Friday, July 6, 2012

Visitors To Our Garden

Deb: Barb called to wish me a Happy Birthday yesterday and at the end of the conversation casually said, “Are you sending me something for the blog later?”  “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh,”  said I, thinking it was Wednesday and secure in the knowledge that I had all day tomorrow (Thursday) to write a blog. Suddenly it hit me that it was indeed Thursday already. But ... so entranced was I in birthday relaxing splendor that Barb and I both agreed that I would not do a formal post. After all, it was late afternoon and I had to get ready for our lovely dinner out.

So I am posting a tiny little video and photos of three visitors to our garden who dropped in and stayed for a while. First off were two lovely butterflies partnered on a cornflower soaking up the sun. And the second was a first for us in the 13 years we have lived here. A wee duck came a calling, had a swim, and left. The ducks arrival was much to my delight and much to the Bairn’s chagrin. But it was loverly. Ducky, in fact.

As I write this I am having a wonderful birthday and thanking you each and every one for the wonderful birthday wishes!








57 comments:

  1. Wow! That is beautiful! Ok, Deb, you are going to think I am really looney, but one duck visiting your pool is very special. They usually travel in a couple....so this was a special visit. Call me crazy, but I think Paul came to visit you on your birthday....
    A few years ago , my best friend (who I also shared an office with for 20 years) died from cancer on Christmas Day. Every Christmas she had always given me a gift and somewhere in that gift was always a little red cardinal. The Christmas she died, she had given me a red cardinal candle. I never thought anything of it, until after her death, whenever I visited her sister's house there was always a red cardinal singing very loudly outside and I started to think that is was her visiting. Then a very strange thing happened. We had a dinner group of 8 of us who used to get together every 3 months for about 15 years and she was one of the group. In May we had a dinner and of course were all missing her. Our hostess went in to the backyard to let her dog out and came back in saying "the weirdest thing is going on in my backyard....a red cardinal is just sitting on my lawn right outside the door!" I told them the story of Ash and the cardinals, and we all felt she had come to visit of all of us (we wanted to put a glass of red wine out for her)
    So, you know that Paul is still very close and I think you had an exceptional gift!

    Barb, Happy Birthday today....stay cool, it is a scorcher, but have a wonderful celebration with your family and friends. Love both you wonderful ladies!!xoxo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mary-Jo, not only did that comment bring me such peace, but just after reading it, I swear to GOD, I went out to the garden and there was a cardinal, standing right in front of me, did not budge an inch. Messages abound.

      Delete
    2. Very special indeed Deb!! xo

      Delete
    3. Aw...whenever I go to the graveyard to visit my grandparents, and I see birds sitting on the tombstones or in the trees, I always think: These are the souls of the dead people. I think they are here...somehow.

      Delete
  2. PS. Your garden is lovely......so serene !

    ReplyDelete
  3. Beautiful garden Deb. And happy birthday Deb. Sorry it;s late but I hope you had birthday and I hope all your wishes came true when you blowed out your birthday candles.

    Barb,Happy Birthday I hope all of your wishes true today. And I hope it's an amazing birthday and I hope All of your wishes come true as well when you blow out your candles on your birthday cake.

    Sorry these bday wishes are late but I have been on vaction for a week and I am just now getting back. But I hope both of you Special ladies have and had some amazing birthdays.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Lynsdie but don't worry. It is lovely to get belated messages too. It's all good right? Barb is having her lovely day today!!!!

      Delete
  4. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BARBARA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. happy birthday barbara . i hope you are having a fab day . may the weather be better with you then it is here ( it has been lashing down with rain all day , Mary Jo if you want to send some sun to Ireland please do so ! )

    thats a cool garden Deb , i love the duck in your swimming pool . by the way i am surprised your dogs didn't have a good barking session to try and scare it away. from my limited experience of birds i would guess you had a female duck in your pool as male ducks tend to be brighter coloured. i am open to being wrong though !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am sending you pleanty of sun!!! It has been over 100 the past week here and continues into the weekend!! so hot!!!

      Delete
    2. Hi Linda, it is AFRICA hot here so the pool is nice. Happy to share it with the duck!!! Good point. I did not know how to tell if it was male or female. I think you may be right. Sending you sun!

      Delete
    3. thanks Kelly . you could do with a bit of Irish rain and we could do with a bit of sun . by the way thanks for the heads up you posted a a couple of days ago about Colin being on Craig Ferguson's talk show . I love forward to seeing it as I love Craig Ferguson .

