The Price of Pollen

"Rose" by Anahata Joy Katkin

Today my throat feels like this, full of bits and pieces, iron shavings, burning embers........and I definitely don't love who I am! I had no voice this morning but as it's gradually croaked back to almost normal this evening I think it was the pollen, not a cold or bug. Living in the South, the visual loveliness of Spring blossoms makes one pay the price, and the beauty is not skin deep, it creeps down your throat, up your nose and plays with your head.

The good news is that Google and Picasa have decided to allow me to continue to upload images to my blog............today my paid for in March storage appeared in my account at long last! I guess they did read my e-mails full of whines and whinges. Perhaps my words "elderly lady, non techie" etc. struck a chord within one of those smart young technical guys or gals - thanks so much!

Joys of Gardening - Tech. Problem

Rain, rain, beautiful rain...................at long last we've been getting quite a lot around here, heavy soakings of a couple of inches the past couple of days. This now means mow, rake, trim, plant, all those garden chores that just required water from the heavens in order to grow something..................and then it grows some more!

This bed with periwinkle and ivy is my first battleground as my birdbath is about to be hidden, those two vines definitely grow several inches a day! The guy at the garden center warned me many years ago, he used that dreaded word 'invasive', but of course I was stubborn and said I'd keep them in check - famous last words.

(Click on pic below to see the male Towhee visiting the angel).

Below are the implements of torture for an aging gardener such as me - rakes! Last week I injured my right shoulder rotator cuff overdoing it with these, ouch!

So, instead of working in the garden daily as is necessary this time of year, I enjoyed the last of the azalea blooms and bluebells.......................

...............and loved gazing at these new Iris I planted which, for some reason, were also loved by the squirrels who have bitten off several buds.....................pesky devils!

Stay limber all you gardeners - remember to warm up your muscles prior to digging and raking. Wouldn't you know it, adding insult to injury, here in the Southeast the dreaded mosquitoes are appearing already and at the weekend I got my first bites of the season. I'll be stocking up on cans of OFF and Benadryl sprays any day now.....................and I'll be heading for my screened gazebo every chance I get.

Hope you had a great weekend - many thanks for all the generous comments left this past week, they mean a lot to me.

A note about the technical problem I'm experiencing with Blogger - I'd really appreciate any help you might be able to give me if you have had this same problem. I cannot load anymore photos to my blog even though I purchased 10GB of extra storage ($20) in March when told I was running low - although I found this hard to believe as one is supposed to be able to upload about 4,000 images free! You may know that your images are stored by PICASA for use on your GOOGLE Blogger account. Apparently my purchased storage has never been recognized at PICASA and now they refuse to allow anymore pics on my blog - how frustrating is this!!!!!!!

I'm trying to work this out with GOOGLE but haven't been able to get far yet - will let you know the outcome - meanwhile I may not be able to post pics. Has anyone out there had this problem - please let me know, thanks so much.

Liberty For All

Took a road trip through North Carolina's countryside last Friday - talked dh into going to Liberty with me where the twice yearly Antiques Festival is held on rolling farmland just outside the quaint little town. Luckily the weather was fabulous - periods of blazing sun and then clouds which helped keep the temps. around 80. We wore hats but still ended up quite sunburned.

There were supposedly over 300 dealers from 25 states but I was not overly thrilled with the merchandise Genuine antiques and collectibles, no crafts - but mostly Americana, very few European items. I guess I had set my hopes too high and now know that the kind of things I really want to find are going to be in France at the brocantes..........................I just have to get over there with a big empty suitcase, SOON!!!

Above - some old heavy iron street signs from England.

Same dealer had a nice selection of English mixing bowls (but I already have two) and loads of wicker encased Demijohn wine bottles.

Cricket balls - nice old dish of some mystery metal.

The dealer here had some good linens and old leather beauty cases.
The table cloths were very nice and prices reasonable.

I purchased just two linen pieces - the small pillow case with nice hand cut work $8.50, and the really gorgeous hand embroidered/cut work small tray cloth from Madeira, only $5.00!

The heavy tarnished silver plated tray with nice handles and small feet, was marked $10.00, I got it for $8.00. I will use this on the front porch with white teacups and old pale green damask serviettes............don't forget, afternoon tea at 4 o'clock, I'll be looking for you.

So, other than some sheet music, this was the extent of my treasure hunting and buying at the Liberty Festival.

