Sunday 2 August 2009

Summer Snippets

First of all an apology and a thank you. I'm sorry to have taken so long to post but there seem to have been lots of jobs to catch up on lately which just didn't allow time for posting, I have tried to keep up with other blogs but even that has been difficult so if I have missed any I do hope you will forgive me, it is difficult to keep up with all the lovely blogs especially those who post daily, I really don't know how you manage it! Also a very big thank you to all my lovely 'bloggy' friends who have expressed concern regarding my absence, it is much appreciated and so nice to know you care. I really will try to post more regularly!

There isn't very much to report from the garden except that sadly in the last few weeks at varying intervals I have found three dead finches in the garden, all appearing to have fallen victim to the horrible Trichomoniasis disease. I have also seen others looking fluffed up and poorly, the RSPB say,

'The trichomonad parasite lives in the upper digestive tract of the bird, and its actions progressively block the bird’s throat making it unable to swallow food, thus killing it by starvation.

Birds with the disease show signs of general illness, for example lethargy and fluffed-up plumage, but affected birds may also drool saliva, regurgitate food, have difficulty in swallowing or show laboured breathing. Finches are frequently seen to have matted wet plumage around the face and beak. In some cases, swelling of the neck may be visible from a distance.'

The only thing one can do is to observe scrupulous hygiene at all times and the RSPB advise,

'It is recommended to temporarily stop putting out food, except in tit feeders, and leave bird baths dry, for around two weeks, or until sick or dead birds are no longer found in the garden. This is in order to discourage birds from congregating together, which may increase the potential for disease spread between individuals.' More information can be found here.

Now, having got all of that out of the way, another reason I have got behind is because we have been trying to take some time out this last couple of weeks. HLH works from home on a free-lance basis in the publishing world which makes holidays difficult with deadlines to meet etc. so we have to snatch time out when we can. This post will encompass some of the Nature related things I saw during several recent outings, but first a couple of things seen at home, I found this moth on a net curtain in the dining room one morning, it is quite small so the photo is quite heavily cropped which is why the curtain looks odd, it is in fact an ordinary fine net.

Small Magpie Moth

A couple of weeks ago I went into the garden with a torch after dark to see if I could find any signs of Hedgehog activity as other years we have always been visited by them, however there were no signs of any but as I was about to go back in the door I spotted this frog by the gate into the front garden.

'Be kind and tender to the Frog,
And do not call him names,
As 'Slimy skin,' or Polly-gog,'
Or likewise 'Ugly James,'
Or 'Gape-a-grin,' or 'Toad-gone-wrong,'
Or 'Billy Bandy- knees':
The Frog is justly sensitive
To epithets like these.'

(Hilaire Belloc)

During one of the brief sunny spells we took another canal side walk (not the same stretch as on my last post) and saw this Swan with five cygnets.



'The swan can swim while sitting down,
For pure conceit he takes the crown,
He looks in the mirror over and over,
And claims to have never heard of Pavlova.'
(Ogden Nash)

This Swan was flexing its wings


and moments later treated me to a 'bottoms up' shot!


I also saw this duck which I assume is one of the many hybrids around.


I think this butterfly is the Meadow Brown rather than the Gatekeeper as it only has one white pupil in the eye.


Now, I'm not too hot on damsel/dragonfly identification but after veering between the Common Blue and the White Legged Damselfly I have tentatively decided this next photo is a


White Legged Damselfly

Edit: Thanks very much to Greenie for confirming that my ID of the White Legged Damselfly was correct.

More confidently I can say the next one is


Banded Demoiselle

This next photo has a yellow flower which I am not sure of and with it is


Mallow

To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.


(William Blake)

I also saw


Great Burnet

After not seeing any for some time, and finding they are unfortunately on the red list of species in decline, I was very pleased to see



Yellowhammer

The song of the Yellowhammer is said to sound like 'a little bit of bread and no cheese'.

'"Little bit of bread and no cheese!
Will you listen to my song, please?"
That is what the yellow-hammer said,
He wants no cheese, but just a bit of bread.
Yellow-hammer, you're a funny bird,
And your little song is quite absurd.'
(Enid Blyton)

This bird is very familiar as it visits my garden regularly but this time was high in a hedgerow.

Goldfinch

This is a butterfly which lots of people seem to see but as far as I know I have never seen it before, I think it is beautiful, I love its sculpted shape.

