Tag: photography

Three little birds…Dear diary

Do you ever wonder about the subconscious,?, No….. well stay with me on this for a wee moment…Grab yourself a cuppa and I will try to explain myself, (may take some doing mind…are you Back?!, Ok let’s start at the beginning, good place huh😁?…

June 2022

I had moved into this flat back in the April, i have to admit I wasnt real thrilled at the prospect, but it was the only place available at that time….So I made the best of a bad situation, …One of its few advantages for instance, was it had a modest laundry area for hanging out of yah smalls, no laughing now😁, all mod cons hmm, . Ok before usage i also had to remove a ton of killer BlackBerry vines to access said area, Vines that had been left to run rampant since the beginning of time,. looking at the thickness and length of them, nothing surprised me, they were lethal beasties with long tentacles……that’s tentacles😊, I really did take my life in my hands tackl that project folks, Anyhow I digress ….yeah I know you cant believe it 😁….

As I worked away each day doing a little more, Hacking, sawing and chopping, yet still ever more blooming BlackBerry appeared to take its place, I on the other hand Looking for all the world, like I was suffering the death of a thousand cuts…just more slowly!… One afternoon I felt this unnerving sensation, it felt like eyes upon me, Every few minutes I would stop, turn around real slow vainly hoping to catch out who was watching me, only to see nothing, because there was nothing!….this went on for days, no weeks even, I began to think maybe the trauma of yet another move, had messed with already over wrought mind….

By the time I had almost cleared the area enough for me to finally use it, not only did I feel like an intrepid explorer, machete-ing my way through a killer BlackBerry jungle, but I had with time become somewhat accustomed to being over looked…does one ever get used to it, I dunno but it no longer bothered me, let’s move the story on shall we,

The weather grew warmer and with it, I spent more time out of doors sitting outside each day, just taking the air….As I did so, I would throw out seed and meal worms for the locals, that’s birds by the way, you will be glad to hear, not neighbours 😊, it wasn’t long before one bird in particular showed his prowess, a very territorial Blackbird, not only would he come down while I walked about, but he chased off any other blackbirds in that vicinity, it was his yard so anything in it also his, food included😊…he allowed for the small sparrows, finches and robins, but anything else was given short shrift….including cats….no I’m serious😁

Over the months I began noting him more, listening to his very distinctive call, … Did you know for instance they have certain calls for different things….if it was going to rain, his voice took on a different pitch, clear, longer notes, shorter pauses, as he flew over my garden another sound almost as if he was heralding his import and immediate arrival….After a while I began to recognise each song or call, but more than that I could tell him apart from any interlopers…I admired their bravery😁… It was on one very still warm afternoon he let out a sudden long piercing call, one I hadnt up to this point heard before so didn’t recognise it, this was followed by a series of hurried tck tck tck sounds,….I looked outside my window, watching him dart back and forth the fenced in laundry area…something seemed to be bothering him greatly, to say he was agitated was putting it mildly, I felt immediate concern for the jaunty little bird and was soon taking a walk about the area, it wasn’t long before I spotted a black cat crouching in the long grass,

I had seen her about over the weeks and took her for living local, but my little Blackbird friend wasn’t having any of it…He had by now earned the name white feather…having a singular long white flight feather on his right wing..I loved this wee birds tenacity, nothing frightening him, I had even seen him pulling the tail of one local Raven, he didn’t let up either, not until it finally had had enough taking to the air with an loud indignant Caw!!!!…after around about roughly a year, We had formed a strange bird, human bond…Often I would charge outside after hearing the Warning tck tck tck, to chase off the odd cat, not that he ever needed my help …He also had a wicked sense of fun, swooping low down over my head,back n forth as I hung out the laundry, then sitting upon the fence after, his beady black eyes full of mischief, if birds could laugh he would have.