Below is the one that got away - lovely candelabra loaded with heavy crystals, probably from the thirties - priced at $250.00, offered at $198.00 - a pained expression crossed dh's sunburned cheeks. Thanks but no thanks, too pricey and don't have anywhere to put it anyway!

Nice little trip - pretty countryside - light traffic - day's supply of natural vitamin D.

Coming Home to Roost

I just had to share this with you................. think you'll agree it was quite astonishing.

A week after the four baby wrens toddled off into the far reaches of the garden, they came back to spend a night on the front porch where they started out!

Thursday evening, we spent a few hours at a local Irish pub with a friend - the guys downed Guinness while I stuck with a nice red wine - we devoured authentic 'fish 'n chips' - and the really nice Irish owner sent us Grand Marniers to finish off the fun night. On arriving home, we entered the house somewhat noisily, slamming car doors, storm door, porch lights blazing - all the things we didn't do while the wrens were still in the nest by the front door. I immediately went to the dining room window to close the blinds and almost fell over when I saw this sight up in the corner of the porch ceiling...............................the four baby wrens snuggled up together, obviously sleeping very soundly. This is the same corner the mother wren slept in from last September until she built the nest in March - she was there almost every night. I'm surmising that she brought the babies here on Thursday for some reason, somehow getting them all to fly up there and hunker down for the night in her familiar corner.

This amazing sight required resetting the alarm clock for 6:00 AM in hopes I could see what happened at daybreak. So with my coffee and camera I sat by the window waiting. At 6:20 AM I heard a parent calling, the little birds started stirring and stretching. By then I was waking dh and we stood there watching as number 1, 2 and 3, gingerly doddered along the ledge, then flew out towards where mom was calling. Number 4 was less brave, it wasn't sure where or how to leave. It hopped and slipped along the ledge to the far end, returned to the corner, then flew off in the opposite direction..................we were hoping it would find its family in time for breakfast.

(The photos are a little blurry as they were taken through the window before the sun was up).

I must add that I was thrilled 'my babies' made a return visit and, once again, marvelled at the wonders of Nature.

Today I saw the entire family together in the back garden and it was obvious that flying lessons were the order of the day. The parents would fly a short distance to a shrub, a metal obelisk or the back fence, the four (yes still all four thank goodness) babies would follow all chirping noisily. Below is either mom or dad giving orders.

If you look closely you can see one baby on the lower bar of the obelisk.

A closer look below and another baby is perched on the wooden trellis below the moon.

Later in the afternoon they were closer to the house on my back deck - didn't have time to grab the camera though. It's just so wonderful knowing they are staying in our garden and are doing so well.

Yesterday...........

It was a perfect afternoon and, on arriving home from a dental appointment................
.............I grabbed a pair of old shorts and a ball cap (faded hair color days are here!). I sat on my front steps, stretched out my pale legs and thought I should start using some lotion like this as I no longer sunbathe! Breathing in fresh green air, admiring the clematis blooms, and listening to the music of the water dancing in the fountain, with the sun warm and kind on the perfect Spring day.

Nothing brings more joy than being surrounded by Nature's beauty.

Edited: I have some surprising/amazing news about the baby wrens - will post on this later!!

Dessert Carnival Day

Make sure you visit Cielo at The House in the Roses to take part in her fabulous dessert party scheduled for May 30. You can find the details on her blog. Hurry on over to visit this fabulous, romantic gal who always writes something very special to touch one's heart....and shares beautiful photos of all things lovely.

National Day of England

Happy St. George's Day to all my family and friends in England........and those of you who have crossed oceans but continue to celebrate your 'Englishness' elsewhere.

It was good to hear that Prime Minister Gordon Brown marked today by flying St. George's flag over No. 10 Downing Street - a symbol that was lacking in recent years.

For England, St. George's Day marks its National Day. Traditional customs include wearing a red rose in one's lapel, singing the beautiful hymn "Jerusalem" in a cathedral, church or chapel......................and then heading on over to the local pub for a quick pint which, as you probably know, is the Englishman's cure for everything!!

Below are the powerful words of William Blake's poem which, set to amazing music by Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, was a hymn/song every English child learned at an early age. We always loved to sing it and I must admit it still brings tears to my eyes and pride to my heart.