Comma Butterfly

'I've watched you now a full half-hour;
Self-poised upon that yellow flower
And, little Butterfly! Indeed
I know not if you sleep or feed.
How motionless! - not frozen seas
More motionless! and then
What joy awaits you, when the breeze
Hath found you out among the trees,
And calls you forth again!'

(William Wordsworth)

This butterfly I know is definitely a

Gatekeeper Butterfly

This Thistle held the

Seven Spot Ladybird

Finally, as Summer moves on apace the young birds are growing up and practising adult behaviour.

Have a lovely Sunday and a wonderful week.

47 comments:

  1. Thank you for your kind words. I love you blog; thank you for posting such lovely picture. I am sorry to hear about your birds! I love watching birds!
    Take Care,
    Cherrie

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  2. What beautiful photos Jan!! I love the swan and her babies. So pretty and cute. Awesome photos of the Butterflies. Too bad about the poor Finches dying. I hate to see a critter dying or in distress. I have a young squirrel that I worry about. For over two months it's been living with a Pox Virus. It's body is all covered with raw bumps. I feel so sorry for it. And always afraid others will catch it. Your Goldfinches do look different than ours. They are so pretty. Take care.

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  3. Lovely post again Jan and I didn't know that Enid Blyton had a poem about the Yellowhammer!

    I know what you mean about lack of time for blogging - and all this dreadful weather hasn't helped in allowing us to get out and about.

    Sorry to hear you've got Tricho in your garden. Hopefully this will disappear before too long.

    It seems that you and others are seeing Magpie Moths - I really must keep an eye open for them.

    Nice to have you back again :)

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  4. Once again an very enjoyable illustrated read Jan. Great photo of the little brother / sister to my Magpie Moth. Not seen the small one before. At least the frogs are revelling in our typical English Summer weather. Lovely photos of the Yellowhammer. I have only seen one fleetingly this year.

    Great final photo of the youngster practicing 'walking on water'.

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  5. Lovely post with the poems. The Magpie Moth is one I have not seen before, thank you for sharing this with us.

    John

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  6. Hi Jan, nice to see you around again, and I love the photos!

    So many butterflies, I've been on the hunt this morning for them and I had two gatekeepers on a sea holly... Got the macro out, took a couple of shots and..............
    The battery died!!!!

    Noooo.

    I remained watching them and then a large white pops itself right next to my face in the buddleia. Across the garden flitting around the privet are more whites and gatekeepers and a meadowbrown.

    I think I might cry.

    Oh well, at least I got to watch them :)

    Lovely Yellowhammer shots too, a bird I am yet to see!

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  7. Glad you are ok shysongbird. So sorry about the trico hitting your birds, its a nightmare. Lovely set of pics and poems as always!!! Lovely butterflies and i love the toad!! x

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  8. A lovely post and a lovely read, thanks. Phil

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  9. Thank goodness you've finally posted, I've been checking nearly every day. So sorrow to hear about the birds. It sounds awful! The pictures are wonderful and the poems that you've added are delightful.

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  10. Here we have problems with our house finches getting conjunctivitis--they go blind then they die due to being unable to find food...I have been able to catch a few and then we have a bit of an infirmary here I have a certain cage I keep them in and for about 1-2 weeks we treat the eyes with tetracycline, and I put a broad spectrum antibiotic in their drinking water (this I get at the feed n seed its for poultry fowl) and they do recover! Last year I rehabilitated 5 house finches! Although its not recommended to catch them by the authorities, I cant bare to let them starve to death when I know how to help them.
    I'm so happy that this year so far we have had NO victims, maybe our efforts have helped!


    You have posted some lovely photos! I enjoyed viewing them.

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  11. your posts are so well worth waiting for shysongbird,lovely photos with great words and poems.Love the one about the frog....and the one for the yellowhammer,I luckily have them visit most days.Like you I have had 2 chaffinch and one greenfinch die in my garden this week from that awful disease.Have taken my horizontal feeders down for a second time.Hope yours(and mine)goes away soon x
    sheila

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  12. Hi Jan, these are summer's most beautiful images. Loved the photos of butterflies, blooms, birds and damsels...so different from the ones we have here. The wings of the Comma butterfly are unique. And the verse with the photos! What a pleasure to read them. And, oh yes, the ducks and the swan/cygnets are beautifully captured.

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  13. What a packed post, and lots of great pictures. :)
    The story about the finches is something that seems to affect them more than other birds. A nasty disease for them.

