Feeling the heat

Today’s sensational guest picture was sent to us by our son Tony. It shows the northern lights as captured by his partner Marianne’s daughter Tash in East Wemyss last night

We went out late last night ourselves to try to see the lights, but we were unsuccessful, and the best we could come up with was this shot of the almost new moon.

When dawn came, we enjoyed another warm and sunny day here. In fact it got so hot in the middle of the day, that we couldn’t stay out in the garden for too long without getting cooked.

I prudently started the day very slowly, and didn’t get going until it was nearly coffee time. I ventured out into the garden and had a look around. A new geranium has appeared which a bumblebee found as interesting as I did. You will have to agree that one of the pictures is definitely the bees knees.

I walked up to the town to get some milk and rolls and on my way I stopped to enjoy the view down the River Esk . . .

. . . and the activities of martins flitting across the Wauchope Water. You have to have sharp eyes to spot the one in the first picture below.

When I got back, I started on shifting the contents of compost bin B into compost bin C. I took it very gently with lots of stops for rest and a drink of water.

I noticed a lone campion in our mini wild flower meadow on the drying green as I went in for lunch.

I finished the compost job off after lunch, and had another walk round the garden to celebrate.

Two blackbirds kept an eye on me as I went round.

Mrs Tootlepedal had been busy in the garden too, and we needed a moment to cool off before we set off on our electric bicycles to see if the bluebells on the hillside just out of town were ready for viewing yet. They were not quite at their best, but they were still quite a sight, and well worth a visit. I don’t know why the sheep don’t eat the bluebells. They eat almost everything else and the only other flowers on the hill were two tormentils.

We cycled home and had a cup of tea before setting off out of the other side of town to visit the bird hide on the Tarras Valley Nature Reserve. Before we left, I checked our bird feeder and was happy to see a chaffinch.

When we got to the bird hide, we found that there were much the same birds there as there are in our own garden. Then, the sharp eyed Mrs Tootlepedal noticed a willow warbler on a spruce tree. It wasn’t on a willow, but it was certainly warbling. A siskin went for a drink in the reflection pool.

With nothing much happening, we left the hide and walked down the track towards the river, passing a bright yellow broom bush and many promising trees which were planted after the larch wood was felled a few years ago. They should provide good homes for birds in the years to come.

We didn’t get as far as the river as a very steep bank was involved. When we got back to the hide, I stayed for a while in the hope of seeing something interesting, while Mrs Tootlepedal set off to cycle home. I didn’t have to wait long before something interesting appeared, even though it was hiding behind the peanut feeder.

It was a greater spotted woodpecker and it stayed for quite a while while I snapped away.

When it flew off, I got back on my bicycle and followed Mrs Tootlepedal home. I didn’t catch her up, and this was not surprising, as she told me later that she had hit 28 mph going down one of the hills on her way back.

It was nearly time for our evening meal so that concluded our activities for the day.

I didn’t manage to catch a flying bird of the day today, so a redpoll at the bird hide is standing in.

Sadness on a beautiful day

Today’s guest picture comes from our friend Gavin. He spotted this turkey vulture on a visit to the California Bay Nature Reserve.

We had a beautiful day here today, which provided a backdrop to a sad occasion. We went to the crematorium in Carlisle for the funeral service of an old friend, Peter, with whom we played many games of mixed hockey in the days when we were all a lot younger. He was Dropscone’s brother-in-law, and Dropscone gave a touching memory of him at the service. Peter’s wife and two of his daughters spoke too, and it was very moving to listen to them paying tribute to a really nice man.

The crematorium is set in expansive grounds and we liked this prunus, a model of what we hope that the tree that we have had to prop up in our own garden will turn into in time.

The service was at one o’clock, so I had time to walk round the garden after breakfast.

I filled the feeder, and we were rewarded with visits from many redpolls . . .

. . . and just because I said yesterday that they had disappeared, a lone greenfinch arrived today.

Then we were visited by David, who supplies our excellent olive oil, for coffee just before we left for Carlisle. He had come back from a short break with his wife in the north east of England where they had encountered donkeys, museums, cathedrals and a stately home. They had had a good time.

We did some household shopping in Carlisle on our way back from the funeral, and arrived home in the mid afternoon. For the first time this year, we felt rather too hot for comfort after the drive, and we were happy to get into the cool of the house.