Jerusalem

And did those feet in ancient time

Walk upon England's mountains green

And was the holy lamb of God

On England's pleasant pastures seen

And did the countenance divine

Shine forth upon our clouded hills

And was Jerusalem builded here

Among those dark Satanic mills

Bring me my bow of burning gold

Bring me my arrows of desire

Bring me my spears o'clouds unfold

Bring me my chariot of fire

I will not cease from mental fight

Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand

'Til we have built Jerusalem

In England's green and pleasant land

The Dance of Life

Last week a call from my cousin across the pond informed me of the death of his mother, my only remaining aunt and my Godmother. She had lived a long life, ninety four years. In this much treasured photograph c. 1914, she is the twin on the right held by my grandmother, my mother is standing next to her. I spent a lot of time at my aunt's home as a child and she was very kind to me.

Looking at this photograph, I am always amazed and proud of this family. Grandma with her five children, born within four years as there were two sets of twins! My heart pounds trying to comprehend the fact that everyone has gone. We are now just four cousins, offspring of those five children. Scattered about the globe, two still in Devon, England, one in France and one in the USA..................the dance of life goes on.

If suddenly you do not exist,

if suddenly you no longer live,

I shall live on.

............Pablo Neruda............

Lifestyles

Have you noticed how everything old is new again.........................wasn't there a song with those words? This morning, while awaiting arrival of the carpet cleaner, I discovered while moving smaller pieces of furniture and decorative items in the downstairs rooms, the things that I love are definitely old passed down family treasures, or items found at antiques and vintage shops that once graced another person's home. Reproductions are now available everywhere, some quite attractive I have to admit, but they haven't absorbed any history............they just don't have authentic chips and scratches, they hide no secrets, they are just something pretty to fill a space.

Perhaps this modern new glass bowl above has yet to gather and hold a family's memories, but it's being helped by adding beautiful branches of old coral and sea urchins, maybe collected during a trip to an island..................and wrapped gently with miniature linen doilies and snippets of antique lace. How lovely to take the new back a bit in time by adding something from your family. How difficult it is to get rid of things that belonged to your family.

Remember my SIMPLIFY sign and the best laid plans to clean out, give away, unstore, declutter, downsize? That was last year and I've just realized I still have a way to go. So I'm off to work on it again - wish me luck.

Evening on the edge of the English Channel ~ October 2007

Why can't life always be this clean, uncluttered and simple?

Green and Gorgeous

Yesterday, on my way to the garden center of a 'big box' store to hunt down Boston ferns for the front porch, I stopped to buy a card at a chain drug store in my neighborhood.

At the entrance were these beautiful ferns...........FOR SALE!

I was jumping for joy at such perfection ~ even dh agreed they were gorgeous.

The store manager told me they arrived Thursday and were selling like wild fire. I'm not surprised because they are huge, healthy, and grown right here at a local nursery which of course is a good thing. They were $15 ea., which is $5 more than the BB store, however there's no comparison..............when I checked there later I found them smaller, droopy, many fronds broken, with a pale greyish green look as if crying out for fertilizer.........and a good long, slow drink!

Now I'm anxious to clean up the front porch. With the wrens gone, and hopefully the purple finches staying out of these lovely ferns (they are such messy birds), as soon as the pollen has eased up I can get to work. We had so much oak pollen falling yesterday it was hard to breathe outside. Hopefully showers during the night have dampened it down and cleared the air somewhat.

Have to show you my trumpet vine (Campsis radicans) which burst into bloom a couple of days ago on the arbor leading to the back garden. The orange flowers are profuse this year and will surely attract the hummingbirds............and bees, but that's good because we need more bees for pollination.

In the Southeastern U.S., trumpet vine is sometimes considered a weed and is quite invasive if not pruned. Mine was pruned back to the ground a few years ago when the house was painted and this is the best year for blooms since.

The plant to the left of the gate is a climbing rose, John Cabot, a hardy Canadian. Also pruned back and mulched over the Winter, it's now growing rapidly with our warm temperatures this week, and starting to bloom. I keep white mini lights up year round on the fence and arbor as they look pretty and bring a little romance to the night garden. (Click photo to enlarge).

Another view of the front entry and porch. Our little fountain decided to quit bubbling and we have purchased a replacement which we plan to assemble this week ~ hope it's easier this time around ~ I remember it took hours to get all the internal parts together, especially with instructions in a vague interpretation of English!

