May 30th. Cold and Wet

I'm not much in a mood to blog to be honest. I've a sore throat and all the signs of a cold or flu coming on. We did go to Gander this morning, left about 7:00 am and got back about 11:00 am. I figured I'd better go now and get some groceries before I was too miserable to care about it. Takes an hour to get there, so rushed around and picked up what we needed, didn't look around at anything, just followed my list and then headed home. Just as well we went as I'm feeling pretty miserable now.

Two nights ago, we had a hard frost and I lost about three dozen Impatience. I had them covered with sheets but the frost went right through and knocked them off. I was so disheartened. There is ice in the bay again so no chance of much warmth until that moves off. Seems like it's never going to happen.

I went out with the camera a couple of days ago to try to figure out the Macro and yes, I did have the manual in hand. I tried various settings, running back in the house each time to take the pictures off but all I got were blurry flowers. The best were the two below and I'm not happy with those. I will be going into the city soon and will go to the store where I bought it and get them to show me how it works.



I saw this crow outside with another one yesterday. The other crow was on the feeder picking up seeds and this one was fluttering it's wings like the young ones do when mom is getting food for them. So, I'm thinking this was the others young.


I don't know where I found this or who wrote it but think it's pretty neat:

Life may not be the party we hoped for.....but while we are here, we might as well dance.

May 28th. Robin

Robin in the garden.

May 27th, Beautiful Day

Yesterday I was outside when two Grey Jays arrived. I hadn't seen any for so long I figured there weren't any around any more. They came right to me looking for treats so I quickly went inside, got the camera and some bread. I gave Roger the camera and said "Take a picture of them eating out of my hand". Unfortunately, while he is an artist when it comes to taking pictures with a normal camera, he knows nothing about the digital. The birds were taking food from my hand and he was complaining that he couldn't see anything, etc, etc. So, I went and got the camera from him and the batteries had died. Of course by the time I got other batteries in the camera the birds had gone off. However, I managed to get a picture of one on a branch. I'm sure they will return and I will be able to get the picture I want.

Today while having coffee with some friends on the deck, we saw this bird. Don't know what it is so if someone can tell me I'd appreciate it.



Then there were two squirrels.


And this bird. All in all a nice afternoon.

May 23rd. Strange visitor

This Ibis turned up in Happy Adventure, a community close by. A friend took these pictures early yesterday morning. He is hanging around by the fish plant. I hope he can find his way back home before winter sets in.

May 22nd.

Well, not only have I hurt my hip by trying to haul a huge bag of hens feed into the house but now I feel like I'm coming down with the flu that Roger brought back from Spain.

Went to the greenhouses on Saturday and bought another pile of annuals. So, here I go again covering them with a sheet at night taking it off in the morning. Every year I say I'm not going to buy them early but then get over anxious and end up doing the same thing again. We can get frost any night up til about the middle of June. On the way back we stopped at a friends place as I wanted to see their new dragon garden ornament. It's beautiful, wish I had taken a picture. I did take a couple of pigeons on one of their feeders.




Last year our orange and white cat "Thomas" died. We were heartbroken and have been talking about getting another Tommy for some time. A friend pointed me to the SPCA site in Clarenville saying there were two orange and white kittens looking for homes. There story was that they were thrown into a dog pound and someone saved them just in the nick of time. I phoned the SPCA inquiring about the two boys and said we would come to see them. We did! Well, we couldn't resist them so brought both home,lol. They have settled in as if they have lived here forever. Tearing though the house all morning chasing each other, knocking things over. It's a riot and so great having some babies in the house after so long. Woke up this morning with loud purring in my ear, one had himself tucked into my neck. Every now and then I hear Roger yell because one of them has either run up his back or playfully bitten him. No doubt it will be crazy for awhile.

Taking a rest after running riot all morning.

May 19th. First blooms

Overcast but warm so I'm not complaining. This is a long weekend and the first weekend when the summer people come out to open up their houses. Lots of traffic around and a lot of cars going up the road early this morning with canoes and kayaks strapped to the roof of their cars. Cars pulling boats as well. We went to a couple of yard sales, they have now started as well. Picked up a case for my camera, a tower type thing for CDs as now that I have a CD burner these are piling up. Bought some very nice drinking glasses, a nice throw, a bag of nails (we are always running out), a one cup coffee perk and some other odds and ends. All of it cost very little. A very satisfying and fun morning.

The plants are all coming up like thunder despite the cold weather we have been having. Only a few blooms as yet so took a few pictures and pictures of a couple of the angels in the garden.

May 18th.

Yep, this was taken yesterday. I'll not say another thing about it!

May 14th.