After a snack, we went out into the garden where I did some mowing while Mrs Tootlepedal did some serious hoeing among the potatoes.

Then, as the sun had dropped a bit in the sky and it wasn’t so hot, I popped out for a quick whisk round my familiar Canonbie route on my push bike. I did it in the opposite direction to my usual choice, and it gave the ride a fresh feeling. Everything is very green.

I had paused for a moment to catch my breath on the top of the steepest hill of the day and take in the view, when I found myself to be an object of interest.

Other cows were available.

I saw some more pine cones today, not Korean but Scots.

I got home in time to get changed and go out to see the Pipe Band and the Town Band parade through the streets, encouraging the townsfolk to go along to the Buccleuch Centre for the election of the cornet for this year’s Common Riding in July. No fewer than six candidates have put themselves forward this year.

The last frame shows the Town Band walking past our house while not playing. We have been in this house for forty nine years years, and they have gone past every year but they have never played.

I walked down Caroline Street in the gap between the bands and was impressed by the gardeners’ work there.

So it was mixture, a sad day, a beautiful day, a day of looking back and remembering, a day of spring promise, a day when another year in the community life of the town really got started. Some things end, others begin.

The flying bird of the day is a siskin.

Making the most of the weather

Today’s guest picture is another from my brother Andrew. He was much struck by this fine floral display on a recent walk

Our spell of good weather here continued today. It is supposed to go back to being cooler and wetter next week, so we are enjoying the dry and warm days as much as we can in the meantime.

I filled the bird feeder after breakfast, and there was fairly steady traffic. Bird behaviour is a mystery to me. Not so long ago, we had dozens of chaffinches, both at the feeder and scurrying about picking up seed underneath it. It was not unusual to see thirty or forty of them. Today, I saw none. I don’t know where they have gone. The greenfinches have departed as well, and we are now seeing mostly siskins, though there are goldfinches and some sparrows too. No redpolls today.

Dropscone came round for coffee in the morning, and in a mark of his progress, he was confident enough to walk across town carrying his scones with him for the first time since he came out of hospital. He was very cheerful, possibly because he is not able to play golf at the moment.

After he went on his way, I went out into the garden with Mrs Tootlepedal, and we did a lot of work between us. In between mowing the vegetable garden paths, sieving compost, and doing some shredding, strimming and dead heading, I found time to look at a few flowers too. The astrantia, ribwort and pink strawberry are new arrivals.

Mrs Tootlepedal was impressed by the staying power of our last daffodils.

After lunch, Mrs Tootlepedal went back out into the garden, and I took advantage of the good weather to go for a cycle ride on my push bike while wearing shorts.

I had another look at the fine blackthorn at Westwater on my way up to Callister. It was glowing in the sunshine.

Rather disappointingly, when I got to the top of Callister, I found that the longer views were very misty again, and this was made even more annoying by the blue sky that was very evident if I looked straight upwards.

Ironically, the poor visibility seems to arrive with the better weather, so perhaps it is dust in the air, either brought in from the continent or created by our local traffic. It didn’t spoil the immediate views as far as my cycling went though.

The little cottage is testing the view that a house divided cannot stand.

My route took me past the Korean pines at Half Morton, so I combined a stop for refreshment with a check on the cones. It is definitely a good year for cones, unlike last year when there were very few. Each tree seems to be at a different stage of development as far as colour goes.

Just as I was getting back on my bike, I saw a deer run across the road. It leapt a fence and bounded across a field.

I see deer from time to time on my rides, but I think that this is the first time that I have managed to record one in action.

The sun stayed out for the whole of the 27 mile ride, and I passed the first silage cutting as I got near Canonbie. The team were hard at work on one side of the road, and the grass had already been cut and removed on the other.

Rather than cycle back along the Canonbie bypass when I came to it, I took the narrow road to the Hollows that runs just below the main road. It provided a magnificent beech hedge, and a good if rather misty view up Eskdale when I got near to the Hollows.

I was going to spend some time looking for wild flowers in the verges over the last five miles of my trip, but I inadvertently looked at my bike computer just as I completed two hours. Finding that I done 22 miles, I became so obsessed with keeping my average speed above 11 mph until I got home that I completely forgot about the flowers.

