Nature's Minstrels

Ever the optimist, not even the darkest days of Winter, which brings its mixed bag of rain, hail, sleet and snow, can ever dampen my spirits as long as I can be part of the silence and observe the wonderful array of birdlife which visits the Barleycorn garden.
A garden without birds is like a garden without flowers. There is nothing better than to be serenaded by beautiful birdsong at any time of the year, though it is in Winter when I am able to identify the birds most clearly.
This is partly due to the fact that the deciduous trees are bare and offer no hiding place to the birds, whereas in Summer with an abundance of foliage on the trees, I have to rely very often on identification by song, which requires a different skill.
That is not to say that there is nowhere the birds can find shelter at Barleycorn in Winter, for we have ivy covering both eaves of the barn in which sparrows, wrens, blackbirds and starlings like to roost.

Our beech hedge affords some temporary respite also, as it retains its Autumnal coat right through till Spring.

Of course, there is the barn itself to roost in, as we have removed the odd pane of glass; and a large gap above the doors also allows the birds freedom of access to come and go as they please.
Best of all, however, are the large number of mature evergreens we have planted over the years, for beneath them the earth is always dry enough to shelter ground-feeders such as dunnocks and blackbirds; and their thick-set branches offer copious perches, as well as the added bonus of a handful of empty nests left over from the previous Summer.

A strange anomaly is how the birds and the cats manage to live in harmony in the garden without the cats depleting the numbers which come to bathe, feed and make nests in the garden.
Part of the answer to this puzzle, of course, is that the birds use their wings to escape from prowling cats. As an added precaution, we make sure the feeding stations are well out of reach of any would-be predators, for, each time the birds visit, they also search the nooks and crannies for their natural food, which is a recompense to us as it ensures our flowers and plants are safe from the ravenous hordes of aphids and insects.
In Winter there is less of a problem as we have the containers hanging high enough in the bare trees, thus ensuring the cats have no camouflage and can therefore do no damage.
In Summer when the trees are covered in foliage, we move the feeders higher still and make sure they are away from obvious hiding places such as walls or perches from which the cats could gain access.
As cats like to have regular feeding times and sleep for a good part of the day, it is advisable to ensure the cats have been well-fed before letting them out, especially in Summer when the birds are feeding broods of chicks.
To further assist the success of the birds we also wait until the cats have come back indoors, usually for a catnap, before the feeders and the bird-table have been replenished.
The positioning of the feeders is of paramount importance both to the birds for reasons of safety; and to us so that we may have visible access for a spot of bird-watching.
From my vantage point through the patio windows overlooking the garden, I am able to sit in comfort and photograph the birds which come to satisfy their hunger from the banquet table, attracting them like a magnet, groaning with copious amounts of seed, fat-balls and scraps with which my husband tempts our feathered friends.

The little edges my husband has added around the tray help to prevent the food spilling over onto the ground and also act as an added perch for the smaller birds which have to compete in the pecking order for the food.
The dictionary defines ‘symbiosis’ as ‘a living together of two different organisms to the mutual benefit of both.’ Since my dream was to create a garden for wildlife, I would say that was a fair description of our relationship with the birds.

I would further add that we are the main beneficiaries, for in return for their food, we are blessed with the beautiful dawn chorus each Spring; exquisite birdsong throughout the Summer and Autumn to sweeten the rainiest of days and enhance the sunniest, not to mention having Nature’s most efficient and natural deterrents to counteract the effects of the swarming populations of insects.
But, superceding all of these, is the sheer delight in renewing our acquaintance each season with the wonderful variety of birdlife proudly wearing their technicoloured dream-coats.
What better way to while away the time when the weather dons its Winter overcoat, than to fetch one’s camera and record the passing show?
Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colours,
He made their tiny wings.

Cecil Frances Alexander

Click on the photos to enlarge them and find the names of the birds.
Click here to see our unexpected visitor.

Barleycorn In The Dead Of Winter

My previous post was the last I was able to squeeze in before the few remaining, hectic days leading up to Christmas.
I knew my time would be more than occupied in preparing bedrooms, writing menus for the holiday period and buying sufficient food to fill the fridge and freezer.
To be fair, judging by the quantity, anyone could be forgiven for thinking we were expecting to feed the Five Thousand.
All the while we looked forward in anticipation to our family coming home to stay over the festive season.
Whenever our family are here at Barleycorn, my whole world revolves around them.

Occasionally, I am able to snatch a few moments during the day to reply to emails or comments from friends on my website.

More often than not, however, the days are spent in a frenzy of restless creativity.
Each meal is prepared with loving kindness, for the time we spend around the family table, sharing all the latest developments in each of our children’s lives, is more precious to me than words can say.
Our house is surrounded by the garden, which greets each member with a different view as we draw open the curtains from our own individual bedroom windows each morning.
The changing mood of the garden over the festive days was a wonder to behold.