Then something even stranger happened, he began following me about, firstly around the immediate area, then gradually on short walks, flitting from fence to fence, flitting wings impatiently, bored with my slow ungainly pace, Our walks amused me greatly, I found myself looking for him, it was a rare occasion that he didn’t shoot out of a bush shrieking his signature song over head, …if I sat over the park, he would forage at the bottom of the shrubbery, before showing himself suddenly as in some made up game of hide n seek…I admit I fell for his charm and character over the months, enjoying walks, playing spot feather…

A year later another wee bird came surprisingly into my life, …I had been talking to Jesse about locating a budgie at some point, for company in the flat, he surprised me in that March by arranging for me to pick out one at a local pet shop, in the end mind, I didn’t get to choose….this beautiful blue budgie aka Sage choose me!, Coming to the front of the cage, bobbing his head merrily and chattering away…I could almost reach in and touch him…it was instant love, well on my part anyhow, as I carried my precious cargo home, him in his tiny box, he chatted continually, I knew then and there we were a match😁.

And what a match it was, he learnt words quicker than most two year olds, Some of them not what you would want repeated at polite gatherings though shall we say, his favourite for some reason Pervert!!!!!, This I thought at first just random chatter….but no if something bothered him or on another occasion when he didn’t like the cracker I had offered him, he bellowed Pervert! At the piece of biscuit in his foot before throwing it down….his sudden antics had both myself and Jesse in hysterics, another favourite word being Weird, or it!! Bellowed at me, if he wanted something I was eating…

He hated me being anywhere away from his sight, taking to calling out where are you? What you doing?, I would answer of course, but nothing would mollify him but for me to lug him into the other room, he had free range, but he liked the security of his cage nearby, going in there to go to the bathroom😁…. He really caught at my heart the first time he said “love you” damn! that little bird knew how to eat into my hard exterior!, And did with bells on, I loved him no , blue feather strewn rooms an all.

My little world soon went on to became enriched not once, not twice, but thrice over, not only had I white feather, Sage, but a year later while planting out bulbs ready for spring,. A tiny Robin perched on the fence above where I worked, he sang clear and sweet, his tiny tail bobbing as he watched my Labour,, again no fear, which is common with these little garden birds…he after a while deemed it safe enough, to land just feet away, rummaging in the freshly dug over soil for bugs, I chatted to him as we worked on, cheered by his presence, this was regular thing…

Over that winter I fed all the birds, but was never content until I spotted both Feather and Robin, listening for their voices amid the many, their company most important because i live alone, winters are longer for those of us without company, they were no longer just birds but comfort…friends…dare I say it, yeah I loved them, es I loved my Pigeons, Starlings, and Crows, but it was Feather, then Robin who followed me on my walks, Sat on the fence while I worked in the garden, it was their fun antics that chased away the long winter blues, between all three we formed a unique flock, odd I grant you but wonderful….

So what has this to do with the opening sentence, well sadly one after the other I lost all three birds, Feather first, his pure sweet voice falling silent forever, no longer buzz bombing my head, or screaming at cats, I couldn’t account for when I last saw him, but I knew it happened, and my tiny world grew the smaller for it…..just months later during our long hot summer, Robin starting coming in closer to me, literally feet away, I just took it he trusted me finally, we understood each other….it was on one of the occasions where I sat out, drinking my coffee, him on his favourite plant pot, that I noticed his damaged beak, I began crushing up suet pellets smaller for him to eat, he in turn, came in ever closer the week that followed, I sensed something not right, more than just a damaged beak, I guess he did also, he still followed me about, but slower, his wee feathers puffed up, dull and lack luster, I guess I knew what was coming but choose to block it out, hoping by doing so it wouldn’t happen….but come it did, just days later I spotted his little body in the garden, lifeless, no more songs or playful chatter …my garden had never felt more lonely or such a dark place….then Imagine my shock, a shock I felt just weeks after, I lost Sage, there are no words, because I can’t summon them, there never will be words, one after the other they left this gaping hole, a monstrous hole I can’t fill… Now Sage and Robin lie together, birds that never met, but United in the love I felt for their tiny fragile feathered souls, yes I know some are saying but theyre just birds….No, no they will never be just birds, because each chose me, each let me inside their lives, made it richer, brighter and full of song….and now to the point, some months down the line, when I thought things had eased, I kept hearing an ear worm…song, each morning, over and over, I began singing it…playing it on Spotify trying to extricate it from my mind, I hadn’t heard it since the 90s and here it was…large as life, at first it annoyed me…but not now, maybe unconsciously I hadn’t done with the grieving process..my subconscious mind helping me let go, telling me every little things gonna be alright…..the song…Three little birds, by Bob Marley…I don’t understand the why for,s I won’t question it, but it helps….like those three little in the song, singing melodies pure and true…this was the message…..anyway enough of my twittering away, whatever your doing on this rainy day…take care of you…🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛

Dear Autumn diary…

As we headed toward mid August, I decided to try to take the odd walk around the local park once more…Winter is threatening to be long and cold, And I could already sense full hibernation is only a matter of weeks away😁, So it came with no great shock as made my way slowly across the sun scorched dry grass, that not far below the baked dry brittle grasses, mother nature and the soil were already making ready …

I could smell the rich deep, delicious loamy scent permeating the warm humid air, Leaves whether from the continued drought conditions or due infact to that early Autumn, were now dropping, spiralling in the breeze collecting in pools at the trees roots, just maybe they knew something i didnt..

It seemed everywhere I looked, trees were weighted down with fruits, On one walk alone, I spotted, pears, apples, blackberries, and two varieties of plum, I wasn’t adverse to a little foraging in amid the low lying branches, fending off the odd wasp or three to grab my breakfast, somehow always tastes better when it’s free doesn’t it?😁…

Even the local Hawthorne seem to be covered with sparkling scarlet berries, contrasting wonderfully with its leaves ever changing, Rose hips also seem plumper this year, ranging in colour from a deep crimson hue, to a dynamic eye catching orange, . I find myself stopping every few minutes relocating my cane from my hand, to the crook of my arm so I’m free to shoot pictures of any obliging twig, leaf or berry,. A tiny dewdrop of water clinging to rich black Elder berry sparkling in the sunlight enthrals and captures my imagination, these walks rarely fail to amuse me, even though I walk that same path each and every time..neither can I do them in any quicker time😁, there’s always a something to ooooh and arhhhh over…Jesse listens on with some amusement, as I rave over a dandelion clock, Berry or odd shaped twig…

There’s rarely a time, I hav,nt amused local dog walkers, often they come across me sat under a group of trees…No care that the ground may be damp from Dew or fresh rain, You just can’t beat sitting down directly upon the grass, amid fallen colourful leaves, buzzing bees, ants making their way up your legs or like yesterday a cabbage white butterfly coming to rest carefree upon my shoulder, neither of us care for others gaze as the dappled shade falls upon us, leaves rustling over ahead, in a sweet warm August breeze, sounding for all the world like the sea playing amid pebbles upon the beach…if I close my eyes a while, I could almost be anywhere..I’ve often drifted off in nature’s arms,

Rested, fortified, batteries charged once more, I regretfully put back on my shoes before finally making that final journey home, these trips always seem too brief these days, but each as tiring as they can be on the odd occasion do much to stave off boredom and help me sleep that bit easier at night…I’m off now to sort through the many many pictures I’ve collected on my poor phone😁….Whatever your up to this week, look after yourselves and maybe get out there and enjoy a wee walk of your own…💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛

Growth….Dear diary

Three days ago now, I woke up, to what felt like a very normal day, it started out that way, all signs, roads pointed to well, ” Average “…My coffee was hot, strong, dark and a delight for the senses, the water, cool and immensely refreshing upon my skin after a night baking slowly on gas mark 200 million degrees for 6 hours, Sun was up high in its sky, the Bees had done the utmost to chase me away from my own garden, upon I trying to water it….everything was in its place,….So i could not know just 30 minutes later, my world would turn on its axis, the light would slip away, fall into the shadows never to light up again…