Mrs Tootlepedal was still in the garden when I got back, but she told me that she had taken some time out to watch the finish of today’s stage of the Giro.

We walked round the garden before I went in to make a cup of tea.

A second helping of her excellent fish pie rounded off a very satisfactory day.

The flying bird of the day is a goldfinch.

A steadily busy day

Today’s guest picture is a detail from a beautiful wild flower meadow photograph taken by my Somerset correspondent Venetia. It features cowslips and orchids.

We had a slightly cooler day than yesterday, with a bit more wind and a bit less sunshine, but as it did not rain and was still quite warm, we did not complain.

I started my day by walking up to the High Street to pay for my next batch of bird food. My phone made a gallant attempt to capture a goosander standing on a rock just above the Kirk Brig.

When I got back, I mowed the front lawn and the grass along the dam at the back of the house, did some shredding, and had coffee with Mrs Tootlepedal. Then I wandered about the garden. I waas greeted by a blackbird . . .

. . . and saw several promising things, including a gooseberry, speedwell, alliums, sweet rocket and the first rose of the year.

Then Mrs Tootlepedal and I went shopping at the Co-op where I was waylaid by some raspberries which needed to be made into jam when we got home. While I was jamming, Mrs Tootlepedal was planting out broad beans, some in personalised greenhouses, and some exposed to the elements.

After lunch, I looked at a crow in the plum tree, smiled back at the geums, and checked the bird feeder . . .

. . . before setting out on my electric bike to tackle the breeze and some considerable undulations.

It was sunny when I started out . . .

. . . but it got a little cloudier as I went up past the Westerkirk Library, over the Enzieholm Bridge, past the Louping Stanes stone circle, and up to the bridge across the White Esk at Eskdalemuir.

Regular readers will perhaps remember that I passed another stone circle on my way up this road recently, and they may well wonder why there should be two stone circles so close together. It is my view that a travelling stone circle salesman arrived, and told the locals that their original stone circle was madly out of date, not at all fashionable, didn’t tell the time properly, and they would be far better off with one of his new smarter ones. “You call that a stone circle? It’s jut a pile of stones in a circle. Now my stone circles really are stone circles.”

At Eskdalemuir, I turned left and went over to Boreland. This road cuts across the grain of the land and goes continuously up and down as it crosses over small burns as well as the Black Esk. It is in good condition as it has been remade for the many timber lorries that use it as the big forests along it are cut down.

It was hard work as I was heading straight into the wind on this section.

My route today was rectangular and at Boreland, I turned left again and headed up to Corrie Common. The sun came out as I passed the picturesque church and headed up the hill.

The road to Corrie Common is not straightforward as there is a large dip in the middle. You can see the road climbing up the hill on the far side of the valley.

This second climb should be rewarded by great views when you get to Corrie Common, but today, as I climbed the hill, the afternoon misted over a bit, and by the time that I got to the bench, although it was still a pleasant day, there was no sign of a view at all.

The wind wasn’t helpful on this section either, and what should have been a whizz down the hill to Paddockhole, became a rather stately affair involving more pedalling than I would have wished.

It felt quite cool as the misty conditions persisted as I cycled back to Langholm on the last leg of my journey, and they completely spoiled what should have been a fantastic display of bluebells on the side of Dunnabie Fell.

It was slightly annoying that by the time that I got near Langholm, the mist had cleared . . .

. . . and Mrs Tootlepedal told me that she had had a lovely afternoon in the garden.

I did a little more shredding when I got back, refilled the feeder, and had a last look at the birds.

I had a late walk round the garden in the evening sunshine. The tulips are past their best now but still providing a lot of colour. The first polemonium was out. I think that I like the garden best on a sunny evening.

Mrs Tootlepedal had made fish pie for our evening meal, so that made up for any disappointment caused by the misty conditions.

The flying bird of the day is a goldfinch.

I append a clickable map of today’s route. As you can see from the elevation profile, there was a lot of uphill, and there wasn’t much flat road anywhere on the way round. The wind was across or against for three quarters of the trip. A good day for the electric bike.

A mostly sedentary day

Today’s guest picture comes from my nephew Dan, who is visiting Italy. It shows the ceiling of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Bergamo. There must be a lot of work for Bergamo physios treating tourists with a crick in the neck.