    Good to see you back. :)

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  14. Hi Jan....so pleased you are okay and being busy kept you away. You do not have to apologise for not posting or visiting. The gardening and nature bloggers I have found to be kind and caring people and they always understand...

    Lovely post....
    Sad about the finches. I had an outbreak around two years ago now. I change my feeders every two days now and no longer fill bird baths. Water is always available in the pond.
    Lucky you seeing the yellowhammer. When I was a child we would have holidays at Hastings and I remember seeing them on the cliff tops....lovely birds.

    Love your poetry extracts....beautiful......

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  15. Hi Jan.
    I would just like to say welcome back, you and your lovely photo's and poetry have been missed. I agree with you that your Butterfly is a Meadow Brown.
    One more thing.. dont disappear again!

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  16. Hi Jan. Good to catch up with your sightings, partularly the Yellowhammer & Magpie Moth - both have yet to be captured by my camera..well done. FAB

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  17. Hi Shysongbird,

    Great posting here, and a fantastic return. I have also been behind with posting recently, hopefully I will post again tonight. Great butterfly photos, I haven't really seen many in our garden recently. Great that you saw and took a brilliant photo of a Yellowhammer. I often hear them but don't see them. They can really be heard from a distance.

    Great photo of the Small Magpie Moth too, I've never seen one of those before.

    Sorry to hear of your sick birds. Last winter, a female Chaffinch died of Trichomoniasis in our garden, so we took all the bird feeders down and washed them before putting them back up again. Luckily, it didn't seem to spread at the time.

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  18. No need to apologize for not posting or keeping with other blogs; I have a hard time, too, keeping up with reading others', especially those who post daily. Besides, your posts are always such a delight, they are well worth waiting for!

    How sad about the goldfinches. I haven't noticed this here, but I will be more scrupulous about keeping the birdbaths clean and watching for this. Beautiful damselflies! I love these small creatures, but rarely do I see such colorful ones here.

    Have a good week, and I hope you find more time to get away and relax with your husband.

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  19. Cherrie, Ginnymo and Tricia: Thank you.

    Cherrie,

    Thank you so much for visiting again and for your very kind comments. It is very distressing to see the birds suffering and not be able to help them, thankfully I haven't found any more dead for a while so perhaps things are improving. I do hope things improve for you, I will visit again soon.

    Dear Ginnymo,

    Thank you very much for your lovely comments. The swan was on her way to have a meal of bread thrown from a moored boat, she looked very well fed and as if she was very used to doing that!
    I'm so sorry to hear about your little Squirrel, like you it worries me so much to see a creature in distress and know there is nothing I can do to help. Yes it is strange how different our Goldfinches are, it is fun to compare the different birds. I hope you have a great week.

    Tricia,

    Thank you so much for your kind comments, it is nice to be back 'in the fold'. When we got married among the books HLH brought with him was his (ancient and battered) childhood copy of Enid Blyton's Nature Lovers Book, I had not seen it before and read it and was captivated even though it was intended for children. In 2008 it was reissued to mark the centenary of her birth and I received it as part of my birthday present. It is a delightful and surprisingly informative book and there are quite a few of her Nature poems included.
    I do admire how you and others manage to blog so frequently but as you say it is difficult when the weather is poor anyway. Have a lovely week.

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  20. Midmarsh John, John and Liz: Thank you.

    Midmarsh John,

    Thank you for your very kind comments John, it was a strange coincidence that you saw the 'other' Magpie, they are both lovely creatures. I was thrilled to see the Yellowhammer, we used to see them regularly on one of our walks but I hadn't seen them for some time.

    John,

    Thank you so much for visiting again and for your kind comments. I don't recall seeing the Small Magpie Moth before but have noticed it on one or two other blogs recently so perhaps it is a good year for them.

    Liz,

    Thanks for the lovely comments. Oh poor you, I do sympathise, isn't it awful when you press the shutter and nothing happens and then you see the dreaded words 'change the battery pack'!!! It always happens when there is something really exciting to photograph! I really haven't seen as many butterflies in the garden as I would have expected, mind you the weather has been so lousy lately that I suppose it's not that surprising.
    I was thrilled to see the Yellowhammer, I used to see them regularly on our walks some years ago but lately they have been absent. Have a great butterfly filled week ;)

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  21. Karen, Phil and Mandy and oldcrow61: Thank you.

    Karen,

    Thank you very much for the kind comments. The Trico is a horrible disease, I hate to see the birds suffering knowing there is nothing I can do to relieve their suffering, I do hope they will develop some sort of immunity to it in time.
    Let's hope we soon have some more sunny and settled weather which should result in us all seeing more lovely butterflies.

