Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 18 June 2023

Thank you Diane! Can't believe it's the longest day of the year already... Will definitely keep an eye out for pretty birds.

Sun has stayed out all day for a change. Kids had awful ride in - took three hours longer than usual. Freeways in and around LA completely jammed. I know our university is holding graduations today and tomorrow and that all the hotels are booked up with visiting families and friends, but can this be happening at all the colleges and universities in LA this weekend?

Thank you DIANE.

So the solstice is soon, no wonder I have been sleeping in! No rain yet today (now mid pm), though it was predicted. No, it will be tomorrow when I have arranged a meet with friend for coffee and I hope to capture a few photos.

Just a thought (I cannot remember if I posted these)

Never become so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.

The trouble with retirement is that you never get a day off. (Abe Lemons) 

I don’t want to. I don’t have to. You can’t make me. I’m retired. (t shirt message)

Thank you Diane. I have lots of pretty birds in my garden for which I am truly thankful. Goldfinches, Greenfinches   Collared Doves Coal tits Great tits  Blue tits  Hose Sparrows Starlings Blackbirds Wrens Dunnocks , even a Great Spotted Woodpecker visits -  not withstanding the feral pigeons and Wood Pigeons .  Magpies Rooks and Crows and even a Raven or two  visit from time to time  especially if they spot a  cluster of sultanas stuck together  

I could wish for more  species but for suburbia it's not a bad selection. I'm fortunate to  live out on a limb of the city  with only a 15 minute drive   to true  countryside. I have genuine rural foxes that frolic (totally different colour to urban foxes), though they sometimes upset me by trampling plants down and leaving their spraint.  (or is that just the term for Otter poo - no chance of those, sigh)       

June 21st if my least favourite  day of the year cos it's all downhill from then and December 21st is my most favourite cos it's the shortest day and the days lengthen  - 15 minutes per week (hooray)

have a good week and an excellent solstice Diane

Love your wildlife description, Cirrus! How great to have foxes visit - we do have them in the land beyond our garden, but sensibly I think, they don't visit.

Diane, thank up for starting us off again. What joy birds bring! Such little characters and so clever. Often beautiful, too.

Annette, sorry to hear of your rather grim day. I hope things are looking up, now.

My first sweet peas are out!! 

A colourful tub of petunias and geraniums.

Nearly forgot-- we had a super day with the family yesterday and all went well. Nice to stand in the sunshine after the church service as all the proud parents took photos. (It was a first Communium service which in this case was our little Matthew) Afterwards we went back to our Youngests where we had bacon & quiche, followed by a square or two of a traybake I'd made. (Lemon icing & hundreds & thousands on top)

Don't want to bore with family photos, but here is little Rosie being a whirlwind!! 

Thank you for starting us off Diane.
Cirrus - I am with you regarding June 21st. I love these lighter nights. You have a lovely selection of birds visiting you. I used to get greenfinches but, no longer. I was just out pruning my roses and a baby blackbird flew out of the bush!!! I don’t know who was more shocked - me or the bird. We were both fine!!!!
I too have picked my first bunch of sweet peas Lindy. I love them. I have promised my friend in the assisted living that I will take her a bunch. So as soon as there are some more, I will pop over there with them. I like your brightly coloured pot. I have planted red petunias this year too but with some white trailing lobelia. My geraniums are in separate pots because they are quite big.