Camera at the ready, we walked around the garden, marvelling at the feeling of seclusion it afforded when it was encompassed one day by freezing fog.
For several days, temperatures below zero created a Winter wonderland of frost crystals on the bare bones of the garden.
Sleepy silhouettes of trees whose branches had been dark brown the previous day, became stiff overnight, as if standing to attention, transformed to a pristine white.
Glaucous blue needles on the cedar glittered and shone, as if Jack Frost had scattered a dusting of icing sugar, with a wave of his magic wand.
Otherwise watery ponds turned to ice - below which one could make out the leaves of waterlilies frozen in time for the duration of the cold spell - across which, much to our amusement, the cats enjoyed a spot of skating.
From the frosted window panes of the barn hung frosted strands of silk, highlighting the intricacies and skills of amazing spiders’ webs.
Outside the patio windows the bird table groaned with nuts and seeds, sultanas and raisins, crusty breads and dried cat food, so beloved by our two broods of blackbirds.
On days when the temperature rose and became milder we awoke to a fine scattering of snow, making pretty Christmas card scenes around the garden.

Depending on how cold the temperature and how heavy the hoar frost, the colour of the sky across the field adjacent to the back garden changed from cerulean blue to one sporting a shade of violet tinged with a band of pink.
Though I was busy reclaiming my role as Head Chef for the holiday period, from my vantage point in the kitchen, I can look out of the back door across to the barn and across the garden to the frozen pond and the field beyond.
Each day, the changing moods of the garden here at Barleycorn never failed to lift my spirits and feed my soul, so much so, that my joy was complete, both from within and without my home.
xxxxxxx
Click on each photo to enlarge...and feel the chill!
xxxxxxx

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'Getting To know You...'

A few weeks ago I was tagged by Ewa to reveal eight random facts about myself. I promised her I would do the post when I felt able to, so here goes.
The rules when you are tagged are that you must…

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Write your post.
3. Choose eight more people to tag.
I am at my happiest when I am being creative. Whether it is within the home or in the garden, or, previously in my profession as a primary, then nursery teacher, my life has been full of restless creativity.
1. As a young child at school I was introduced to the art of embroidery. I remember my teacher drawing a set of traffic lights and showing me how to do stem stitches, which I did in the shape of a circle to represent each traffic light, in shades of red, amber and green. It was to adorn a cover for my reading book. The edges were sewn together using blanket stitch. I loved that cover and used it for years.

2. Also, at school, we were taught how to knit a little scarf which had a loop where one end slipped through the other. It sat neatly around the neck, rather like a cravat. I remember choosing Angora wool as I loved the feel of it. Besides, the lady in the shop had intrigued me when she said it came from Angora rabbits, and, as I loved my pet rabbit, that was more than enough reason to have it.

3. For Christmas, when I was five years old, I received a little blackboard and easel and a packet of coloured chalks. My brother drew me little bunches of green holly with red berries around the edges. Then he drew a huge Santa on his sleigh in the middle. We spent countless happy hours taking turns to draw pictures on that blackboard. By watching my brother I learned how to sketch.
4. As well cooking scrumptious meals for her family every day, my mother also enjoyed baking several times a week. These skills were more like hobbies rather than duties, as she perfected them to an art form. When I left home to begin my first teaching post in London, my flatmate and I were at that stage in our lives - late teens - where we always felt hungry enough after work to eat a horse. That’s when my interest in baking and cooking really took off, and the rest, as they say, is history.
5. A few years ago, when I retired, I decided to learn how to do watercolour painting. I began by painting flowers growing in our garden at Barleycorn. That way I felt I was completing the circle, from the planting of the seed which germinated and grew into beautiful flowers, to their final representation in my painting.

6. When I began courses on portraiture, it was only a matter of time before I fancied trying my skills at sculpture. I went to a seminar where I was shown how to make a clay head which I later sprayed with bronze paint and placed in the garden. He was meant to represent the Eastern Sun God, as he faced east and took on a golden appearance as the sun glistened on him early in the morning. But, during one very cold spell in Winter, parts of his face fell off, which means I will need to make another one sometime.
7. Two years ago I was delighted to learn that I would be able to participate in a silk painting class. Many of the skills I learned in my watercolour classes are transferrable to silk painting, though the latter is an art form in its own right. After dabbling for a little while, I painted a design with two Chinese dragons on a square of silk, which became a pretty little scarf.
8. Though as a child I never enjoyed posing in front of the camera, as an adult I became very interested in photography. When our boys were small I used to have the camera ‘at the ready’ to capture those ‘first moments’ in their lives. This September, when we were in China to celebrate the Tea Ceremony and Banquet of our elder son and his wife, I took a video using a camcorder, bought especially for their Oriental wedding. It was the first time I had ever used one. Though there was very little skill attached, basically a question of pointing it in the right direction, it is still a record of the happy occasion.
The beauty of learning these skills over a lifetime is passing them on to others, whether they be adults or children. The old adage rings true every time. If we don’t use our skills, we lose our skills, so we are duty-bound to share them.
The beauty of all things lives in the soul of the person who observes them.
xxxxxxx

Since everyone is so busy with preparations for the Christmas Season, I will refrain from naming eight people to be tagged, and open it up to anyone who would like to participate.

xxxxxxx

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