The hawthorn tree in the garden living up to its name of May Blossom. It's a Bank Holiday weekend so no surprise that it has been raining all day. Not too heavy but persistent. This has forced me to do some housework, 2 grown men at home and neither of them can work a hoover! I've also been doing some sewing alterations. I'm not a careful seamstress but I am prepared to alter clothes to achieve my individual style. I've been working on 2 pretty tops both bought in the sales at the end of last summer. One was a mini dress which I had already converted by removing the frills at the bottom but also needed one of the frills at the shoulders to be removed as well. I've now started on the other top, it's a smock top which for some reason had several rows of elastic stitched at the bottom. Only a person who was the size and shape of a tooth pick could wear such a style and look good. The elastic was on a separate piece of fabric which I have now removed, and may turn into a hair band, and the voile fabric needs a hand stitched rolled hem. I can do that with the tv or radio chattering away for company.
Yesterday evening I was pottering about in the garden being serenaded as usual by the song thrush. Actually I think he was competing with a rival that I could just hear further up the valley. He has a wide repertoire but it was a surprise to hear his newest offering, the high pitched whinny that both of the foals make when they see something exciting. That really made me laugh. Another amusing wildlife incident happened on Thursday. I had just stepped out of the front door when a startled squirel dashed across the yard. It got into the long grass at the edge when something must have frightened it. It stopped and the next thing I saw was the squirrel doing a perfect loop the loop in the air above the grass. We don't often see squirrels in our valley though one did come to try and steal nuts from the bird feeder until I suspended the feeder from some fishing line over the stream. For a while we watched a slap stick routine from the window on the stairs as the squirrel attempted to tight rope walk over the rope crossing the stream or leap from a nearby branch. As every attempt resulted in the squirrel ending up in the stream it eventually gave up and left the nuts and fat ball for the birds. Recently the greater spotted woodpecker has been helping himself to the peanuts and scattering plenty of debris for other birds to pick up from the ground. The pair of sparrows that have taken up residence in the hole in the stonework by our bedroom window are very busy collecting flying insects for their young. They are quite noisy and remind me of the days when I lived in central London and the only bird sounds were sparrows & town pigeons.
Yesterday evening I was pottering about in the garden being serenaded as usual by the song thrush. Actually I think he was competing with a rival that I could just hear further up the valley. He has a wide repertoire but it was a surprise to hear his newest offering, the high pitched whinny that both of the foals make when they see something exciting. That really made me laugh. Another amusing wildlife incident happened on Thursday. I had just stepped out of the front door when a startled squirel dashed across the yard. It got into the long grass at the edge when something must have frightened it. It stopped and the next thing I saw was the squirrel doing a perfect loop the loop in the air above the grass. We don't often see squirrels in our valley though one did come to try and steal nuts from the bird feeder until I suspended the feeder from some fishing line over the stream. For a while we watched a slap stick routine from the window on the stairs as the squirrel attempted to tight rope walk over the rope crossing the stream or leap from a nearby branch. As every attempt resulted in the squirrel ending up in the stream it eventually gave up and left the nuts and fat ball for the birds. Recently the greater spotted woodpecker has been helping himself to the peanuts and scattering plenty of debris for other birds to pick up from the ground. The pair of sparrows that have taken up residence in the hole in the stonework by our bedroom window are very busy collecting flying insects for their young. They are quite noisy and remind me of the days when I lived in central London and the only bird sounds were sparrows & town pigeons. 
