Who needs a Chimney Sweep.

We seem to have our own natural chimney sweep- it’s called Starlings?  We have blocked the 2 fireplaces at the front of the house- only as a temporary measure as we will use them again in the winter. So they each have a huge piece of polystyrene in the main hole- which I then covered with [...]

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Fun In The Sun

We had another fine day in the garden today. Plenty of planting and tending. The Honeysuckle is out and smells devine. My Iris’s are nearly there and the bee’s they are a buzzing. The Starlings on the other hand are completely bonkers- if they are not trying to break their necks flying into the windows [...]

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Out in the mid day sun.

One of the things that amaze me in Ireland are the way dogs behave. They are mainly outdoor dogs over here-very few people have house dogs. They guard their home & gardens very well- but they also chase cars. The first time we holidayed over here- I was scared we would run them over- but [...]

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Good Deed for the Day

It has been very warm the last few days and at work most of the Spa is Glass- which while showing lovely views of the ancient woodland and rolling fields of green- it does reflect the heat somewhat. So I opened the doors for a breeze and in flew a swallow. He got very confused [...]

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Battle of the Birds.

It can be quite scarey in our garden- if you are a bird that is! The Starlings are trying to evict the sparrows from their nest’s. The Mistle thrush doesnt want anyone in her tree- but its where the nut feeders are. The Magpies won’t let the crows roost in their tree. The Sparrows and [...]

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Swallows and Cuckoo’s

Well it’s a real sign that spring is here and summer just around the corner. Out in the garden this morning- marveling at the beautifull rainbow colours of the dew drops on the lawn- I heard the first Cuckoo call of the year.  I have also noticed the Swallows are returning after their epic journey [...]

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Mistle Thrush.

We are so blessed with allsorts of birds in our garden. This year we have a new comer- The mistle thrush- so much bigger than the song thrush with beautifull markings and they are very feisty too- seeing of the Magpies. We have Gold crest- Blue tits- Coal tits- Great tits- Sparrows- Starlings- Robins- Wrens- [...]

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One at a time please

We have 3 differant kinds of bird baths in the garden- all in differant areas- for the differant birds. The tall one is under the tree with the nut feeders and fat balls. The smaller birds tend to use this one like the sparrows and tits. The shallow but very wide terracotta dish amid the [...]

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Wagtail goes nuts at Red Squirrel

Why is it you never have your camera to hand when you need it. Today at work, I just glanced out of the the large floor to ceiling window of my reception area to see a Red squirrel running like crazy to get away from a mad wagtail- which seemed hell bent on chasing it [...]

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The Evil Weevil

Well- here we are again- the battle of the Vine Weevil and my prized Heuchera’s. Last year it was 4-1 to me and it appears to be 4-2 to them this year. I decided to have a good look at my Heuchera’s- pull off the old leaves- change the soil and feed them up for [...]

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Darling Starlings

Its the time of year for the Starlings to nest & nuzzle, You can tell by the bird poop all over the cars. We have the same thing every year and probably the same pairs too. They rustle about very early in the morning ( Waking us up). They rustle about at night (getting comfy [...]

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My House Blessing.

It has been just over a week since my dedication- so my first thoughts of where to begin were at home. Today was a fabulous drying day- Warm Sun and a brisk breeze. So it was of with the bed sheets to wash & then dry in the wind. Opening of all windows to let the [...]

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