    Phil and Mandy,

    Thanks for your very kind comments.

    OC,

    Thank you for your kind words. I have been very touched by everyone's concern regarding my absence in posting and will definitely try to be more constant in future :)
    Yes it is an awful disease which seems to pop up all over the country around this time of year, I just hope that eventually the birds will develop a natural immunity to it.

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  22. Dixee's Doodles, swatson and Kanak Hagjer: Thank you.

    Dixee,

    Thank you for your kind comments. I am so impressed with what you have done to help your finches, that is wonderful! According to all the authorities here there is nothing that can be done for the disease our finches have and the only hope apparently is that in time they will develop a natural immunity to this ghastly disease, I do hope they do as it is heartbreaking to see them suffer.

    Dear Sheila,

    Thank you so much for your very generous comments. I thought the frog poem was funny too and the Enid Blyton one just seemed apt.
    I was so sorry to read on your blog that you were having trouble with Tricho, it really is an awful thing and why poor little birds, some of them not much more than babies, have to suffer I really don't know, it seems so cruel. I do hope things improve in both our gardens soon.

    Kanak,

    Thank you for your lovely comments. it is so interesting to compare the different flowers and creatures which we see in our respective countries, yours look so much more exotic and colourful than ours but I suppose that is what makes us all unique ;)

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  23. holdingmoments, Cheryl and Ken Browne: Thank you.

    Keith,

    Thanks for the kind comments. It really is a horrid disease and apparently used to affect Collared Doves and I think Wood Pigeons both of whom apparently eventually developed an immunity to it so it is hoped the same will happen with the finches.

    Dear Cheryl,

    Thank you so much for your very kind and generous comments. I have been genuinely touched by how very kind and concerned all my lovely 'bloggy' friends have been.
    Yes it is a horrible disease and I try to be so careful with hygiene. I don't have a pond but I scrub the bird bath and water dishes every day and clean the feeders regularly but of course the problem is that unfortunately they may also feed in gardens where hygiene is not too good. It is such a shame to see the suffering and feel helpless to relieve it.
    We used to see Yellowhammers regularly in the hedgerow bordering a disused railway line near us but for some reason they have been absent for some time now,so it was lovely to see them recently. Have a lovely week, i hope the sun shines.

    Ken,

    Thanks for the lovely comments and also for confirming the Meadow Brown ID.
    I consider myself severely reprimanded and will try not to be absent again :)

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  24. Lovely post and great photos, great to read first thing on a Monday morning!

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  25. The Early Birder, Joe and Rose: Thank you.

    Frank,

    Thank you for your kind comments. I was really pleased to see the moth, it was a very striking little creature, I was also pleased to remove it safely to the garden after I had taken the photo. As for the Yellowhammer, some years ago they were very common along a stretch of hedgerow bordering a disused railway near us but sadly I haven't seen them there for a few years now so I was thrilled to see them in a different location recently.

    Joe,

    Thank you for your very kind comments. I really do find it difficult to keep up with postings and comments sometimes, tying it in with commitments in the 'real' world is not easy and I think with all your studying you do exceptionally well.
    Yes I was so pleased to see the Yellowhammers, it is such a shame that they are yet another once common bird which is now on the red liat.
    Trichomoniasis is a dreadful disease and seems to strike where birds feed in large numbers. I try to be so careful with hygiene, cleaning the bird bath and water pots daily and the feeders regularly but of course not everyone else is as scrupulous. We can only hope that the experts are right when they say in time the birds will develop their own immunity to it.

    Rose,

    Thank you for your very kind words :) it really can be difficult keeping up with all the lovely blogs, I really don't know how so many people get posts out daily and get their 'ordinary' chores done. I too love the damselflies and didn't really know much about them until starting this blog, it really makes one more observant!
    We are still grabbing our chances to get out when time (and weather!) allows, it is so easy not to make the effort and get into a rut!
    I hope you have a wonderful week and that the weather is kind to you.

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  26. Pam,

    Thank you for your very kind comments. I do hope you and your family enjoyed your recent holiday and that the weather wasn't too unkind to you. I have enjoyed seeing some of the places you visited. Have a great week.

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  27. Wonderful post. I got some photos of an Eastern Comma this weekend, will post soon. I'm just learning to identify the less common butterflies.

