Today’s guest picture is a very painterly photograph of a nesting swan on a canal taken by my Welsh correspondent Keiron on his way to work today.
There was a theoretical chance of rain today but once again we had a sunny morning and the street socially distanced coffee group (fortified by date rolls) was able to chat away while sitting in warm sunshine, caressed by light winds.
All through the morning, Mrs Tootlepedal busied herself with watering in the garden. The soil is very dry.
I did a little compost sieving and aimless wandering. Well, actually it wasn’t entirely aimless as I pointed my camera at a lot of things as I went by.
There is no shortage of tulips to look at, although I have been dead heading quite a lot for a few days now.
I was particularly pleased to see that we have got three perennial wallflowers showing life. These tend to go on flowering for months and provide a photographer with a subject when all else has faded.
Sometimes anticipation is as good as realisation…
…with plants bursting with potential…
…and just waiting for another warm day.
However, there is not much to beat Mrs Tootlepdal’s geums when they are actually out.
The collared dove arrived back on the seed feeder and let me get very close before it flew off
When I went in to make lunch (soup and bread and cheese again) a rook posed on the plum tree for me.
A greenfinch paused for a moment on Mrs Tootlepedal’s fake tree before lunch…
…and another one made an awkward landing on the feeder after lunch, surprising a siskin.
Once again, the forecast was rather shifty about when and if it would rain and my afternoon planning was made more difficult by the arrival overhead of some seriously thick and ominous black clouds.
However, beyond the clouds, the skies were lighter so in the end, I got my shopping bike out and went for a bike ride.
I was hoping to leave the dark clouds behind me…
…and even to see a little sun as I went round my usual Canonbie circuit.
In the event, the blackest clouds kept away but sun was hard to find as I went round and from time to time a few tentative drops of rain made me nervous but came to nothing.
Curious cows checked on my progress…
…and garlic mustard and cow parsley brightened up the verges.
I didn’t stop a lot because being on the slow bike makes the journey long enough as it is but the view from Hollows Bridge was worth a minute or two on the journey time…
…and the sight of some very cheerful silverweed flowers near the Hollows village stopped me again a hundred yards further on.
I liked this lonely grass nearby.
The rain threatened on and off for almost the whole ride but only once was there enough to get the road even mildly wet so I was perfectly dry when I got back to Langholm. Just to annoy me, the sun came out as I crossed the River Esk.
I got back in time for my daily Zoom conference with my brother and sisters. I did take a picture of the four of them as they appeared on the screen of my phone but I will have to try again when they are not all making faces.
While I was waiting for our evening meal, there was a lot of activity at the feeder to keep me occupied. You may think that it was raining when I took this picture of a chaffinch and a goldfinch discussing Brexit but it is just seed flying in every direction.
Mrs Tootlepedal cooked mince and tatties for our tea and that brought to an end a day that was remarkably like the 40 or so that have preceded it since our ‘lockdown’ started.
We have settled into a comfortable routine in the past month and are enjoying the sense of time on our hands. We have excellent neighbours, no food shortages, easy communication with our children on a daily basis, a lovely garden in which to while away the time and quiet roads and paths round the town for cycling and walking. We know that we are blessed and we are properly grateful for this.
An additional blessing was the arrival through the post today of a big box of Palestinian Medjoul dates, another surprise from our ever thoughtful daughter Annie. As I now have the addresses of reliable providers of both fine cheeses and good dates, I am in a happy place as they say. Some of Marjorie’s dates were very tasty in the date rolls.
The flying bird of the day is a chaffinch.
Footnote: If all goes well, I will pick up my road bike from the bike shop tomorrow.
I had always thought, when people were referred to as perenial wallflowers, they were being insulted. In light of your comments, I think it is quite the compliment; dependable, enduring, and beautiful…ain’t nowt wrong with that!
Not at all. They are an ornament to the garden.
As you so honestly put it, many of us are “ properly blessed “ including me and my small family..we can walk straight into countryside and I can cycle at will,or at least when the will is there.
When you see the plight of so many less fortunate folks in lockdown it makes me feel slightly guilty and I would never complain about my own situation.
If I wasn’t in my seventies and considered high risk I would love to do some helpful work,and perhaps I’m not really looking hard enough .This possibly isn’t the right forum for this,and if so I apologise and feel free to delete it.
I like your two curious cows and the shots of the town are always welcome😊
Not inappropriate at all. Thank you for the comment to this uplifting blog👏
Thank you for your comments, Paul. Don’t feel guilty.
I feel the same, it has been very strange to suddenly be seen as old at age 65 and to have young friends bring us groceries. I’m used to being the one to do things for other people.
So lovely to read about your gratitude. And how nice of your daughter to send you cheese and dates.
Obviously she was very well brought up!
Indeed she was!
The silverweed caught my eye, and I looked it up. There is a Pacific Silverweed that grows here. It is a beautiful little wildflower.
https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=aran7
Your siilverweed looks most attractive.
My favorite this time is the shot of the trees along the river. You can’t get much more spring like than that.
The rhododendron bud showing color was a surprise.
I’m glad you aren’t finding food (even treats) hard to get and I’m glad life is going as well as it can. The same is true here.
I just worry about the state pf the country as a whole. I don’;t have a great deal of confidence that those nominally running the show entirely know what they are doing and I am certain that they are not sharing as much of their plans with us as they should be doing. It is unsettling.
I know how you feel. It’s the same here.
Love the geum photo – one of my favorite plants. And yes, that guest photo was beautifully painterly.
Geums come high up my chart of favoured flowers. I am looking forward to having more out in the garden.
I’m very happy to report we had close to two inches of rain these past several days. It’s extremely welcome. Lots of things sprouting. It’s more than I can do to try to keep up with the weeds. I admire Mrs T’s gardening results no end (including her handy helper as well!)
I am glad that you got some rain in spite of the extra weeding. We would happily put up with a weed or two in return for a good shower.
I too admire Mrs T and her garden, your efforts with the lawn set it all off beautifully. How lovely to have a willing compost sifter. Today I liked the silverweed flowers, and the posing rook.
The silverweed photo wasn’t as good as it should have been as I had set the exposure wrongly but the flowers themselves were very fine.
It is always good to walk with you round your ever changing garden.
Fine portraits of the rook and greenfinch.
I am happy to be able to report 5 millimetres (equalling 5 liters per square meter) which we were rained on yesterday. Much needed water, since the April was the driest I’ve ever encontered. I concur to your appraisal of modest life even in corona times. Happy to have a garden, have a good, quiet life. Lacking eyesight paid put to motoring and for shopping we can relay on our son.
I am envious of your rain. We had about ten minutes today which was not nearly enough. I am pleased that you are finding circumstances tolerable.
Nothin wrong with your camera’s aim – as an example I really like the shot with the silhouetted cows. Good luck with the bike.
I got it back safely.
Good
Love the geum photo such a pretty colour and shape and the cows look beautifully posed under the tree to complement the two sheep the other side. Good to read that even more delicious dates have arrived on your doorstep…as you say it’s not all bad at all!
Mustn’t grumble. 🙂
more lovely photos. I like the idea of the socially distanced coffee morning
It works very well and there is space in the middle of the road for passers by to pass by.
I do love tulips. Didn’t get to see all the ones I planted this year in public gardens so I am especially enjoying yours.
I am glad to be of service. 🙂