We enjoy sitting on the porch and listening to the water splashing. The current fountain will be moved somewhere in the garden and used as a birdbath, which is what it's become anyway..........even catch squirrels stopping by for a drink now and then.

This warm, sunny weather is causing everything in the garden to start bursting forth. Each morning as the dawn chorus breaks into song, still in my robe, coffee mug in hand, I tiptoe around the dewy garden to view the beauty of the new day. Those of you who garden know the feeling when you see all those little miracles pushing up through the earth. Perhaps my love affair with Autumn is waning a little ~ have to admit Spring just gets better every year.

Off to grab clogs and tiptoe through the wet grass right now. Hope to have new garden treasures to share with you later.

Fly Away......or Come and Stay

"Psst - do you know the real wrens have left? Yes, flown away with mom and dad and are hopefully learning their way around the garden to the secret places where beetles, grubs, moths and caterpillars creep and crawl. Perhaps later, when fully grown with strong wings and perky tails, they'll go to the feeders hanging about in this garden - the people here spend an awful lot of money on really good bird seed - in fact I hear her dh complaining that the birds eat better than they do".

Some of the birds in my garden do not sit on those feeders picking and choosing peanuts, sunflower clips, safflower seeds.....................................they just stand about looking so cute. Although their songs cannot be heard, I think they are lovely to have around too.

Thanks for visiting this past week and sharing the enjoyment of the wrens on my front porch. I appreciate all the lovely comments you left and I hope your garden is full of Spring birdsong all weekend.

Empty Nesters.......

Yesterday afternoon and evening, up until dusk, Mr. & Mrs. Wren kept up a steady supply of food and vocal instruction....................a sure sign that it was time for the babes to get ready to fly........or at least flutter.......from that planter by the front door! I spent several hours at the dining room window and even seated on the porch for a while, armed with the camera, wishing I had a better one with a good lens, and no glass in my windows! By nightfall I had decided those babes were definitely going to fledge this morning - they were sticking way out of the nest when the parents flew in with bugs and seeds from the feeder hanging out front.

Pictures below taken as they flew back and forth continuously for hours yesterday...................parenting skills of the highest order, a mom and dad so caring of their young. Sometimes he would just sit on a branch and keep watch, singing jubilantly for fifteen minutes, as she gathered food from the lawn and walkway, bringing it to the nest overflowing with cheeping babes. Then he would go to the feeder, pick a tiny seed and bring it over. Needless to say I didn't get much done yesterday, other than watch 'my little family'. I'm such a softy when it comes to birds in my garden.

I set the alarm clock for 6:15 AM because I know the wren babies fledge early in the day. A perfect morning for flight - brilliant sunshine, warm and calm. Coffee in hand, I sat at the dining room window and by 6:30 AM breakfast service began along with much calling, singing and chirping. Then, while dad sat on his same branch calling, mom sat above the nest on the flag pole and proceeded to fluff and preen her feathers, almost as if giving the babes their first lesson in personal hygiene, and perhaps showing them how to prepare for flight. At 7:00 AM number one fluttered out of the nest directly into the hydrangea bush below the porch rail - that's when I called for dh to hurry. Then number two popped out onto the cushion of a wicker chair, down to the porch and into the same bush. Number three gave us a scare, fluttered into the water filled fountain but immediately hopped out and joined the others - I was ready to run out to perform a rescue thinking it would drown. Then four followed into the bush..........................and there was no five unless we missed it, the whole process took less than a minute, when they go they go fast.

One by one the babies then followed the parents across the front steps, through another flower bed and here I leaned out of my bedroom window and managed to snap these somewhat fuzzy pics of some of the babes. Wren babes have little stubby tails which grow into those cute long perky ones.

Above, two babes following their parents to a safe place. Below, the last one, "hurry up, they're waiting for you".

Here it is now 9:00AM and I hear and see the parents in my side garden, singing instructions and teaching life's little lessons. The cheeping babes are audible however I can't see them and don't want to go outside and disturb this lovely moment Nature has allowed me to share.

I'm now an empty nester again. We can come and go through the front door.........and let the storm door slam! Today I can take back the porch.......clean it up for Spring.......have a cup of afternoon tea out there.......go shopping for Boston ferns to fill the empty hanging baskets........and pray that this new little family will survive to grow into adorable wrens, the tiny, cute, perky birds with the amazing big voices.