Watch the Birdy

Or more accurately, the birdy was watching me.

Up with the lark this morning after the wedding (Ahem! if larks get up at 10.30am that is), and seeing it was dry I decided to get out and do a bit of gardening. The heavy rain last week has caused lots of things to get a bit flattened, and the weeds have gone skeech (pr. skeech like in loch, not as in screech).

Lots of dead-heading to do, the buddleia just keeps coming if you get the old flowers off swiftly. I've never known so many butterflies as we have had this last 3 or 4 weeks. And they must have different breeding cycles or something, because they have come in waves of different kinds. Today it was Red Admirals, with the occasional Peacock, and loads of the white ones with the black spots. Many big fat hairy bumblers too, and I got a few really close shots as I was right in the middle of a bush while they were crawling all over it.

I ended up having a quick rummage through one of the borders in the back garden, and rooted out loads of dead stuff from underneath the greenery, along with the remains of the alliums and foxgloves. I seem to have lost a peony, which I'm sad about. It was a very pretty single flowered pink one, with very yellow stamen. Don't know what afflicted it, just at the point the flower buds were ready to swell back in spring it suddenly got black crispy bits all over the leaves, and then basically died in front of my eyes. I've cut it right back, and will wait to see what happens next spring.

As I straightened up from pulling out handfuls of hairy bittercress, I spotted this baby blackbird perched on top of the ornamental frog. He was so interested in getting down into the newly cleared soil that he didn't even wait until I was far away. Cheeky wee thing.

So I've just had a lovely cup of coffee and slice of cake to reward myself for my hard work, and I'm off to see the Bandits now before they start back at school and nursery this week. Big event for them both as this is the opening of the lovely new school in Burntisland, and they will be amongst the first children ever to go there.

Happy Monday when it comes.