    You have a lovely moth. As always, love seeing your birds Some have the same name but are quite different than ours.
    Marnie

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  28. it's a pleasure to read your posts shysongbird, and a delight to see your array of photos. denis

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  29. Roses and Lilacs and Denzil: Thank you.

    Marnie,

    Thank you for your very kind comments, I'm really looking forward to seeing your Eastern Comma to see how it compares with our Comma.
    I too have noticed how many of our birds share the same names but look very different, it is so interesting to see the differences. Have a lovely week Marnie.

    Denis,

    Thank you for your very kind comments, they are much appreciated, it is lovely to have you visit.

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  30. Once again great snaps to accompany the beautiful post. Sorry for the death of such lovely birds.

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  31. I hate to see any animal’s dead! In fact I normally end up in tears. I love the picture of the frog, it made me smile.
    I’m glad all is ok with you, please don’t feel you have to leave a comment on my blog, it is always lovely too see a comment from you, but only when you have got time, blogging can take up so much time.

    A gorgeous post as always…love Lou xxx

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  32. ShySongbird ,
    Firstly , your Damselfly is indeed a White Legged , well ID'd .
    Your butterfly is indeed a Meadow Brown , but do not use just the number of white spots in the eye for ID . as both species can be found with 1 or 2 white spots in the eye .
    Your yellow flower is a puzzle . The tight composite head says Daisy family , but it doesn't fit any of those . Of course it could be a garden escape , but sorry , cannot put a name to it . If you do find out , please let me know .

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  33. Howdy Jan
    I just loved all the photos .
    Thank you so much for sharing with us.
    Thank you also for the wonderful post .
    You have been very busy.
    I too try to get my blog visits in but it is hard to keep up at times.
    So I just do what I can when I can.
    I do believe that everyone understands the challenges of finding a happy balance.
    Blessings of joy to you for the rest of the week.
    Happy Trails

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  34. WoW...some very beautifully captured shots!

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  35. Hey Jan, good to see you posting again. There are often times when writing posts have to wait in line. We are always able to wait until you have time :-D

    Sorry to read you’ve had birds with tricho. They are always so sad to see. On a happier note what a beauty that moth is… and so handsome the frog! Oh my… what a feast of nature photos to follow. I loved the comma… I’ve never seen one. Great shots of the yellowhammer too… I’ve never seen such a clear view. I always love to see wild flowers too. Wonderful posting :-D

    Wishing you more time to do all you’d like to :-D

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  36. I like the little poem about the Yellow Hammer...what a cute call mnemonic, and I always like Blake's, "To see a world in a grain of sand..." I just watched Tomb Raider a few weeks ago, and Lara Croft sites it in that movie too! Beautiful photos.....

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  37. Rajesh, Lou and Greenie: Thank you.

    Rajesh,

    Thank you for your very kind comments. It has been very sad to see the birds suffering. I hope things will improve soon. I think the Sparrowhawk has been taking the sickly ones so consequently the other birds have kept away from the garden for the last few days to avoid him, hopefully this will allow the disease to stop spreading and things will return to normal before too long.

    Lou,

    Dear Lou,

    Thank you so much for your comments. I am just the same and cannot bear to see suffering, I was like it as a child and am no different now.
    I have struggled to keep up with everything lately but I love to visit your blog, it is always a breath of fresh air :) Have a great week and Lots of love and XXXX to you and Poppy.

    Greenie,

    Thanks very much for visiting and for your comments. I'm glad I managed to get the ID of the damsel correct, thanks very much for confirming it. So just as I thought I had the Meadow Brown/Gatekeeper sussed you throw a spanner in the works ;) thanks for pointing it out, I will definitely bear it in mind in the future. I still haven't ID the flower but will let you know if I do.

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  38. Hi Shy Songbird, thanks so much for stopping by my post. Your pictures are beautiful - you sure caught that swan doing some nice poses! Oh and I love frogs - would never call them names LOL I was thrilled to death to find a little guy living in one of my deck planters - even named him Clem (short for Clem Kadiddlehopper) and hearing a choir of frogs is one of my favorite things to listen to.
    I too am having a hard time with doing posts right now. I have managed to put one on Fridays but otherwise just can't seem to get in the mood to do it. Could be our 109 weather we've been having. I just can't think.
    I miss going around and reading other posts but haven't even been able to do that.
    We're not alone - I did come on for a few days ago and saw that other people are having the same problems posting as we are - so not to feel all alone.
    Hopefully we'll all be be back soon.

