Just returned from a UK visit celebrating our grandson’s first birthday.  Birthday cake,  presents,  curry and a visit to the Canon Hill Park Nature Centre were all part of the celebrations and great fun was had by all!

The Birthday Boy!

First Birthday!

 

 T and I managed a few days break on our own but were both disappointed.  Is it really acceptable these days to be served instant coffee in a cafe?  And do hotels not see the cobwebs and dust in the rooms they charge £75 for?  And doesn’t anyone smile in shops anymore?  We left  with great relief and arrived back in Ireland to be greeted with wind and rain and SMILES!

The best bit was driving through mid Wales in the sunshine watching masses of red kites wheeling across the sky and glimpsing spatterings of snow still lying on the plump Welsh hillsides.

Hamamelis mollis

Wych Hazel

Home to find spring sort of springing!  Snowdrops,  wych hazel and two lone daffodils  in flower, crocus showing colour and today the first camelia flower.  Whilest filling the bird feeders – still a daily job – I noticed activity in the pond.  At least three frogs were doing whatever frogs do in February and leaving lots of frog spawn  floating  about.  They’re still at it today and making a lot of noise too!  And we have new neighbours!  Four rams have appeared in the next field.  Three have enormous curly horns  and the one without is very aggressive, baaing away at myself and Horace as we pass.  Difficult to take seriously though as their pink and orange markings make them look very girly!

New Neighbour