Second hand advice

Today’s picture was sent to me by Guthrie.  He saw this fine fungus while he was talking Bruce for a walk this morning.

I was determined not to do too much today after yesterday’s busy day and I succeeded pretty well.  I was helped by a gentle but persistent rain which was not enough to get you wet but was enough to discourage you from walking about outside for too long.  We got off lightly though as the west country, where we have just been on holiday, was lashed by rain and gales today.

After a late breakfast I went out to conduct another round of the war against sawflies.  We are definitely losing.

However, in the evening I received a message from a reader through the medium of her father, Mike Tinker. His daughter Elizabeth, who has been to college and knows what she is talking about, says that we shouldn’t worry about the sawflies.   Let them eat the leaves, she says.  It won’t affect the crop and the leaves will grow back next year.  Her father said that he has sprayed his bush before the sawflies came.  He sounded a bit smug, I thought…but then I would have been smug if I had sprayed our bush in time and he hadn’t.

The action on the feeder was relentless today with birds literally standing on each other and kicking each other off the perches.  Here a siskin has put the boot in.

I ran the light push mower over the drying green just to keep on top of the grass which is growing quickly in this warm, wet weather and then walked round the garden.

This is Mrs Tootlepedal’s favourite poppy of the moment.

The Jacob’s ladder in comes in blue and white. I prefer the delicate blue.

There is nothing delicate about this knockout aquilegia

Another geranium has flowered

I thought the pistils on these weigela flowers looked like bell clappers but they were ringing a silent chime.

A very dark iris has appeared.

A very solid looking hosta.

Two siskins were waiting to feed as I passed them.

Another siskin was so busy eating that it let me get very close to it.

You can see its curved beak when you are this close.

…and then it was time for coffee.

A parent and child appeared outside the kitchen window.

I think the youngster needs some advice on not overdoing the eye makeup.

The dunnocks seem to be able to feed themselves with no help from me.

For the seed eaters, there was a good deal of waiting for a perch on the feeder which is tough on them but good for me as it means that there are birds hovering.

A goldfinch waiting

A greenfinch fed up and leaving.

…and then suddenly it was time for lunch.  I don’t know how that happened at all.  There was no let up at the feeders though.

Two greenfinches chat cheerily (by greenfinch standards).

The Wauchope Cottage synchronised siskin team in action.

In spite of the light rain, I got out the scarifier and gave the front lawn a scuff.  The grass is growing so quickly that I didn’t like to leave it any longer.  I raked up the moss and then ran the mower over it.  It looks quite promising.  Mrs Tootlepedal thinks that I am wasting time and effort on the lawn and that I should let the grass grow and cut it with a hover mower.  Then she is a woman and doesn’t understand.

I passed yet another siskin on my way indoors.

You may think from my pictures that there were a lot of siskins about.  You would be right.  I counted over thirty in the garden at one time during the day.

After that I went up and lay down for my siesta.  No one can say that I am not trying to be good.

The rest of the afternoon slipped by and in the evening we welcomed Mike (for for a chat) and Alison (for  a tootle).  I was out of practice and didn’t play very well but it was enjoyable as usual and rounded off the day very pleasantly.  Alison was saying that she thinks she has seen toads in our pond.  I shall have to keep my eyes open.

And the siskin of today is a chaffinch at last.