We had a warm, often sunny, and always quite calm day here today. I celebrated by spending many hours sitting down. I started by sitting down for a coffee with Sandy. As his walking has not got better, we intend to go out for a drive or two in the summer months. He remains remarkably cheerful.

We had a walk round the garden before he left, and inspired by that, I got out my camera and had a short walk round by myself.

It was good to see the bees getting stuck in. The one on the yellow archangel may be a carder bee.

Mrs Tootlepedal had gone off after breakfast to record some reminiscences of the community buyout with two other ladies who were involved in that great enterprise, and as she was still out, I roused myself enough to mow the middle lawn, leaving a bit in the middle at the far end for no mow May.

Then I had an early lunch and watched the birds. Redpolls and an anguished chaffinch were to the fore today.

Almost as soon as Mrs Tootlepedal had returned, I got out on my push bike to take advantage of the good weather.

With the temperature at 15°C (60°F) and the wind at 4 or 5 mph for the most part, it was a perfect day for a pedal.

With bridges on my mind, I went across to Hoddom and Brydekirk to catch bridges across the Annan Water, and took in a few others on my way.

I was spoiled for choice when it came to wild flowers. The roads were lined with them.

There wasn’t a moment today when I wasn’t enjoying myself, though a couple of obstructions did make me slow down. New telephone poles were being installed and potholes were being filled so I was happy to see the men at work, and they let me squeeze past.

After photographing the Hoddom bridge, I took a short diversion through the grounds of Hoddom Castle and was mightily impressed buy the rhododendron bushes just before I got to the castle itself.

Even when I wasn’t looking at flowers, bridges or castles, the roads themselves were very easy on the eye today so my journey was never dull.

I managed my route so that I had covered almost exactly 50 miles by the time that I got home. I adopted a policy of going along at a gentle speed throughout, and this greatly helped to make the trip easily the most relaxed and enjoyable of the year so far. Lets hope that there are many more days like this before autumn comes on the scene.

The 50 miles brought my push bike cycling miles up to almost equal with my electric bike miles for the year so far, so that was an added satisfaction.

Mrs Tootlepedal had been very busy in the garden with weeding, planting, and cutting back while I was out, and although she had done a lot, there was still some shredding left over for tomorrow.

She cooked a delicious dish of leeks and savoury rice for our evening meal, and we had a final walk round the garden in the evening sunshine after it.

All is good.

The flying bird of the day is a chaffinch.

I append a clickable map of today’s route for those interested.

Letting others do the work

Today’s guest picture comes from our friend Gavin. He is visiting his son and family in California. Gavin visited the Filoli house and gardens on a day out and enjoyed the gardens a lot.

Unlike sunny California, we woke to a grey and gloomy day here, with persistent light rain offsetting a generally reasonably warm and calm morning. I have been feeling a little tired lately, so I welcomed an excuse not to do anything more exciting than walk up to the town in the drizzle to buy milk and rolls, and walk round the garden for a moment or two. It was damp.

The first flower has appeared on our rhododendrons . . .

. . . and the weight of the rain sodden flowers on a prunus sapling caused it to bend down nearly to the ground.

We propped it up later on with home grown bamboo canes.

I spent some useful time entering another week of the newspaper index into the Archive Group database, and had a glance at the birds too.

Siskins can be very messy eaters, and a pigeon couldn’t believe its luck in finding so much easily accessible food under the feeder.

The persistent drizzle was interrupted by a very heavy shower of rain after lunch, and I made the mistake of casually glancing at today’s stage of the Giro which Mrs Tootlepedal was watching on her tablet. Watching other people cycling is very addictive. About three hours later, I was able to look away again after an unexpectedly exciting stage had drawn to a close.

When I looked up, I saw that the rain had stopped, so I went out for a three bridges walk. Everything felt very fresh after the rain.

From the Town Bridge, I watched martins nesting in the wall beside the river, and was very surprised to see one apparently sitting back and having a snooze . . .

. . . while others got on with the work.

I pottered along the Kilngreen while interesting birds flew past me too quickly for my slow reactions to catch with my camera. I settled for some lovely static spring colour after I had crossed the Sawmill Brig.

