April 28th

I took so many pictures yesterday that the batteries went dead in the camera. My daughter was also using the camera, figuring stuff out for me. She took a short video clip just to see how it worked and it was perfect. Once the leaves come out on the trees and the flowers start blooming and birds around I will try my hand at it. Maybe post something on blog.

The Gull was back again, didn't come to feeder but sat on top of the telephone pole on the edge of the property for about two hours. I put a pile of food leftovers on the feeder and although he was quite interested he didn't come down. I think he is a little nervous. A second Gull flew overhead looking down at the food but again didn't land. I expect the crows will eat up all the food I've put out.

It was quite chilly in the morning but by afternoon we were able to sit on the deck in T-shirts. I was saying it's funny how quickly we forget the cold weather when we get a bit of sun and warmth.

One of my African Violets.
Gull on post.



Jay on feeder.


Garden cutie...AGAIN!

April 27th.

Sunny and cold this morning. Yesterday we had flurries in the afternoon. It seems the plants are way behind this year with all the cold weather we have been having, frost on the ground most mornings. I can't say that I remember an April like this in some time.

My daughter arrived a day earlier than expected this week. She decided this as she had a cold and figured she might as well lay around out here as at her place, lol. We went shopping yesterday morning and stopped at a new restaurant in a nearby community. The food was awful! Coffee was awful, water with a bit of colour. We had chips as there wasn't anything much for people who don't eat meat and they were limp and greasy, I had toast which was no delight. So we complained to the owner and he only charged us for the chips. He shouldn't have charged us for any of it, it won't be a place I'll be visiting again.

This morning there was a never before surprise visitor at the platform feeder. I only got one shot. I was in such a rush to get a picture before he flew off so it's not very good. However I decided to put it on here anyway.

April 24th, Beautiful Day

What a fantastic day, sunny and warm. I've been working in the garden all morning and now I am beat, so taking a break. Hopefully this is the start of some good weather. I took a half an hour and sat on the deck, pure heaven, birds singing, squirrel chattering, chickens roaming around. So.....I took a few pictures:






My partner gave me two gifts for the garden:



This one is for Emma, I couldn't resist. See Emma, someone else has muddy feet, lol.

In Memory of a Friend

Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there.
I do not sleep

I am a thousand winds that swiftly blow.
I am the diamond glint
on newly fallen snow.
I am the sunlight
on ripened grain.
I am the soft and gentle autumn rain

When you wake from sleep in the early morning hush,
I am the swift, uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft, starlight at night.

Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there.
I do not sleep.

April 19th. Snowing

Flippin heck....been snowing all morning, fortunately it's melting as it hits the ground. Am I fed up?????? JUST A BIT! I've been out trying to get pots, etc out of the green house but have come back in after throwing my hands up in the air and saying to myself "I can't be bothered."

Yesterday, I did manage to get these faces put on the trees. I guess some people might think it's crass but I like them.



Also got some pics of Chick a Dee and a Nuthatch.

April 18th. The ice is in.

This is one reason why it's been so cold here this month. I went down to the beach, just a couple of minutes from the house and took these pictures. This is the Atlantic Ocean as seen from there. The wind has been coming in off this ice, consequently, it won't warm up until all of this moves out. So....everyone who has lovely warm temperatures, green grass, flowers blooming, trees in leaf, have a look.

April l7th. Cold and wet

Well, today is a miserable day as was yesterday and will be tomorrow. I sat at the computer earlier this morning and Roger had already been on it checking the weather. He had left the page up so I had a look myself at what was coming for the rest of the week. OMG, temps going up to +17C!!! I quickly went to the other weather site to see if they were the same. NO...the other site said +2C for the rest of the week. I said to myself, how can two weather reports for the same area be so out of whack with each other. After thinking about it for some time it hit me. He had the weather report up for Spain. What a let down.

I was outside for a short time yesterday when a helicopter came over head. We don't often see them as you can tell by what happened next. The chickens, on seeing this, came running from all directions as fast as their little legs could go and ran under the deck. Guess they thought it was one almighty predator bird. It was such a funny sight to see.

So, I was outside a short while ago and saw the first Fox Sparrow of the season. I got a few pictures but am not pleased with them. Hopefully he will be around again.

April 15th, Flurries...Yech!!!!

Last week we had three lovely days in a row. Sunny and about +5C. I did get a lot done outside, however still so much left to do. I see lots of winter damage now that the snow has left the ground. Some of the trees came down and others have large branches broken off. Part of the fence along the front is on the ground and where I had another part of the fence built up high with arches made of branches to support heavy vines has all come down. The smaller greenhouse has all the plastic blown out of it and it's in tatters. The frame is fine but will have to re-do the plastic. I have to stain the floor of the back deck as well. There is lots of weeding and moving of plants left so between it all I will be very busy.