My world falling into complete devastation, and as I sat there for the longest time in amongst that rubble, I was about to learn yet another valuable lesson, People and harsh moments are the best teachers,….to begin with, I didn’t know how to deal with this new situation, there was no one I could talk it through with, things spun out of control, off kilter, my mind awash with voices of old, full of spite, hate and criticism deployed their best missiles, one after the other, my walls tumbled and here I sat unable to deflect any of it….

Circle the Wagons…

After time had passed, I began settle though, this situation was no less painful, but the me I’m fast evolving into sat outside, coffee in hand, and allowed my poor exhausted mind time, time for calm, time to evaluate, process this new information and what to do with it.. If I rushed all in filled with anger, upset and emotion, I would surely make mistakes, as Indeed i have all too many times in the past…I needed to start with the very basic, there after to regroup…. Just breathe, calm the mind demons, sit quitely with the situation until you know what you want to do…as difficult as this was to prove it’s the path I decided upon, I holstered my emotions, circled the Wagons and sat there in the moment …

In times of old I would have reacted far far differently, allowing my head to take over, that’s when you know you’ve lost… In the time I sat outside by myself, (no that’s wrong, for I was with myself,…. I had realised though, even talking to a loved one wouldn’t have helped…just selfishly unloaded my cares onto them, I love them far too much for this, plus they have their own issues to deal with…neither did I resort to my old friend food, (binge eat), try to anaestheise pain with sugary treats, it was touch and go there momentarily I admit it😁, but what would this achieve?..nothing of course, only ruin months of gruelling work, plus sicken me both mentally and physically, plus add to my burden…no time was the essence here, time for logic, then after a while set healing in motion…

I’m not sure how long I sat in complete silence, Bees buzzing about my head, butterflies fluttering upon the breeze, worker ants crawling about my feet carrying things back to their nest, but whether I realised it or not, just being there had stilled my hammering heart, slowed down my breathing and allowed me to press the pause button on my world, unplug it so it would reset…yes the issue hadn’t resolved, but how I dealt with it now had…i realised it was 7pm and I hadn’t eaten in over 24 hours, as much as the mere thought of eating made me feel queasy, I knew deep down my body needed fuel…something small healthy and nothing to complex, I made a piece of chicken and Some veggies…it was another act of kindness, but to myself, and there’s the thing..when you live alone, you need to become your own companion, treat yourself with kindness, nurture you, become a mother to your overwrought mind and body…it’s the beginning of healing…

I went to bed that night, my mind still spinning with unanswered thought, but I resolved to let them be, maybe they were ever meant to be answered, My dreams were disjointed and crazed as they tried make sense of the things I couldn’t, when I woke up, the pain lay heavy in my chest still, but by tapping into new found strength, i went about my routine, with its shadowy presence following along behind me, every once in a while it would jump out at me sending with it shockwaves of hurt…I saw it, listened in, but moved right along, grief I realise is very different for us all, but I’m proud of the person I’m slowly emerging into…I’m a far cry from the brow beaten, used up person I left behind some eight years nearly now…later that same morning while I stood in my tiny kitchen waiting patiently for the kettle to come to a boil, listening for the click, I went out and grabbed my scales from their box… Standing upon the cold surface I waited for the flashing numbers to stop spinning and say you’ve gained X amount of poundiage, you XL heifer😊…. Instead though I had lost another 7lb😲😮😊….it brings the grand total so far to a none too shabby 42 lb ….I celebrated this victory, as I celebrated my sadness, by myself, ever mindful that’s by myself…never alone…. And here’s to the next 42 lb….What ever your doing this weekend, please take care of you, remember your worth it…till next time 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