I walked round the new path on the Castleholm looking at cones. I am not a good tree identifier but these may be Douglas Fir cones . . .

. . . and these are probably scots pine cones . . .

. . . but these are certainly noble fir flowers and cones. This probably my favourite tree in Langholm.

As I crossed the Jubilee bridge, the sun came out, and it turned into a lovely afternoon for a walk.

Looking over the wall at the end of the Scholars’ Field, I could see a hint of blue. I walked up into the wood behind the wall to have a look.

It was quite a contrast to the dreary start to the day.

I had refilled the feeder earlier in the day, and when I got back from my walk, I found that it had already gone down a lot. The residents were very keen to shout at any possible intruders.

It was her mother’s birthday, and they were busy eating two kinds of cake, so we didn’t have a Zoom with our granddaughter Matilda today, but we did have our regular virtual visit with my brother and sisters.

The weather is unsettled at the moment, and the forecast changes every time that I look at it, but it does seem as though we might be in for a spell of warmer and possibly drier weather for the rest of the week. It will be very welcome, as this is a great time of the year to get out and about.

The flying bird of the day is a siskin.

Under a cloud

Today’s guest picture comes from my brother Andrew. He found the Derby Museum of Making in a reflective mood this evening.

We found Langholm under a cloud when we walked to church this morning . . .

. . . and it stayed that way all day. It wasn’t windy, so there was a strange sort of calm about the day. I hadn’t had a good night’s sleep, and I was happy to loaf about for the rest of the morning when we got back from church, while Mrs Tootlepedal was busy with errands and gardening.

In spite of a forecast of perpetual light rain, it stayed dry, and Mrs Tootlepedal got quite a lot of gardening done. I did some light dead heading and looking about.

A goldfinch was looking about too . . .

. . . while a sparrow grabbed a seed and took off.

Our neighbour Liz dropped in and exchanged some gardening talk with Mrs Tootlepedal, and while they were chatting, more visitors arrived.

After inspecting the possibilities of the lawn . . .

. . . they headed for the pond, where the duck tucked in vigorously . .

. . . and the drake did some pondside posing.

I took a picture of a Ballerina tulip . . .

. . . and went in to look at the birds and have lunch.

The siskins were as lively as ever . . .

. . . and it was good to see that the redpolls have become settled in our area for a while at least.

It was very difficult to get a reliable rain forecast, as the forecasters disagreed on where and when showers might appear, but it seemed that going north might be a good idea. I got out my push bike and set off up the main road.

It was dry, reasonably mild, and the wind was behind me, so I enjoyed myself for all of three and half miles. When I had got that far, I had not gone up much of a hill, but I had gone up enough to find myself in the clouds and getting wet. This didn’t seem like a recipe for fun, so I turned round and went home where it was dry.

I didn’t stop at home though, and after a quick word with Mrs Tootlepedal, I headed off along the Wauchope road, intending to go as far as I could before it started to rain there too. I made a diversion up and down the side road to Cleughfoot . . .

. . . enjoying the gorse and blackthorn, and narrowly avoiding being run over by a car which I met on a blind corner. I took to the grass verge, and was lucky to find a bit which was firm enough to allow me to pedal past the car and get back onto the road without falling off.

When I got back on to the Wauchope road, I headed on up towards Callister where the prospects looked rather gloomy.

Sure enough, once I had got a little way up the hill, I found myself in the clouds again . . .

. . . and getting wet.

This seemed like a good moment to turn for home, and I whizzed back down to the town with the wind helping me. When I got there, I found that I had covered 20 miles, so I was quite pleased with my outing, even if it didn’t go entirely to plan.

I celebrated by taking a picture of the yellow azalea which is trying its hardest to come out.

After a pause for rest and refreshment, I joined Mrs Tootlepedal in watching the last few kilometres of today’s stage of the Giro d’Italia.

In the early evening, we drove down to Kirkandrews on Esk church to attend the choral evensong service there. Much to our surprise, there was a huge queue of traffic on the road to the church which Mrs Tootlepedal captured on my phone camera . . .

. . . but fortunately most of the queue turned off . . .

. . . and there was plenty of room in the church at the service.