Yesterday, while a seemingly decent day, was bitterly cold. I did make three attempts at working outside but got so cold I finally had to give it up. Now today they are calling for flurries. Now I have to be content with the fact that I will get nothing done today.

The chickens are with me all the time as I'm working around the property. We chat back and forth to each other. They have been having a grand time. Occasionally I find a couple of plants laying on the grass having been kicked out of the beds by the hens, however, they are doing a great job of weeding. Pictured below is Grumbles, I decided to take a break for a few minutes a couple of days ago and she decided to do the same thing, lol.

To Momsie:

So my mom emails me and it takes a full minute to download all the attachments. Then she asks "is this too many for my blog"? Between you and me I think that squirrell is the reincarnation of Rasputin.
All jesting aside Momsie. I think the photos are fabulous and I just love ALL of them. so here is a slideshow so as not to clutter up yer blog..kiss. Laurie

Click here to view slideshow in another window. Must have flash.

April 11th. Just Jays.

After a wonderful sunny mild day on Saturday, woke up yesterday morning to the ground covered with snow once again. Although it wasn't much, still, it was enough to put me off my oats. A pretty uneventful day altogether. Just lazing around inside. We ate far too much for supper, fake chicken bits, gravy, mashed potatoes, turnip, cabbage, peas, stuffing and cranberry sauce. A traditional Easter Sunday meal, without the dead bird on the table. I also made a rice pudding, something I haven't had in years. I will admit, it was quite good. We were both falling asleep after it was all over.

Another overcast miserable day today. And again tomorrow. I did get a couple of shots of, "Oh no, not again", the squirrel. lol. Roger checked up in the cabin and there was a squirrel in there. Could be nesting. Will have to read up on them as next month we have to clean up inside there and get rid of a lot of stuff. They have a clean up week here in May when you can bring any unwanted stuff down to the road and it will be picked up.

April 7th.

I've come to the conclusion that having a man around is like having a child in the house. He's outside, at what I don't know. I hear the back door open as I'm going to the kitchen and there he is, full of mud, top to toe, blood running down his face, wrist and hand swollen. I say, "What on earth happened". He says that he was so excited that the sun was shinning that he put boards along the ground, got the wheel barrow, went down to the driveway where we have a load of wood to bring up and stack, filled the wheel barrow and when coming up slipped on the planks he had down, hit his nose on the the edge of the wheel barrow fell over into the mud and hurt his wrist. I had to take his clothes off for him, all of it, as the water and mud had gone right through to his underwear. It doesn't look like his wrist is broken and the nose has stopped bleeding. I expect there will be a bit of bruising though.

Reminds me of the time he was going down the steps off the deck with an open container of large nails and the hammer. Slipped on the steps, nails went flying up in the air and came down right end up, landing in the ground. He ended up with two broken ribs.

Then there was the time he was chopping wood, a piece came up, hit him in the face and he came in the house once again with blood running all over. What am I to do with him, lol.

It's a glorious day here, finally. So....I am going outside and plant seeds in flats. Whoooo Hoooo!

April 6th.

Cold, wet, drizzle, gloomy......Has been like this for what seems like ages. Now I know how my friend in Wales was feeling a while back. However, she is now basking in sunshine so I suppose there is hope for here. So much muck and mud outside that I can't even clean up, everything is so wet. Frost still in the ground in most places although the Tulips are poking their heads up. Don't know how they are getting through it but I guess Mother Nature knows what she is doing.

I was just looking through some of the pictures of took of parts of the garden last summer so thought I'd put a few on here.

April 3rd.

Yesterday morning I got a phone call from my neighbour, telling me the neighbour on the other side had died of a heart attack. What a shock. I just can't get over it. Not that we were good friends, more passing acquaintances. Sad.....he has a wife and two grown sons. He was only about 67 years old I believe.

I had ordered twelve Phlox roots from a company in PEI, a couple of months ago. They arrived yesterday much to my dismay, considering the fact that I can't get them into the ground yet. I usually receive this type of thing in June. What to do, what to do.....the only thing I could think of was to pot them up and put them outside on warmer days and bring them in overnight. I phoned the company to check it out telling them I'm in Newfoundland and we still have snow on the ground. The woman I was talking to said to go ahead and pot them, they should be fine. Now I have a kitchen table full of pots, I only hope it warms up SOON!

I heard a lot of chattering outside near supper time yesterday and went out to see what was going on. Well, there were two squirrels, one lying prettily in the crook of a tree and the other a few feet away kicking up the biggest fuss. He was yelling at a neighbors cat that was going across the property. Grabbed the camera, of course, lol. I got a few shots, but with my excitement and the sun almost in my eyes, they are not that good. I'm putting them on anyway as I don't very often get a chance to see them this close together.

I figure this is a little girl just sitting there, seemingly quite relaxed with her arms sort of crossed.




This shot has the little fellow, yes, I figure he's a male and the little girl....mind you I could have this wrong, but it makes a nice scenario.

April 2nd. Just Pictures