Size really does matter…Dear Diary

Thursday

Around the beginning of February, (this year, two things happened…One involved a traumatic moment, early on a cold frosty morning, The other just kind of snuck up behind me, tapping me on the shoulder, bringing with it a germ of a new idea,. this went onto fully evolve over the next few weeks and months …First things first, After being ordered to rest up with a knee injury early on in the beginning of last year by my doctor, I spent almost 13 months prostrate upon the bed, anyone else in similar circumstances knows only too well of the utter mind numbing boredom., I have to admit though it did bring with it a chance to read more, which I did in vast quantities to begin with… Some 150 books to be precise, I enjoyed immersing myself fully, living most days in virtual realms, vicariously escaping through the Authors words, for which many will never know my gratitude, although that said, I did write reviews for one or two, the least I could do when they had kept my Sanity intact for a wee while longer😁 later on sadly, I hit the wall, becoming all read out, as you can imagine,. Tedium and myself are never good bed fellows as it turns out, it allows me far too much time for mischief, Plus “the eating”, although eating didnt quite do it justice😁,I would actually say it was more like grazing ,.. Normally not being a big eater, it didn’t take very long, before the extra lbs became evident…being immobile for long periods, plus extra calories, will of course do this of course😁.

Even at this point, I was still well and truly in denial, my flat being devoid of any kind of full length mirror, (this purposefully I may add, it only aided and abetted me in This new deception, twelve months down the line I awoke one morning after my usual fortification of several emotional support coffees, I decide it was indeed time to take the bull by the horns, or the scales from the lurking place, in the deep dark cupboard, with the cobwebs and over weight spiders!😊….Sucking in my breath as far as it would humanly go, I repeat several times., think slim thoughts Treez, think slim thoughts, I stood upon those scales for the first time in months….. Here’s where I find myself, too embarrassed to admit the final numbers involved, but along with said humiliation, came revulsion, disgust with the whole situation. I’ve always been prone to weight gain, but I hadn’t reached this size in many years…what hurt most was I had worked so hard just five years previous, losing a whopping five stone(70lb) ., now here I stood in my shorts and baggy t shirt, right back where I started…

After much procrastination, yet another coffee, and Some hours later I felt deeply depressed, What i did next fills me with utter repugnance,.. I sat and filled my face still further., My sausage fat swollen fingers, grabbing the first things to hand “The chunky kit kats”, Cadbury chocolate buttons, Mars bars, Snickers, every type and brand of crisp… Depression and sugar always did go hand in hand with me…😊, After I had laid waste to the very last of a four pack of chunky kit Kats, I sat alone upon the bed, surrounded by the screwed up evidence of my gluttony…I felt sick to my stomach, and it wasn’t just all that chocolate swirling around in there…what was I doing?, Why was I punishing myself and my body still further?, I looked down at my bloated body, a sensation of self loathing filled me….I actually hated myself., I and i alone had managed to do this…in my greed I had created a monster..a big bloated monster, the extra weight was not going to help this already stressed body with its weakened immune system…I needed to act and do it fast, tell tale signs were already beginning to show on my health, my BP for one was slowly creeping up with each doctors visit, My doctor was equally concerned in turn so of course was I ….

After this epiphany of a kind, As you may well or not know from early Diary pages, I lay siege to anything with sugar in it, then ultra processed, remotely processed actually…. Throwing it in the Bin before I could set about eating it,I know it was wasteful, but I had little choice by then, desperation set in….Step 1 fully completed, step 2 was to ditch carbs, eat only fresh veggies, lean meat and fish…the first weeks were hard, I won’t lie, but each time I wavered even a microbe I thought back, with a red face to those scales, and that deep loathing for my own body…this was back in February…since then slowly, but surely the lbs are dropping, it’s hard work, and much slower than previously, but determination, sheer stubbornness are my guides, I mean to bring this about, with whatever it takes, by any means fair or foul…

The happening…..

