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Ready For Take Off!

 


Some of the baby swallows, looking VERY cross, getting ready for take off this morning.

‘Hello babies!’ said I cheerfully, as I popped into the laundry to fetch some sunflower seeds for the bird table. The expanding gang of fledging tits (blue and great) and finches (green, gold and chaff) have taken to waiting, very noisily, in the wisteria for their breakfast. I bought a bag of peanuts to go with the sunflower seeds and am bashing them into pieces with my rolling pin because I am concerned the babies will choke if they get hold of a whole one. Yes, I know they have sharp, point beaks and are probably more than capable of stabbing a peanut to pieces themselves, but even so. Honestly, my life is being held hostage by baby birds at the moment. 

The very cross baby swallows eyed me suspiciously and sat very still, with a ‘You ain’t seen me, right?’attitude. ‘Well,’ said I, ‘I CAN see you and I’ve taken a couple of photos. So there!’

How do you know the strawberries are properly ripe? When the birds start eating them. I have netted my fledging strawberry patch now. The plants are doing well and we’ve had our first taste of their fruit. They’ve also started putting out runners, meaning more plants, meaning more strawberries next year. Lovely! And yesterday I made the first picking of raspberries, a goodly bowlful. They are on the small side, I think because we had a very dry April and May BUT given June is being very wet thus far, I am hoping the following fruit will plump up a bit. It’s going to be a good year for fruit. 

And yesterday, I also paid the deposit for my ‘Happy 60th Birthday To Me!’ shepherd’s hut! After several messages back and forth regarding fittings and design, all has been settled and we are now systems a go-go. The deposit is required for the cast iron wheel base, the corrugated metal roof and the timber to be purchased. The company making the hut have said that, if I like, I can visit during the construction or they can send videos and pictures. I can make little changes as the build progresses, too, but given the decisions I’ve had to make thus far, I’m not sure I can cope with any more of the trauma at the moment. 

Nice trauma, of course! It’s very exciting being able to design a little living space of one’s own, but yesterday I became overwhelmed looking at rugs, for chuff’s sake! And as the hut won’t be ready for around 6 months - one has to join a queue - I shall concentrate on finishing my diploma and the editing of a novel which is doing my head in at the moment, before turning to all things shepherd’s hut related. 




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