Bird Encounters.

Not a cloud to be seen in the sky this morning and it stayed like that for the whole day. There was enough wind to make it a good drying day too.

I wasn't up extra early this morning (I let my body decide when I start my day) but I still had some outside time sitting on the wall of the raised bed basking in the sun with my coffee. I've found that one of those rectangular foam kneelers is the perfect size to sit on on the stone wall. As I went to sit down I was chirped at by a very noisy wren in the hedge. For being the smallest of our wild birds they have the loudest voice ever. Then the female blackbird appeared hoping no doubt for a repeat of last year's bounty of worms when I was digging over the ground before the shingle went down. Out of luck she pottered around under the hedge instead. 

Once I'd got the washing out on the line off to the zoo I went. I took along a bucketful of knautia plants to replant in the flowerbed I weeded the last time I was there. Knautia does very well in this garden and self seeds all over the back garden. I'd left quite a few to grow and it was time to reduce the number of established plants. I'll be happy even if only half of them survive the move to the zoo. Planting done I went around weeding all the usual places and then went over the gravel patch by the wolf-dogs. Before I left I had a check of the woodchip in the large play area. The weeds were minimal but a mole has been busy. There was a line of mole hills just inside the perimeter on two sides, 20 of them! I'll deal with those next time.

I usually stop to say hello to George the cockatoo as his aviary is right next to the food prep kitchen where the signing in sheets are kept. Today another volunteer was keeping him occupied with her phone. George likes music, certain songs especially will have him dancing along the branches he perches on, spreading his wings, bouncing up and down or even hanging upside down. And of course whistling, making noises or 'speaking'. He has favourite tracks one of which is the theme tune to 'The Adams Family'. He also enjoys watching or at least keeping an eye on the videos that accompany the music. 

I made sure not to spend too long at the zoo as I knew I had the ironing to do. Once that was done I sat outside to watch the waves rolling in. I've just got time now to do my third set of squats before going to Pilates. Last week we used sliders for the first time. Think of a sturdy plastic 45 record that you put your hand or foot on to help you slide your arm or leg out along the floor. I'm not sure what I think about them yet but then again it takes me a while to get used to new things.