Feathered Friends

There has been something of a flurry of activity in the garden today now that the sunshine has returned. The birds are all busy doing what birds do, although I haven't yet seen too many bees.
I have been waiting for some time now to get a decent picture of one of the robins that follow us around the garden. Usually, as soon as the camera comes into view they become most unobliging and disappear into the bushes. I managed to get this one before he (or she) flew off.


Robin 


robin 

Normally I would expect to see a picture something like this, in this case a sparrow, who took off just as I pressed the button. Could have done with a slightly faster shutter speed, but I quite like it anyway.


Sparrow 

Canada Geese

A recent trip to London found us in a park in Dulwich where I took some photos of the natives. The Canada Geese were particularly handsome and just begged for their picture to be taken.

Canada Goose


Canada Goose

General Election

As this does not pretend to be a political blog I am not going to pontificate too much on this topic. I would just like to say that I have the greatest sympathy for all of you living in the USA where your election campaigns seem to go on for ever. Here in the UK the election was only officially called about a week ago and I am already heartily sick of it all with 2 or 3 weeks to go. How you cope with months of it I will never know.
I think I must be a politicians nightmare as I find it nearly impossible to make a choice of which party should get my vote. I was rather leaning towards the Lib Dems, but having seen Charles Kennedy being given the third degree by Jeremy Paxman last night, I may have started to float off again. I know he has just become a father and is most probably suffering from sleep deprivation, but he seemed to be pretty well unprepared for some of the questions, and his knowledge of detail, even of his own policies, was sketchy to say the least. Nice guy though.
I look forward to the other two being ripped apart in the coming days.
Unless something turns up to suggest that any of them know what they are about and can convince me of their integrity, then maybe I should just exercise my democratic right, and not vote for anyone.

Health & Safety

I was astonished to come across a story showing the climate of fear that exists amongst our health professionals who seem to want our environment to be absolutely safe. In this case, in Gloucestershire, it was decided that putting napkins with the meals-on-wheels service to old age pensioners could be dangerous because the poor old souls might choke on them.
Who seriously thought that they would try to eat them anyway? Or are the meals so bad that it was felt that the napkins might be seen as an improvement?
Just because people are old doesn't mean to say that they are also Ga-ga!

BBC NEWS | England | Gloucestershire | Choking fears delay napkin plans

Burbage Common

Reflections at Burbage Common. Better weather tempted us out yesterday, and this view endeavours to capture the tranquilty. 


Hidden in here was a moorhen, but it never did come out. 

Calke Abbey

Last week-end, we made one of our regular visits to one of the nearest National Trust properties, Calke Abbey in Derbyshire. This house is a wonderful time capsule, capturing a moment in time.
The house was acquired by the National Trust in 1985 as a most unusual property where it seemed that time had stood still. The Harpur family had lived there since 1622 and were noted for their reclusive eccentricity. In 1985 the property was in need of extensive repair but was lacking in modern amenities and cluttered with the collected family paraphernalia of centuries . The decision was made to carry out essential repairs only and keep the property, so far as possible, in the state that it was left . You will not find, therefore, a highly restored interior but a most interesting and informal picture of a grand country house in its latter years of occupancy and decline. It has a unique fascination.
The visit inside the house was avoided on this occasion, restricting ourselves to the grounds. The house contains a huge collection of stuffed birds and animals, just part of the collection amassed by Sir Vauncey Harpur Crewe; there are so many of them that you do have to be in the right mood to face upto them.


Calke Abbey 

The house was never actually an abbey, although the Augustinian order of Monks did build one here in 1133 and dedicated it to St Giles, with the present Baroque mansion being built on the site of the abbey in 1703.


Church Walk - Calke Abbey 

The previous photo is on the walk upto St Giles church, which is located in the grounds of Calke Abbey, and was built in 1826. It contains a fine monument to the builder of Calke Abbey, Sir John Harpur and his wife.

The formal gardens at Calke are but a small part of the whole estate, but always worth a visit at any time of the year. The next photo was taken on our latest visit and shows some of the borders just coming to life, although the tree will take a little longer yet to come into leaf.


Walled Garden Tree in Spring 

Another view shows the spring bedding.


Walled Garden - Spring 

The same beds, taken last summer, show much more colour. Regular visits are needed to keep upto date with the changes.


Walled Garden - Summer 

From the walled gardens it is worth the effort to wander down to the lake by which is a very well preserved ice house, a relic of the days before refrigerators, and when the lake would have frozen over regularly enough to yield ice to last through the summer.


Calke Abbey Lake 

smugmug - Brodick : Calke Abbey

Pecking Order

There has been something of feathered warfare going on in the garden over the last few weeks. Most of the battles seem to have been over possession of an ivy bush which grows up an old line post. At this time of the year, the blackbirds are particularly covetous of the berries that are now ripening, and although there are enough berries to feed most of the neighbourhood birds, still the battles rage.


Blackbird waiting for attackers

A pair of blackbirds is fiercely defending against not only other blackbirds with attitude and ambition, but also thrushes and starlings. Starlings generally seem to accept most other birds but not other starlings, with which they squabble noisily.


Cock of the north!

The sparrows, some 10 or 12 are nesting in the bush, don’t seem to mind sharing the food as they don’t seem to eat it, but they fight over the seed feeder with the green finches. We also have a pair of robins nesting in the ivy that will fight with almost any other birds irrespective of size. Talk about pecking order; I see now where the phrase comes from.


Pigeons seem pretty oblivious to all comers. But they do have size on their side.

The other territory that needs defending is the feeder.


Sparrow Feeding


Greenfinch Feeding. This picture replaces the previous out of focus shot. This chap was much more obliging.