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  39. Dear Shy,
    All of your photos are lovely!
    I am very, very fond of your Banded Demoiselle. She looks so similiar to the Ebony Jewelwings in my area. They are my love....
    The Yellow Hammer is a very pretty bird. I enjoy seeing your birds.
    You have so many delightful butterflies. I love them all.
    Wonderful post. All the quotes went just perfect with your photos.
    Thank you for visiting my blog and may your end of summer be filled with happy moments.
    Sherry

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  40. Terry, flyingstars and shirl: Thank you.

    Terry,

    How lovely to see you here again! Thank you so much for your very kind comments, thank you also for being so very understanding, I love the 'blogiverse' but it really is difficult to keep up with everyone and I'm so pleased you understand the difficulties. I hope you have a wonderful week :)

    flyingstars,

    Welcome and thank you for visiting and for your kind comments, I do hope you visit again, you will be very welcome.

    shirl,

    Thank you so much for your very kind words, i have found it very difficult (for various reasons) to keep up with posting recently but am very glad to be back 'in the fold':) Yes Tricho is horrible, the sooner the birds develop an immunity to it (as the experts expect) the better! I was thrilled to see the Comma, HLH had photographed one last year while out with Louis so as you can imagine I was eager to see one for myself! The Yellowhammer was also a thrill as we used to see them regularly some years ago along the disused railway line near us but recently they had been absent.
    Enjoy the rest of the week and have a lovely weekend :)

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  41. Kelly, RainGardener and Q: Thank you.

    Kelly,

    Thank you for your kind comments.
    I thought the Enid Blyton poem about the Yellowhammer was sweet too, I'm not sure if you know but she was a very much loved children's author in the UK in the fifties, I have very fond memories of reading her books in the sixties.

    RainGardener,

    How lovely to have you visit and thank you so much for your comments. i'm so glad I'm not the only one who struggles to keep up with the 'blogiverse' :) I had never heard of Clem Kadiddlehopper but have just Googled him and watched a sketch on You Tube, very amusing ;)
    109 degrees weather! My goodness that must be so difficult to cope with, I hope you have some respite soon.

    Q,

    Dear Sherry, Thank you so much for visiting again and for your very kind and generous comments. I love all our birds and insects but yours are so very exotic and colourful, it is a joy to be able to share and see the differences in our respective countries. Have a wonderful rest of the week and a lovely weekend :)

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  42. What beautiful wonderful photos, thanks for sharing.

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  43. ...thank you! I didn't know about Enid Blyton, but I just looked her up. I would have loved her stories...the "Secret Series" would have been a favorite of mine, I can tell.

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  44. jan,

    so glad you are fine and just busy. i know the feeling. today i am taking a down day. the next few weeks will be busy for me. i don't know how people post everyday either. bravo for them.
    love seeing the swans in all their glory.
    that frog is amazing so bright.my kids all love catching and releasing frogs/toads.
    i love the wildflowers that just show up with no care at different seasons. i don't know if we have mallow.
    observing all the wild life, damsel flies, dragonflies, butterflies and birds is such a lovely pastime. great captures with the id's.
    happy august

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  45. Poor finches what a horrible way to die.
    Your photographs are as stunning as ever, glad to here that you have managed to get some oliday time, I know how difficult it can be when you work for yourself.

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  46. Iowa Gardening Woman, Kelly and Marmee: Thank you.

    Iowa Gardening Woman,

    Welcome and thank you so much for your very kind comments. It was a pleasure to share with you and you will be welcome any time.

    Kelly,

    Thank you, Enid Blyton's books were a huge part of my childhood, I have such fond memories of them. I'm sure you would have loved the Secret Seven books and the Famous Five ones too, then there were the Five Finder Outers and Dog....I could go on and on, suffice to say I spent many a happy hour avidly reading her books.

    Marmee,

    Thank you for your lovely comments. It is difficult sometimes to find time for blogging especially when there are so many lovely ones to comment on, that is when my own postings start to slip!
    Swans are such beautiful creatures and easier to photograph than many other birds, at least they stay in one place for a while and don't hide in trees :)
    I have always loved Nature and blogging has refreshed and reinforced that love.
    Have a wonderful week and don't work too hard!

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  47. Re,

    Thank you very much for your very kind comments. It is heartbreaking to see the birds suffer. It is a dreadful disease, I do hope it can be eradicated in time.

    Yes it is difficult to get time out when you are self employed and of course there is also the problem of not being paid for holidays or time off :(

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