We had a light meal when we got home, and in the evening we watched a very interesting rerun of a Michael Palin programme on an enigmatic Danish artist called Vilhelm Hammershoi. I had never heard of the artist, but he certainly was an excellent painter.

The flying bird of the day is a goldfinch.

More springiness

Today’s guest picture comes from my sister Caroline. She was pleased to see the orchids in her garden enjoying a spot of sunshine lately.

We didn’t have any sunshine here today, and it was back to being rather cool. However, we only had a little rain, and the wind was light, so it could have been a lot worse. I needed my warm jacket for the walk along to the producer’s market in the Buccleuch Centre after breakfast. I made my regular purchases of fish, soap, honey, venison, bread flour, and cheese and came home with a heavy load and much lighter pockets.

Our neighbour Margaret came round at coffee time, and we had an agreeable chat and catch up.

When she left, I had a look at the birds and found a siskin and a sparrow tucking into the seed.

Then I had a walk round the garden where new flowers and potential flowers are appearing every day. I saw dogwood coming out . . .

. . . and alliums getting ready to burst out . . .

. . . exciting rhododendron possibility . . .

. . . and an actual azalea.

I did a little gardening while Mrs Tootlepedal did some serious stuff, and then I looked at flowers that are properly out.

There are bluebells and wild strawberries in one corner . .

. . . and geums and a Welsh poppy in another. I looked at the geums from both sides. . . .

We stayed out in the garden until it was lunch time.

After lunch and another check on the birds . . .

. . . I got ready to go for a cycle ride.

Needless to say, a light drizzle started as I was getting my push bike prepared for the outing round my familiar Canonbie circuit, but I set off anyway. The forecast suggested that it wouldn’t rain much, and I was well dressed for the weather. All the same, after three miles of pedalling into ever increasing raindrops, I was getting a bit discouraged, and beginning to wonder if there wasn’t anything more entertaining that I could be doing.

Fortunately, I kept my nerve, and by the time that I had gone five miles, the rain had stopped, and in the light wind, I was able to enjoy the rest of my ride in the dry.

I was a bit shocked as I came down to the border to see what looked flooded fields ahead of me . . .

. . . but a closer look revealed that it was plastic sheeting used in the growing of maize for feeding cattle.

I kept an eye out for wild flowers on my way back from the bottom of the bypass, through Canonbie and up the old road back home. I saw green alkanet before Canonbie, and blue and white bluebells, bird cherry, and broom between Canonbie Bridge and Hollows Bridge.

I stopped on Hollows bridge to enjoy the greenery and have a snack . . .

. . . and finally saw a flood of bluebells tumbling down a banking, and some ribwort on the old A7.

I got home in perfect time to join Mrs Tootlepedal in enjoying a cup of tea with a large tea cake each which I had purchased at the market earlier in the day.

I finished my photographic day by looking at the bird feeder where redpolls and siskins were busy . . .

. . . and checking on the jackdaws out of the other window. They were busy finding food on the feeder and in the lawn.

To brighten up a very grey day, while I was looking through the jackdaw window, I took a shot of Mrs Tootlepedal’s new tulips. They are getting towards the end of their flowering life, but their colour still looked amazingly vibrant in the grey early evening light.

It looks as though it might be damp all day tomorrow, so I am glad that I got a bike ride in today, even if I did get wet at the start.

The flying bird of the day is a blue tit which popped in to visit the feeder.

Back at the nursery

Today’s guest picture comes from my friend Mark.

He was one of the volunteers who went to plant trees on the Tarras Velley Nature Reserve this morning. We were a small but select group. Mrs Tootlepedal had cycled up to Cronksbank with me for company, but left us to do the planting while she pedalled back to Langholm where she had various things to do.

It was another sunny morning, but a brisk wind gave the day a cool feeling.

We walked half a mile up the hill to the banks of the Raegill Burn where a lot of trees have already been planted by schoolchildren and visiting volunteers.

The line of rather battered trees in the background marks the edge of the nature reserve. We got busy planting out more baby trees and supporting them with posts and tree guards.

It was hard work on the rough ground, and I for one was secretly pleased when we ran out of posts and guards and had to call it a day earlier than planned. This was the last planting until the autumn as the ground is getting dry. When we got back to the tree nursery, we thought it wise to water the trays before we left.