My brother who has lived in the U.S. this past four years came home for a visit last week. I was hoping to see him as he only usually comes back once a year and for only about ten days. I was talking to him on the phone when he arrived in the city and he said he would try to get out to see me. He had some work to do on his summer cottage on Random Island, about an hour and a half from me and would be spending this past weekend there. Well, I had just about given up hope of seeing him as it was now around seven o'clock on Sunday night. I was watching something on tv when I heard a knock on the door and the door open. This was him. He had been busy all weekend and came for a short visit. I can tell you, I was just delighted to see him. We spent an hour chatting then he had to leave again. As I say, a short visit, but it was great.

It rained most of the day on Saturday and while yesterday and today the sun did shine it was chilly. There have been so many smaller birds at the feeders lately. I think they must be nesting in the woods on the property. Lots of Pine siskins, Purple Finches, Fox Sparrows, some birds I don't recognize and of course all the regulars. In fact, I saw a Robin pecking around the ground under some tall Spruce trees.

Next week is Clean Up Week. Everyone puts stuff they want to get rid of at the side of the road and a truck goes back and forth all week taking the stuff away. We will be spending the weekend bringing things out to the road. Every year we have a load of stuff. I don't understand where it all comes from. Every May when we finish I say "well that's it, won't have anything next year". Ha, ha, ha. I'm hoping the squirrels aren't nesting in the small cabin we have behind the house as a lot of the things to be thrown out are stored up there.

Some pictures I've taken this past few days. Don't know what bird this is:


Purple Finch, I think.




Woodie



Jay

May 10th.

Overcast this morning. Yesterday was a perfect day, sunny and warm. Afternoon temperature was +22 C. I was on a high. I put new plastic on the small greenhouse. It was windy and I was in a bit of a mess at times, up on the ladder trying to keep the plastic from flying all over the place. I finally finished it then had a pile of Lily bulbs to plant. Then planted more seeds in flats and pots, cleaned the deck off and hosed it down, raked up more debris around the garden, lopped off a pile of tree branches that had broken over the winter and raked leaves up in the woods to add to the compost pile. The day ended with a feeling of contentment.

I'm hoping to re-do part of a fence that had gotten beaten down over the winter within the next couple of days, then I think the worse will be over and done with. Then it's back to weeding. I figure if I do a bed each day I will be able to stay on top of it although the chickens are certainly helping me out with that. A few pictures below, just the regulars. Still trying to get a good picture of the Fox Sparrow.....hasn't happened yet.

May 7th.

What a day! Sunshine at last, although just before supper a cloud came over and we had hail for a few minutes. I got so much done I was well pleased with myself. I took the plastic off the top half of the hens "greenhouse". It's about 10 ft. by about 7ft. and the height being about 8 ft. I covered it with chicken wire, then took the plastic off the door and covered that as well. I've done this in case we have to go somewhere for an hour or two. They can stay in there and I know they will be relatively safe and won't be too hot. I have to put new plastic over the roof but think I will wait until Roger comes back. There is a bit of a bank on one side and after my fall off the ladder a while back I don't think I should risk it, after all if I did have an accident, who would find me. I could be laying there for days.

I got the wheelbarrow and brought compost down to the large bed in the front. Dug that into certain areas where I wanted to plant Phlox roots that I had in pots. I put those in the ground with sticks around them thinking the chickens wouldn't be able to dig them up. Of course they were with me every minute. Got the plants in and turned my back, when I looked around, one of the plants was flying across the ground.....sigh!

I wired the long planters to the deck railings, planted some seeds, raked some of the ground. I know there was more but can't remember. It was getting close to supper time but thought I'd start taking the slates off the smaller greenhouse to re-do the plastic on that as the winter storms had blown out most of it. I got so much done but gave it up as I was just too tired.

It was just about dusk when I thought I'd get the camera, walk around and see if I could get some pictures. Not much activity at that time I'm afraid. A Nuthatch and the Squirrel washing his face.

May 5th., Odds and Ends

Snowing here this morning....sigh! Parents arrived on Thursday and went back home early this morning. My father is getting very hard of hearing and by last night I had a splitting headache from yelling so he could hear me. All in all it was a good visit. We went to the beach to get bags of sea weed, some for him and some for me for our gardens.

Dad on beach.

Whoo Hooo! First blooms in the garden.

Mom and Dad....would probably kill me if they knew I put these on here, lol.



I know there are fairies in the garden and around the woods on the property as I often feel their presence. I took pictures off the camera and this picture showed up. I call it Fairies Dancing, lol

May 3rd. Need Bird ID

I caught some pictures of these birds at the feeders yesterday. I think they are Gold Finch and Purple Finch, but not entirely sure. Sorry, pictures aren't too good, had camera on wrong setting, duh!