Also in March after what seemed like a lifetime of endless Grey sky’s, the sun finally began to put in an appearance, it was somewhat tentative at first, but those early glimmers were just enough, I began dodging the wintry showers, to shoot in and out hanging the laundry outside….I love seeing the wash blow upon the line….(yeah I know but it’s a me thing…little things and all that…it’s on one of these many trips out into the back garden, a little strip of Garden…(no bigger than a foot wide, by twelve long, caught my eye…I had had two wonderful young guys come in to clear that and the fence behind it of ivy over the previous summer….with the long winter months I had sadly neglected it again, and it was now reclaimed by nature, large unruly elder sprouted up everywhere, ivy, plus every variety of ground weed.,…One morning after hanging out the laundry, I found myself bending to pull a few weeds, this soon became a daily occurrence, only for ten minutes, but it soon amounted….I worked steadily not knowing the outcome but I felt good working outside, even for these short spells….

Before long, I had achieved what I thought the unachievable….ok it wasn’t perfect, nothing ever is, but it was better,much better, it’s as I stood to straighten my aching back, a plan slowing began to form in my head… Each day I worked to soften the soil, dig out some of the endless stone and rocks, the early spring sunshine warmed my sore back, as I worked, my ungloved hands caked in earth, finger nails split and full, but with this mess, also came a new calm, almost serenity, a oneness with my task, humming as I worked..from childhood I had loved to Garden,

One year my mother had given a small strip of Garden to my brother and sister, being “too young”, I was over looked…this upset me greatly…to the point where my mother finally relented, more I think to shut me up than anything else…I was three years old at this point….my mother could never have known what she had unlocked in her youngest..because even at that tender age I caught the gardening bug…it was to prove a life long addiction…a need if you will. Watching a garden come to life and reach fruition is akin to creating a painting, you take your basic blank canvas, prime it and with splashes of colour create….I was in the process of doing the same….

After weeks of work it became apparent that the local weed population were never going to make my life easy, as fast as pulled them from the ground, they just relocated, it became a vendetta…me against the mob, weed mafia, thuggery all about in my patch….apart from attacking it with my trusty strimmer, I realised there was no quick fix, Maybe a flame thrower hmmmm !!!!!!!, No Treez back away slowly😁….

It was while working out there one mild April afternoon, watched over by an impatient small tubby Robin friend who collected bugs for he’s lunch from the patches of freshly turned over soil, flicking his tail and tck tck tcking at me to go faster, there an idea grew…Just like my new found friend Robin, why was I working against nature?, Why not work with her?, All these plants originated from weeds at some point in time, before being cultivated, some if not most are infact beautiful in their own right, so why not just add to this insistent tapestry of life?, buy a packet of wild meadow seeds…

Later that same afternoon after first scrubbing my hands digging more soil from my broken nails than left in the garden…, I sat down finally in the warmth after the sun dipped low in the sky.. Curling up on the sofa with coffee under a fleece blanket, I began trawling “The Zon” (Amazon) for wild flower seeds…I read many reviews , researched, late into that evening before making my final choice…decision made, plan formed, I was really excited all at once to begin….

After just two days,that wait was finally over, The seeds had arrived, a tiny paper packet full of promise, as well as hundreds of black specks, (“the seeds”,) what they actually were(their names) would remain any bodies guess😁. Just said wild flowers…oh well I love a good surprise, A flower lucky dip if you will😁..

Now there was going to be two approaches to this here seed drilling malarkey, either I could make nice neat straight furrows in the soil, sow the seeds, then proceed to cover them over with the earth, almost like them bedding them down really(Normal approach)😁, nahhhhhh!, Or then theres my way, wait until, rain is forecast, rush out to scatter them asunder before running back in between showers…yup that’s it😁, if it’s good enough for mother nature, it’s good enough for me… And this being April I didn’t have long to wait….heavy rain was forecast for the very next day….I love it, this business with working with nature she’s so obliging😁….. In my humble wotsit I like to think I had scattered the seed evenly, real proper like, sort of the perfect gardener😁😁😁😁😁😁😁, but what I actually did was just shook the pack randomly…Chaos and mayhem being my favourite watchwords….later that day as if giving me her blessing, the heavens opened, now for the hard bit…..the wait😁😁😁😁.

