BIRDS IN ART

 

"Everyone likes birds. What wild creature is more accessible to our eyes and ears, as close to us and everyone in the world, as universal as a bird?"

~David Attenborough~

ODDS AND BODS - 8/15/24

Thank you for all your comments after my knee sprain post yesterday. I cannot put into words how very much I appreciated them. Our blogging community is a very caring and loving family.  

 I started this one on Thursday, August 8th, 2024. We had a good soaking rain, and there was a tornado watch also, but it didn’t come about.  A few trees toppled in the area.

This is our forecast from Friday, August the 8th to Saturday the 17th, 2024.

Are you a…

Or a…

I am all of the above and

   I absolutely love…

More words but this time describing…

Another rabbit and still going through my rabbit phase. When was I ever out of it?  I had many of these as a child, lots of them all at once. They provided endless comfort and companionship, along with a much loved dog and cat, Skipper and Binky. The European Robin is a sweet addition. 

Let’s be rebels!

I found the following on line, a letter sent from a teacher to all her students parents, and would like to say “Yay”, and a big thank you to all the great teachers out there, past and present. I am applauding heartily.

Always knew it!  We are all connected. 

This is today’s dream cottage.

And yes, I can see this in there, definitely a comfy place to snuggle up with a good book and looking ahead, wrapped up in a favorite blanket and sipping a cup of tea, or coffee, or hot chocolate. I find myself looking to Fall weather after a hot and humid summer, another favorite time of the year for me.

And pardon me while I go make myself an open-faced sandwich far too pretty to eat. I will just stare at it for a while, and take photos and then lunch!

This looks delicious…

But just in case you want to go in a healthier direction. 

All for now and …

and

THIS AND THAT

 He said..."Let's go get an ice cream"!  She of the weak will said nothing, just jumped up as fast as she could to get her shoes on, was out the door and into the car.  She was as fast as how our dear old dog used to be when we used to say "Walkies!"   Pavlov's Dogs and I are friends.

 Gregg had a Marshmallow Sundae and I, a Hot Fudge Sundae.  It was a welcome treat.

Fall and Halloween decorations are popping up in our neighborhood. 

When we got home I noticed a weed overtaking a spot it had decided to grow in.  I hadn't noticed it before. Its name is Rhomboid Mercury (thank you plant app), and its botanical name is Acalypha virginica var. rhomboidea.  It grows by easily self-seeding, which allows it to quickly spread and take over.  It grows from 6 to 24 inches tall.  I guess I know what I will be doing in the next day or so. 

I am putting together my final post on our new deck. Last night when I had gone upstairs, Gregg was still in the family room with the patio door open. It was a beautiful evening. He saw movement out of his side vision and when he looked, there was a fox staring at him, standing right next to the screen door.  I wonder if that little fox would have walked inside if it were not for the screen?  But then when Gregg made a movement to get a closer look, he quickly ran down the steps.  So, the new deck has not discouraged our local wildlife.

A European Robin from one of my online jigsaw puzzles, and next something that gave me a smile.

The kids didn't know what to make of Aunty Arabella.  She marches to the beat of her own drum. (You can look for the meaning of that at this link.)  I think Aunty Arabella and I would have gotten along just fine.  She and I hear the same drumbeats, says I smiling.  It's okay to be different.  If you have a good heart, those rays of sun will always shine through.  Starlight too!

(From Pinterest)

I am leaving you with a poem.

For what it's worth...

it's never too late,

or in my case too early,

to be whoever you want to be.

There's no time limit.

Start whenever you want.

You can change or

stay the same.

There are no rules 

to this thing.

We can make the best or 

the worst of it.

I hope you make

the best of it.

I hope you see things 

that startle you.

I hope you feel things

you've never felt before.

I hope you meet people with 

a different point of view.

I hope you live a life 

you are proud of.

and if you're not, I hope you 

have the courage to start again.

~F. Scott Fitzgerald~

Thanks for stopping by, may you have a great day, and may your drum beat loudly.  

 

EUROPEAN ROBIN

Another old blog post from June 2015, with miniscule updates.I have not been going too far this week so haven't taken any photos.  It has also been very chilly.  Thankfully I can rely on my old blog, and this is another transfer from our last trip to England in June 2015.  

They were the best I could get of a European Robin. I was taken by surprise as he was sitting in the dirt with lots of pebbles in a raised garden bed, and seemed to be enjoying a dust bath.  It was an out-of-the-way spot and it didn't seem too disturbed when I turned to take its photo. I was using the camera with a zoom, so am not as close as it looks.  We were on our vacation in Devonshire visiting Paignton Zoo, a place I have known since I was 15 years' old, when my parents moved us down to Devonshire from the Midlands.  I often remember walking by the entrance as my school was across the street, and the bus stop for home was in town about a mile away.  (I married and moved to the States in 1975.)  Getting back to this day, no one else seemed to notice the little Robin having a quiet moment, and I am very glad I did.  Two different photos with an almost identical pose except for a slight turn of its head.

One of those moments I considered a gift.

A EUROPEAN ROBIN, A WOOD PIGEON AND A BLACKBIRD

Revisiting a trip I took to England in June 2015.

Where we stayed there was a small garden, and one day I was delighted to see a European Robin.  

They were and still are very popular illustrations to put on Christmas Cards as you probably know, and I remember them from those cards that popped through the letter box each December.  I don't remember seeing them when I was growing up, but then I wasn't as interested in observing birds as I am now.  I was always happy to see the seagulls swoop into our garden from the age of 15 onwards, when we moved nearer the seaside, and always when we visited the beach.  But I was beyond happy to get my first real sighting of this dear little Robin.

The next day I saw a Common Wood Pigeon...

and also a male Blackbird.  

 We kept ourselves busy sight-seeing on our English holiday, but it was nice to come back and sit in the garden.  Our Robin kept us company quite a lot.  We think she may have had a nest in the bushes.

Today I am joining Anni and Eileen in their memes, I'd Rather B Birdin' and Viewing Nature with Eileen.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your day.