Wednesday 6 May 2015

Blossoms and birds - take two


Clematis Montana

Good morning Peeps, I hope you are all having a good week. Thanks so much for all your very kind comments on my last few posts, also welcome to me new followers.

No craft to share today, I am deep into Tattered Lace samples which I can't share quite yet, but keep your eyes open for some fabulous new products coming up on Create and Craft TV on 14th/15th of May. So instead I thought I would share some more photos from the garden which I took bank holiday Monday when we had an hour or two of lovely sunny weather in the afternoon.

Wisteria Brachybotrys Shire Kapitan Fujii, the beauty of the blooms and habit never fail to wow me

Clematis Montana, two years ago I cut this one right back as it was looking really bedraggled with little flower, last year it did nothing and the family were convinced I had killed it, this year it proved them all wrong and looks glorious in the corner of the secret garden (with a fence much in need of replacement)

Polygonatum odoratum, it's an amazing plant as it comes from nowhere to three feet high in just a couple of weeks. Supposedly it has good healing properties for arthritis and skin conditions and widely used by the Chinese

Syringa vulgaris - or good old common Lilac, this one is always the first to bloom and has a glorious scent, especially in the evening - I took this photos a couple of days ago, just look at the blue sky, ever since it's rained

Looking across the back of the orchard at a few of the apple tree, the pears are all at the front and had an abundance of flower this year, note the end of a yellow lab in the bottom left corner

And on this one I seem to have got the back end of a black lab, they get everywhere. One of the Choisya's or Mock Orange Blossom, this one is only a couple of years old and looks like it will grow into a beauty, it's another with a lovely scent

And I thought I would also share a few of our garden birds.............

Green 'woody' woodpecker, he's been living with us for a year or two and last year introduced 'the wife' and together they raised a family

Chaffinch - last year we had a family of them and am hoping they have nested in the garden again, he's been pretty frantic lately so it looks as though there is a family somewhere

Honey Buzzard - no I didn't take the photo, they fly very high and my photo skills are not that good, but I wanted to show you what we see on an almost daily basis. They are not native to East Anglia, but about three years ago we sighted them over near Peterborough and last year they were regulars overhead so we think a family of them have settled close by

Bullfinch, we have so many of these in the gardens and hubby moved one of the feeders to just outside the kitchen window a couple of weeks ago to see if they would use it and it didn't take them long to feed from it, apparently quite unconcerned that it was so close to the house and people

Blue Jay, very private birds and always hesitant but they do venture out to feed on the seeds the smaller birds throw out of the feeders, a few weeks ago we had five feeding all together, quite a rare sight

And finally Molly the Moorhen and chicks.....yes lots have names !! We have several families living in and around the top pond and they always feed across the paddocks and with the chickens. They are such timid creatures flicking their wings and run off at the slightest noise so getting a photo takes forever and this one is from last year. One of the most distressing things I ever saw was a couple of years ago when a family were walking their young and a Kestrel swooped down and airlifted one of the chicks away, the poor mother Moorhen stood out the the paddock all afternoon squawking and crying

I hope I've not bored you with so many photos, but I so love this time of year with all the rebirth of Nature and can never resist taking photos, albeit it not always particularly good ones. The May/Whitethorn is just showing a hue of colour, we have a whole hedgerow of it along the top paddock so you can be sure there will be some photos of that.

59 comments:

ellyscard creatief said...

GORGEOUS PHOTO'S
Gr Elly

Pamellia said...

Can I come and live with you please Brenda??? Seriously, I can be there in a few hours!! lol. gorgeous :)

NGCARDS said...

Beautiful photo's hun and you are so lucky to see all those lovely birds :) xxx

Bad Kitty said...

wonderful pictures

susiestacey said...

WOW to the wisteria it looks amazing, l have one on the house wall, no where near as spectacular as yours. All your shrubs are a bit in front of ours - but wasn't the weather glorious on monday, l spent the morning in the allotment planting and netting cabbages then the afternoon in the garden at home - even sat out late evening with a glass of red. Today a different story wind, rain and freezing cold - feels like february. Lovely photos of the birds too, looks like you get many types - we don't get buzzards or moorhens, we enjoy watching them all in the garden. x Susan x

Janny's Cards Creations said...

Beautiful. Janny

Rainey's Craft Room said...

Wow I think these are fantastic photo's Brenda and you seem to have green fingers too! Our plants and shrubs are not looking as healthy and in bloom like yours. We have a Wisteria but it is only just beginning to show a purple hue where the flowers will bloom. It was a lovely day on Monday, a record for our Bank Holiday weather usually and with the rain we have had since perhaps a few more things will start to show signs of vitality, including me, lol. Living on the outskirts of the city we see very few birds and the fact that there are a lot of cats in the vicinity makes them even more scarce but we occasionally see a Jay, the usual blackbirds, robins, finches, blue tits and a very large heron likes to visit the ponds in the surrounding gardens - so lovely to watch them all gathering nesting materials and titbits from the bird table. Hope you get to emerge from your Tattered Lace mountain and enjoy a bit of the sunshine today.
Lorraine

paperpapier said...