Regular readers will know that Mrs Tootlepedal and I helped to fill these trays with seedlings two years ago, and it is pleasing, if a bit surprising, to see that they have lasted so well. It will need a big push, probably by professional planters, to get them all planted out in the autumn.

There was some sensational golden lichen on the wall of the nursery.

It was very satisfying to cycle home along the banks of the Tarras water, feeling that a useful if modest job had been done.

I had a look round the garden when I got home and found a white theme. The magnolia is enjoying the warmer weather, the trillium is doing really well, and we have some white bluebells.

I filled the bird feeder and it didn’t take long for a male redpoll to appear.

He was soon joined by others, and in the end there were enough redpolls about to start several arguments.

Redpolls move around to find new sources of food and come into our garden from time to time. I think of them as spring visitors, but looking at my records, I see that we have had them at any time from mid winter to midsummer in past years.

Although we hadn’t spend very long at the tree planting, I had found it quite tiring, so I had a quiet afternoon in, sometimes helping Mrs Tootlepedal tidy up in the garden, and sometimes sitting around and doing nothing.

I did look around while I was in the garden, and noticed that as well as pretty lilac, tulips and daffodils, the ajuga plants round the middle lawn had all taken it into their heads to come into flower today, there was a ladybird in the cow parsley, and wild garlic had turned up unexpectedly beside the dam behind the house.

The apple blossom is looking very promising but as there was only one bee in evidence, I got my pollinating brush out and buzzed round the flowers as well as I could.

I had another look at the birds later on and found a redpoll sparring with a siskin, but soon goldfinches and chaffinches were joining in too.

We had a couple of rain showers as the day went on, and this was very welcome for the newly planted trees on the hill.

After the regular Zoom with my brother and sisters we had our evening meal and subsided into peaceful rest.

The flying bird of the day is a chaffinch dislodging a siskin.

Gloves off

Today’s guest picture is another from my sister Mary’s recent visit to the Isabella Plantation in Richmond park

We couldn’t quite match Mary’s colourful scene in our garden today, but it was another warm and sunny day here when I had a walk around, with potential and actual flowers and plenty of birds too.

My favourites were the whirling beetles in the pond. They have taken going round in circles to new levels of intensity.

Dropscone came round for coffee, bringing his excellent scones with him. He is making slow progress back to fitness, and is able to walk up to the golf course from time to time, but he is still not expecting to be able to play this summer. Judging by his stories of golfing grief last year, tnot playing golf should make him a happier man, but it probably won’t.

When he left, I mowed the greenhouse grass and the veg garden paths . . .

. . . and dead headed some tulips.

Mrs Tootlepedal was busy in the garden too, and while she worked on, I went in and made some vegetable soup for lunch . . . and had a look at the birds while it was cooking.

After lunch, Mrs Tootlepedal went shopping and did some more gardening. Although it was warm and sunny, it was very windy, so I opted for a walk rather than a cycle ride. I started along the river . . .

. . . and having tried in vain to catch a martin in flight as I walked along the waterside, I noticed them heading for nesting sites in the wall as I crossed the town bridge.

It was a perfect day to buy an ice cream from the van on the Kilngreen to get added energy before heading up onto Whita Hill.

Because I didn’t need to wear gloves, it was much easier than it has been to take photographs with my phone, so on my walk along the hill and through the woods, I used both my camera and my phone. I have put the camera shots into this gallery . . .

. . . and the phone shots into this one.

The light wasn’t great when I started up the hill, but it had got a lot better when I had got back down to the woods towards the end of the walk. As you can see, it was a great day to be out and about, and I chose my route well so that the wind was behind me when I was in the open, and in my face only when I was well sheltered by trees and the valley bottom.

Bridges are on my mind because of the camera club theme this month.

You can see where Skippers Bridge was widened to cope with ‘modern’ traffic. It was built in 1693 and widened in 1807.

I went home from Skippers Bridge by way of the bluebells.

At just under six miles, it wasn’t a very long walk, but it was very good value.

In the evening, I picked up my fellow player Susan, and we drove to Carlisle to play with our recorder group. Generally the group was a bit tired this evening, so we didn’t play at our best, but we still managed to have an enjoyable time, and it was a good way to end a cheerful day.

The flying bird of the day is a sunny siskin.