Tuesday 11 June 2013

A pond of one's own


It's been a quiet few days here.  Friday evening was the school fete, complete with a falconry display which was wonderful, and which the oldest boy, an avid birder, adored.  This magnificent eagle owl was the star of the show, and the oldest boy was lucky enough to have him flown to his arm.  He was absolutely thrilled.

A little birthday celebrating took place on Saturday afternoon with the littlest boy and some little chums.  But then on Saturday night the middle boy came down with a tummy bug, so we've been quietly at home ever since.  It's been lovely not to be rushing around everywhere, except for the school run for the others.  There's been loads of reading and Lego-ing and this afternoon the two of us spent some time working out how to play a particularly complex board game that we've had for a while.  I do love having him at home with me.  I wonder how long I can keep him...

Today I had a leisurely wander round the garden.  Everything is really growing fast now.  There are pears this year (last year there were none), and different types of strawberries at different stages - Honeoye have green fruit while Cambridge Favourite have flowers.  The tayberry is looking good and there are bees all over both that and the raspberries.  Broad beans are appearing and the peas are taking off.  I put strings up for them at the weekend, and I find it magical that the next time I looked their little tendrils had found the strings and were clinging on.  Amazing.  I am panicking a bit that I haven't planted much at the allotment yet, and it is already mid-June.  But that will all have to wait until another day.  Right now I am tired (there was a severe lack of sleep on Saturday night and I haven't caught up yet) and I need to sit and sew for a while.  It's my form of meditation I think.  I'll share a picture or two of that soon.  Meanwhile I shall leave you with a another frog. 


They are quite shy little things, but I swear this one was sunbathing at the edge of the pond.  As you can see, it is not the most attractive pond in the world, but the froggies don't seem to mind - it does the job.  There are far fewer ponds around than there used to be, I guess they are just happy to have found one of their very own.

30 comments:

  1. Beautiful pictures CJ. There is so much going on right now. I must go and check on the blueberries tomorrow, yours are looking great.
    Sorry to hear about the tummy bug though :(

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your photos and words are beautiful! I'm glad you had some down time with your middle son. I do hope he feels better soon, though. I look forward to hearing more about your sewing. I'm always so intrigued by people who are gifted in this area.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Devon. Wouldn't say I'm gifted, but I do like to make simple things.

      Delete
  3. Terrific pictures, I especially like the owl.
    Plant everything you want on the allotment over the next week or two and it should grow away really quickly. Flighty xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The owl was magnificent, so huge and soft and silent. Thanks for the planting advice, I shall try very hard to get everything in as suggested.

      Delete
  4. Hope the nasty bugs have gone.... your pictures are stunning. Sarah x

    ReplyDelete
  5. It's great when frogs eventually find your pond. I only have the odd one or two visit my pond, so it's always exciting when I see them. Do you have any plants in your pond? I've found that the water is really clear if you have something which covers part of the surface. Try a marsh marigold, and also an oxygenator which just sinks, you can buy those from a pet shop. Hope your son is feeling better soon, though you'll have to part with him then as he'll have to return to school. I always loved having mine at home, still do.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have got some oxygenating weed, but not anything covering the surface. There is a small waterlily, but it only has a few leaves. I shall look out for a marsh marigold, thanks for the advice.

      Delete
  6. Wonderful photos. Sorry about the bug - I had the most horrible stomach bug about two weeks ago - really knocked me sideways. I know what you mean about tendrils - I was looking at some in the garden this morning - amazing! x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hope you're feeling better now. I did indeed get it a couple of days ago, so now I'm feeling a bit wobbly too.

      Delete
  7. I absolutely LOVE your picture of the thorns. I was just talking to someone about how 'real' roses aren't delicate wee things - what I love about them is their thick stem and cruel purple thorns... And then I clicked onto your blog and saw the perfect photo to match what I was trying to get at!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh CJ these photos are absolutely fabulous! the bees! the frogs! life beautiful captured so so well.

    I just wanted you to know how very much I appreciate all your kind words of support over the past week.thank you for being so kind and thoughtful.

    And photos like these make me smile so, restore hope to my soul as well. xxoo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Rebecca, I hope there is much beauty in your corner of the world too.

      Delete
  9. What wonderful photos of your garden, makes me go out with the camera myself. Everything is just growing so fast right now!! Hope your son is feeling better soon!

    ReplyDelete
  10. what a great garden. ahhhh, so lovely. and i like that little visitor you have there. :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. What fantastic photos! There is so much growth and life in your garden, it's a real haven. x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Gillian - there's more open grass than I would like really, but everyone else likes the running about space, so I try and squeeze things in around the edge.

      Delete
  12. I love the frog!! and you have so many gorgeous things growing in your garden... I have cricket balls... I'd swear they multiply by themselves!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's tennis balls here, they are everywhere. And a layer of golf balls at the bottom of the pond.

      Delete
  13. nature is just so beautiful. I love the way you've captured everything.
    http://myfroley.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. So many lovely things to take in - it is certainly a great time of the year. We have pears this year (none last year) which I'm really excited about.

    Nina x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm thinking (and hoping) that it will be a better fruit year this year.

      Delete