Brenda, tx for sharing these lovely garden photo. I can only imagine how the scenery looks like, how it smell in spring/summer ..wish i could be there to witness the beauty of nature.

jackiescrafts said...

Lovely photos thank you for sharing them and I for one am certainly not bored by them I find them delightful
Jackie x

Jane Willis said...

What beautiful photos - I'm certainly not bored, I could look at them all day!

Shylaashree said...

brenda - just a visual treat for eyes, nice photography, keep sharing

cebelica said...

Darn, we can't get Create and craft TV here. :( Maybe it's for the best, because otherwise I might be in front of the TV all the time. lol Love all the photos of the beautiful flowers and sweet birdies you shared. Those (and the butterflies - of course :P) are the reason spring is my favourite season. :)
Hugs! xx

Ellibelle said...

I love your nature photos! You live at such a beautiful place, I don't think I could put my camera down if I had such gorgeous plants growing in my garden! A reason why I always want to visit botanical gardens and leave with tons of photos :-)
Hope you have a wonderful rest of the week!

Karen Petitt said...

I popped over for a couple of reasons Brenda and I am so delighted I have! Love, love, love your beautiful flowers especially that stunning wisteria - so many beautiful flowers. Then I find to my absolute delight photographs of the stunning birds, I have a love for wildlife and birds in particular. I also wanted to thank you for following me on my new blog and I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you. I thought I'd made it obvious but apparently not, lol! I've got to go see what beautiful creations I've missed Karen x

Pat said...

Beautiful photo's Brenda, everything your way is so much earlier than here, our wisteria is only just showing buds, one clematis is in flower but mostly it is still the tulips and pansies showing any colour in the garden. You have such a collection of lovely colourful birds too we only have Blue Tits and Blackbirds nesting in our garden, though we do occasionally see a Bullfinch, but we do have frogs and newts in the fishpond as well as the Koi - you can't have everything can you. Enjoy the rest of your day.

Pat xx

walchowDesign said...

Thank you for sharing so many wonderful pictures of your bloomed flowers and the birds. One can never get tired of admiring the nature, Brenda!

Wendy L said...

Finally can view afew blogs. Your pics are gorgeous, so many birds in your garden. Xxxx

Robin said...

WOW! I don't think I could ever go inside if I had these to look at. So very beautiful! God does some excellent work!!! Hugs, Robin

Viv said...

Gorgeous pics of EVERYTHING Brenda! Brightened up a very grey day here. x

Berina RGA said...

you have such a beautiful garden... it is really to soothing to look at all these beautiful flowers and birds every day!!

Gerrina said...

What a feast for the eyes these photo's! Great to see that most of the flowers in your garden are a little bit further into the season as they are here.... The Wisteria in our frontgarden is just starting to bloom... Hugs, Gerrina

Unknown said...

Wowee stunning photos!! I love all the gorgeous birdies and wildlife!
Lucy x

Jacee said...

Beautiful photo's Brenda, your garden must be a picture!
Hugs Jacee
Simply Paper Card Design

ALI said...

Some beautiful photographs there Brenda!

Sarah said...

Thank you for sharing these wonderful snaps Brenda, you seem to be far ahead of us. Everything is still tightly closed although the grass has just started to green up with the showers we have had over the past couple of days. Apparently we are in for a heatwave next week so that will get everything moving. We too have an abundance of birds in the garden, the most friendly of which is a male blackbird and our resident robin!! The rabbits have now shown their faces and are frequent visitors to my borders for Take away!! xx

Alice (scrAPpamondo) said...

You are very lucky to leave in this place, Brenda!!!! I just LOVE all your photos, I adore the plants and all the animals. These birds are so wonderful... and your garden is a heaven!!!! Thanks for have shared these images with us, they are a very happy moment for eyes!!

coldwaters2 said...

Oh Brenda I wish I had a garden like you it is so big and very beautiful, I do love seeing the birds in the garden unfortunately we do not get the assortment like you just the regular Starlings, Sparrows and Wood Pigeons, the Blackbird and Robins are still around at the moment, I also had a Sparrow Hawk on the fence this evening, I love the pictures of the flowers especially the Wisteria, quite a magical garden you have.
hugs
lorraine x

Judith said...

I have so enjoyed looking through these Brenda - your garden must be glorious! - thank you for sharing -an absolute joy xx

Marianne said...

Gorgeous!!! Love all the flowers and great birdphoto's!

Kathleen said...

Gorgeous photo's and thanks for sharing.

Kath x

Glennis F said...

Fabulous photo's - what lovely colourful birds you have in the UK

Whisper said...

Oooo wow gorgeous photos hun - you should be part of the National Garden Scheme and charge people to go round your garden - there is a house 2 mins walk away from me, that do it every year and their garden is not a patch on yours, Luv Sam x

Astrid Maclean said...