Every day I checked for early signs of life, well there was to be fair, but mainly from those bloody weeds😃,. After just two weeks though, the first signs appeared..tiny seedlings braved the cool air, just like any good plant parent, I worried over frosts, winds blowing them over, not enough water, too much water!, I faffed endlessly over my wee charges, never once taking into account these are in fact wild flowers we are talking about here, Existing for hundreds of years, alongside busy roads, derelict land,hedge rows, farms, fields and Moorland without my care, thank you very much!😁, they infact didn’t need me at all….but it was me, I needed to fuss over them,pulling back the larger weeds that were bullying my precious seedlings, I willed them to grow strong, Watched over daily by Robin and my old friend, white feather the blackbird…who I think were more than a bit amused if not confused….

By the end of May my little border was filled to the brim with leggy plants of many variables, stubby ground huggers, lanky sun hoggers, hairy stemmed wind wavers and of course they were all UFOs, unidentified Flowering objects….what I did know though was I couldn’t have been more proud of my adoptees if I tried, ….even the strong winds that would follow that month, failed to flatten them,. As their development increased I was to learn yet another valuable lesson, I had stopped trying to weed my border, instead what were once common weeds to me, now stood side by side with my meadow flowers, their early blooms feeding any brave bees that sought out a source of pollen…common woodsorrel, creeping buttercup, Purslane, lesser trefoil, Dandelion, forget me not, tiny soft heart shaped leaved violets, lanky tufts of rich red valerian, I watched as insects flocked to them for shelter and sustenance…they had earnt their place in my Border as well as my heart…

After a time the first of the meadow plants began to bloom, it was quite fitting really, when the purple spikes of Bugle, were the first to herald in the coming of spring …next the stunning large fluffy heads of scarlet trefoil, corn poppies with their bold crimson petals screaming for attention, beside them the more sedate but no less pretty, sky blue corn flowers, Corn Cockle, the delicate lacy flowers of Love in the mist, Purple Scabius, pink and white clover, Red campion…. Each day something new to marvel over, I bored everyone with endless photos and talk of my wee border….but I was proud so there !😁

But as spectacular as this wild patch of meadow flowers are and will be for months to come, it’s what they bring alongside them…I sit out most afternoons for a while, there I share this small wilderness area with a myriad of tiny creatures, tiny striped glossy winged hover flies, flitting hither and thither even taking to hovering about me as If I were part of the fixtures😊, Other daily visitors include several varieties of floofy pollen pickers(Bees), Cabbage white, orange tipped, meadow brown, small copper, small tortoiseshell, Holly blue butterflies… Even the odd passing Dragon look in….oh ok Dragonfly 😁, then theres the humble, but never less welcome woodlice, all are welcome here….As I sit out there sun warming my face, a host of insect sounds lulls me into a quietness I’ve never experienced before, my eyes shut involuntarily, but I’m no less part of their minute world, we are just being together, living, breathing side by side, whether imagined, or factual I feel accepted…..Even the huge bumble bees as they buzz bomb my head in daily protest when I disturb them for the evening watering ritual, settle back down after ignoring me as fuss about….With the increase of insects, I have more daily visits from small birds, who have also become part and parcel of our world….who knew by just making a tiny patch of wild meadow flowers happen, my world would increase many fold…with it many lessons..it really is those little things that bring the most joy….enough of me for now, take care of you as always, and stay safe…🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🐛🐛🐛🐛🐛🐛🐛🐛🐛🐛🐛🐛🐛🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