Further incursions

Today’s guest picture, a lovely study of the Lake District, comes from my sister Mary who was on holiday there last week.

Yesterday’s sunny and warm day turned out to have been yet another false start on the long march towards summer and we were back to grey, windy and far from warm conditions today.  This put paid to any thought of dashing out for an early pedal and after a late breakfast, my only cycle expedition was to our local Co-operative store for some tomatoes.

I enlivened the return journey by a visit to a furniture maker’s studio which was open as part of the Spring Fling.  Daniel Lacey is the man who was responsible for the bird hide at the Moorland feeders and it was a treat to see his professional work.  Photographs cannot do justice to the sheer beauty of his woodwork.  The impulse to stroke every piece of wood in sight was almost overwhelming.

The tomatoes were a part of the lunch preparations for the visit of my younger son Alistair with his wife Clare and their daughter Matilda, TWGSP, to see Granny.

A gap of two feet and 97 years.

I took the opportunity of showing Matilda the delights of bird watching through a window.

Matilda was in great form and spent a good deal of time walking up and down the lawn.  She can stand up unassisted but likes a helping hand while perambulating.

She had us all at it.

A four generation outing

They thought that they were taking Matilda for a walk, but she and I knew who was really in charge.

It was the second excellent family visit in two days.  We are hoping that Matilda might be persuaded to come and stay a night with us soon.

In spite of the grey day and chilly wind, it was still a bit warmer than it has been and the garden was looking a bit more colourful.

The first flower on the red azalea is out…

…and the yellow azalea is really coming into its own.

We’ve still got just one allium (nearly) out so far.

The Jacob’s Ladder and geums are filling out well.

There are small patches of colour round every corner

The potentilla along the dam is flourishing and the first blossoms have appeared on the potentilla in the garden.

Dangling in the cool shade of its leaves the flowers of a Solomons Seal are almost out.

Matilda noticed that the goldfinches prefer the old feeder now hanging on the elder…..

…whereas the siskins prefer the new one.

Sometimes, a goldfinch would wait, perched high on the plum tree, to see which looked most inviting.

Every now and again, it would almost turn into a nice day.

A goldfinch and greenfinch share a feeder peaceably but rather standoffishly in a little patch of sunshine….

…but when the sun went in, a siskin and goldfinch turned ugly too.

I was hoping to sneak out for a pedal when Matilda took her parents home at four o’clock but the sun disappeared and the wind seemed to know my mind and raised its tempo a bit so I stayed at home, shifted a little compost and practised a little singing instead.

The evening was spent in gentle relaxation after the excitements of the past two days.

The flying bird of the day is an incoming goldfinch.