Oh wow Brenda, stunning photos, what a beautiful part of the world you live in! Your photos are as stunning as your cards!!

rachel said...

these are absolutely beautiful photos Brenda - the wisteria is my favourite - we tried to grow one a few times but never quite managed - its such a pretty tree. The birds are beautiful too - gorgeous! You're a lucky lady! Big hugs rachel x

Kari said...

Hi Brenda! These are gorgeous pictures!Wow,amazing flowers,really amazing!
Hope you are well! Have a good week!
Hugs,Kari :)

Mrs.B said...

I certainly wasn't bored with seeing those gorgeous pictures - especially the Wisteria. Loved looking at your garden visitors, brilliant photos.
Hugs, Avril xx

KT Fit Kitty said...

Wow, what a beautiful yard and garden you have! I would love to have a space like this! You must enjoy it very much! Thank you for sharing these beautiful photos!

Shirley said...

Thank you so much for sharing such beautiful photos Brenda. How I miss my garden in the UK we also had a fabulous Wisteria covering one of our walls in the garden. Sad to say no garden where I live now it is only grass as we have no time to tend such beautiful blooms like we used to.

Warm crafty hugs from Shirl x x x
ShirlsCards.

debby4000 said...

WOW fabulous photos. love the pic of the Wisteria, would love to have it in my garden.
luv
Debby

Jackie said...

Good morning Brenda, thank you for sharing these stunning photographs. They are all so beautiful that I wouldn't want to choose a favourite. You could make some really beautiful cards with them :o)
Jackie xx

Lau W said...

Oh superb photos ! Superb garden !!!
xxx

Sally H said...

Gorgeous photos, Brenda! Your garden is looking spectacular, and the birds are wonderful too. I do miss having a lilac in the garden. Wish I could swap one of our conifers for a lilac. That Bullfinch looks in fine feather (we don't get many round here) and a honey Buzzard! What a treat! There have been some sightings of honey buzzards a couple of miles from here, but I've not seen one yet.

Linby said...

Gorgeous photos. Your wisteria is wonderful, I had one, but never got it to flower - got rid of it in the end!
On another note I've given in and bought brushos.....
Lynn x

Lindsey said...

What an absolutely glorious garden you must have Brenda! Beautiful photos x

New Creations said...

Omgosh! What a beautiful garden and gorgeous pictures, Amazing!!!!

Theresa's Studio said...

Love all your photos! Beautiful garden! Great birds that you have.

terriavidreader (IN-USA) said...

Lovely. Thanks for sharing. I have a wisteria now too, about 8 years old, and although not quite as showy, it's still lovely on the back patio.

Donna Ellis said...

What an incredible photographer you are, Miss Brenda. I can see where you get your inspiration for the pretty cards your magical fingers put together! Those types of flowers do not grow here, and I love seeing their beauty when others share! Hope your week-end is wonderful. hugs, de

Mervi said...

Fabulous pictures, so beautiful flowers, everything here is just starting....
have to take some pics too;-))m

aussie aNNie said...

WOW WOW WOW AND MORE WOW.XXX{aNNie My Personal Blog}

KandA said...

Wonderful photos of your garden and the birds. All we have here this year are a lot of large noisy crows and pigeons xx

Dora said...

fantastic photo's, some of them I have put it on my computer if it may.
so clearly photo's.
thank you for showing them.

Kitten Kraftz said...

Beautiful pics Brenda! You are blessed to have so many lovely birds visit your garden :) I would love to see a bullfinch one day!
Pearl x

Tanya M. said...

Вот это красота!!

Joan said...

Fabulous photos Brenda, your plants are much more advanced than ours . You have an amazing array of birds too, our two cats unfortunately keep a lot of birds away from us although we do have loads of goldfinch and bluetits

Joanx

Paper Creations by Shirley said...

Gorgeous photos Brenda, your flower and bird photos are stunning, I'm jealous of the wonderful nature you have around you, enjoy ! Hugs, Shirleyx

McCrafty's Cards said...

Stunning pictures Brenda, I love all those flowers and the birds
Kevin xx

Anonymous said...

Beautifull plants! I love the Wisteria and Clematis, I've planted a small Wisteria in the back of the garden last year. Not sure when it will first bloom. I've cut away some of the lower branches yesterday so it will form more of a trunk. Isn't it lovely how nature visits and appreciates a garden? I want to make a permaculture garden out of ours, and a great place for birds, insects, butterflies and other small animals. I was really pleased to see that this year we didn't see just 1 red squirrel, but 3! in our garden. They aren't that many due to grey squirrels, but I haven't seen those arount yet fortunately.
Isn't nature pretty? I love to look at all the various flowers plants produce, even things that are sometimes considered "weed" just because it isn't planted by a human. Hope your apples and pears will grow well :)
at http://daqadoes.wordpress.com/2015/05/12/de-tuin/ you can see a few pictures of our garden - we're living here now for a bit more then a year, you can see the previous owner did maintain the garden ;).
greetings,
Debbie.

Janice said...

Beautiful photos Brenda, lovely plant and bird pics, but my favourite, the Wisteria! Such a pretty tree but it's too cold with us I think to grow :(