyer. Magic.!

The wonderful mystical Mr. Heron, to see him fly across an early moon at twilight is an uplifting magical experience.

All my other endeavours are now geared towards my exhibition, I have had a constant stream of visitors from outlying hamlets and villages, asking if the History Lady lives here, and dropping off old photographs and old documents. I am scanning and reprinting a lot of the old photographs, for two reasons, one I wouldn't like anything to happen to someone's personal belongings, and two, you can clean up the quality slightly of the photographs and make them clearer, the same goes for the documents. I have had other members distributing flyers but there is just me and someone assisting me, very ably, organising everything. The manpower of the group will be put to use early tomorrow morning when the display boards arrive and need to be assembled and the tables and chairs set out. I also have got a tea rota going, and have made ID badges for the actual Group so visitors will know the people to ask questions of. I hope the weather says good, because if people are going out for the day, they probably could pop into the exhibition first. Keep your fingers crossed that it is a success and think of me and my modest exhibition tomorrow.



This is a painting of Sir Philip Howard, of Corby Castle, sitting very elegantly surveying his land. Great Corby is one of our next villages and that is my local river that is the backdrop to the painting. The Howards did own most of our village at one time. You can see their coat of arms and insignia on some of the houses in the village.


15 comments:

Miss Robyn said...

good luck tomorrow Daisy - if I lived near you, I would be your offsider!
your garden sounds delightful - I have only bought plants by mail order once - I would be complaining loudly to the company!

Sheila said...

Best wishes for a successful day tomorrow Daisy..!
Don't be too modest, it sounds like you have undertaken a lot of work.
You have made people aware of how important it is to record and treasure the past.Especially of the area they live in.
I hope you will tell us how it goes.

JacquiG said...

Good luck with your exhibition tomorrow, hope all goes smoothly for you.

Your European goldfinch has a red cap? We have lots of goldfinch in our backyard and not a hint of red on ours. It's interesting isn't it how they can be different. Same with the robin, ours aren't as round as yours.

Thanks for your message to me about the book shop in Carlisle. I actually know where Debenhams is, so I think I know where you mean.

Let us know how your exhibition goes.

gma said...

Wish I was a little bird...I'd fly over to the exhibition and check out all the great old pictures and records....are there going to be any artifacts? Wishing you much success Daisy.

Gretel said...

What rotten luck about your plants. But isn't it lovely to be able to get out in the garden again? I know what you mean about herons, we always get excited when we see one, maybe it's their size.

Anonymous said...

Good luck tommorrow! :) What wonderful birds! I love birds. I envy that they can just be somewhere, want to go somewhere else..and fly away. A freedom that some will never know. Anyhoo, please keep us up to date on things that go on.Good luck again! :)
*HUGS*

Julie said...

Hi, Daisy

I'm so glad you're enjoying your garden today. It sounds wonderful. All my life I've wanted to have an English cottage garden but it has proved to be too difficult in our Bismarck climate. My best success story is the hardy shrub rose developed in Morden, Manitoba. To answer your question on my blog, my book club loved "The Magic of Ordinary Days" by Ann Howard Creel. I did a "review" of it in a post dated March 16, and every month I post a review/comments on all the books I have read for the month.

natural attrill said...

I love to hear the birds, we have had our bedroom windows open since the weather has been a little warmer and it's lovely to wake up to bird song.
We have a heron that passes by us most days.
I still have the little xmas felt bird you made hanging on one of my kitchen door cupboard handles.
Penny.

Annie Jeffries said...

Your words here make all those lovely pictures come to vivid life. And lucky you to have that rare visitor among your collection of avin friends.

Carole Burant said...

Will be thinking of you tomorrow...all the very best of luck for a very successful exhibition:-) I wish I could be there to help you and/or just see everything!! What a shame some of the plants you had ordered have been dying...I've always prefered to buy my plants at the local garden centers. Like you, I so enjoy watching the variety of birds that come and go in our backyard:-) xoxo

KaiBlue said...

Well you're going to be busy tommorrow Daisy.. I know it will be a wonderful day for you and you'll have a lovely time..
TReasures indeed!!

Peace and hugs, Kai.

J C said...

Thanks for the show, Ms. Daisy. You know I love the birdies! Those panels by Edward Byrne Jones are exquisite! I had not seen them before. I love his swirling, moving work.

Naturegirl said...

Daisy I so enjoyed your images of the various birds! What would our world be without these feathered blessings!To sit and just watch them for a bit surely did feed your soul!I personally get Joy from going to the local garden stores and just browsing and touching before buying!
Wishing you all the best tomorrow! hugs NG

Lila Rostenberg said...

I bet your history day was a great success!
The bird prints are beautiful!
We had a bird similar to the thrush,... brown, speckeld(sp?) and ground-dwelling, but with a curved beak. Now that they have developed and built homes where the woods used to be, I don't see those birds.

Tinker said...

Sorry I was away, and didn't get here in time to wish you well - but I hope it did indeed go beautifully for you.

How lovely that you're able to bring together so many people in preserving the history of your area, Daisy. Wonderful!

Hope that any other bedding plants on their way in the mail, will thrive. xo
xo