ABC Wednesday......

S is for Sultanas and Starlings.......

Take one dish of sultanas (or raisins, or currants....) that have been soaked overnight...

...place on the lawn.........and wait.....Of course, there are usually more than this, but today, as I wanted pictures of them..... hey ho! One day last week I counted 37 young ones. The adults made it at least 50.

I know some people try to discourage them, but I love to help out the starlings. Their population has declined 75% since the early 1980s. If we're not careful, we'll lose forever that glorious sight of large flocks coming in to roost. Thousands of birds, turning and twisting through shapes in the air, a cloud opening and closing, hoops of black feathery water pouring down into the trees....

...not here though. Here, I give you SEVEN STARLING fledglingS popping by for a lunch of juicy SULTANAS:

(ooops... I think on recount, that's actually eight! Sorry!)

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For more info ABC Wednesday posts, go to

Mrs Nesbitt's blog

where you will see info on how to join in, and a table of links to those taking part.

*****

ABC Wednesday......

R is for Rolo....

ROLOs are soft caramelly toffee covered in milk chocolate. I remember them from my childhood. They were made by Rowntree-Mackintosh back then. Nestle bought the company but I'm pleased to say that they didn't change the recipe. Although......... I'm sure the pack used to be bigger! Here is the pack I bought yesterday, with Bob T Bear (esq) for scale. (Bob is an 8inch Bear.)The shape of a Rolo is unique:

This pack says "NEW creamy toffee" but they've always been soft and creamy, so I don't know what this means.Once you unwrap them they all come tumbling out..In the early 1980s an advertising campaign was started with the tag-line, "Do you love anyone enough to give them your last Rolo?" I was still at school, and can testify to many teenage crushes around me being made official by the exchange of a last Rolo.

The tag-line has stood the test of time in the UK. Receiving a last Rolo is like receiving a single red rose.

Last year, I bought my partner a solid silver "Last Rolo" for his birthday:
WAIT a minute!!
WHAT the????
Oh dear- never leave a Bear near an open pack of chocolates, especially Bear-size ones...

Ahh!
For me?
Oh, thank you, Bob! The last Rolo? I love you too!

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For more info ABC Wednesday posts, go to

Mrs Nesbitt's blog

where you will see info on how to join in, and a table of links to those taking part.

*****

ABC Wednesday......

Q is for QUACK!

Meet Jemima.....My partner teaches at a primary school (ages 4-11). The school buildings form a rectangle round a central courtyard, in the centre of which is a small pond.

For the last 4 or 5 years, a duck has flown in at the first sign of spring, and made a nest. The children have named her "Jemima". Here she is, two week's ago, with this year's batch of new quackers hiding under her wings.....here they are just two days old...

There were 12 eggs and 11 hatched.

The sides of the pond are too steep for the youngsters, so the school caretaker put in a ramp for them:

Here's a short film of them using the ramp, proud mum standing by and going "Quackackackack". The food is special grain bought by the school from a pet shop.

These next pictures were taken this Monday. Look how they've grown in less than 2 weeks!A proud and happy mum.

Still 11, all present and correct!

There will soon come a time when the pond is too small for them. Luckily, the school has a larger one. Unluckily, it is on the other side of the buildings- remember, the pond is in a courtyard enclosed by classrooms. Well, don't worry! When the time comes, they open the door of one of the classrooms and lead the family straight through and out the other side, much to the amusement of the children.

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For more info ABC Wednesday posts, go to

Mrs Nesbitt's blog

where you will see info on how to join in, and a table of links to those taking part.

*****

ABC Wednesday......

P is for PURPLE......

Lots of purple coming up in my garden. Most of this was planted by the previous owner of this house. I thought that maybe she had just been mad on purple, given the number of purple flowers. Then I read that purple and blue plants grow in the shade whereas brighter colours might not be shade tolerant: more than half the garden is in shade for more than half of the day.

I think this is Honesty.....
This osteoperum (sp!) was cut from a huge spread of the stuff in my mum's garden. This is its first flower here. I'm glad it's "taken".
This is Periwinkle......
.....it was spreading across the ground and choking everything else, so I've cut it back a lot. Now I'm trying to train it upwards. I think it looks good against the glossy ivy.
Ahh... an iris. My favourite flower. These ones are huge. And something I didn't find till I cut back some almost dead lavender. What a nice find!
Now that the weather has cheered up, I'm enjoying getting out and planting some new things. Today I'm looking for a suitable patch for some fennel. I never imagined I'd get into gardening, but I love it.

... this is what I love:

• the smell of the soil as I dig;
• the lift I get inside when I see something I've planted and looked after is thriving;
• using herbs I've grown in our cooking;
• the birdsong, and the cheeky brave robin that keeps me company;
• making two gardens in one- a tidy bit to admire, and scruffy corners and edges to keep the wildlife happy. .....P is for perfect!

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For more info ABC Wednesday posts, go to

Mrs Nesbitt's blog

where you will see info on how to join in, and a table of links to those taking part.

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