      Delete
    4. sorry deb i did'nt see your comment . usually female birds are a lot more drab then the male ones . we have a couple of pairs of blackbirds in our front garden . the female is always brown ( now there is a contradiction in terms !)

      FYI we have had the wettest June on record . poor farmers are freaking out that they can;t let their animals out to graze nor can they harvest hay and silage to feed and bed them .

      Delete
    5. No problem Linda. I had to share my excitement LOL

      Delete
    6. thanks for sending me the sunshine guys . your gift worked . it was red hot yesterday the sun split the stones and i spent the day over heating like the proverbial canine ! i was shopping in tescos and took my time walking through the cold food section ! sadly though it is back to wet and misty again . tomorrow is due to be nice again. you wouldn't believe the Irish weather .

      Delete
  6. Happy Birthday Barbara!

    All I see in my garden during the winter time is squirrel and rabbit. :) This summer I haven't seen any butterflies :/

    Really nice flowers, reminds me of a tea.

    Wau it took me really long time to answer this. I have been entertaining my niece so I haven't been able to sit down and write properly.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's nice that you've been entertaining Kasku, i hope it was pleasant. We have had more butterflies here this year than I have seen in ages. We do have plants that attract them though in our garden. Love the butterflies!

      Delete
    2. Oh, yes it has been pleasent few days. A week to go, so hopefully the rest will be as pleasant as well. I remember when I was a kid I saw butterflies everywhere. Glad to here that they are plentyful in some places :)

      Delete
  7. Loved all the videos. Only one problem don't encourage the ducks. They are so messy and can making swimming impossible if they decide to like your pool (my friend had so many issues with ducks, nightmare). Hopefully, your dogs will take care of it for you if they decide to come back and make your pool their home. Happy Happy Birthday to both of you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Made me laugh Madge when you said "don't encourage the ducks" Just how would someone go about encouraging them. My quack isn't what it used to be.

      Delete
  8. Happy birthday Barb!

    I personally could do with less wildlife in my yard! Woke up this morning to find racoons had tipped our waste bins and spread it out all over the lawn and the deer had come and eaten all the flowers in the garden. Ducks and butterflies are acceptably cute and non-destructive though so they're welcome.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I see what you mean but I do confess that I would love to see a deer or two in my yard!

      Delete
  9. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BARB....MY GORGEOUS GIRL YOU!!!! HAVE A GREAT GREAT GREAT BIRTHDAY!!!!! AND I am sending ya a video on facebook... (to you too Deb! Hope you had a great day. I saw Luke's video on your timeline and I stole that idea...TEEHEE.... Sorry Luke!)

    Aww Deb nature gave you a great birthday present, huh? The duck looks so cute...Is it weird that its reminding me of the one from Tom and Jerry ?? Ya know the one that speaks something in duck and then goes "WAAAMWAAAMWAAAAM!!!!" Anyway! LOVED THIS!!!

    Barb have a great day girl!!! And Deb we are waiting for the birthday pix! Love you both xoxo and check out the video later... its lame..!! but still! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was a lovely day to be sure Shalaka! Please don't worry about stealing the boy's video. You didn't!

      Delete
  10. OMG... and I was thinking yesterday "I wonder if Paul would send something to you from heaven" and I knew there was gonna be some natural phenomena...and I remembered this After I read Mary-Jo's comment. That was surely Paul's gift to you hon!!! He is still sooooo close to you guys!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope so Shalaka I hope so. His memorial is on Monday and so I would like to think he is close.

      Delete
  11. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BARBARA!!! xoxo
    Deb, your garden is lovely. What a sweet visitor you had. I agree with Mary-Jo on this one. I think Paul made a special appearance for your birthday. I have had moments like this, when I see something tht makes me think my grandmother is right there with me.
    I hope you had an amazing birthday, Deb. You so deserve it. I hope Colin spoiled you!
    Barbara, I hope your birthday is perfect in every way. Love ya!!!xoxo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He did spoil me and it was wonderful as was Barbara's. WE Cancerians love our birthdays!

      Delete
    2. Aww You guys will feel him there...I SWEAR!

      Delete
  12. That's a lovely visit you had!
    I loooooove butterflies. Seriously, I'm addicted to them! They are so fragile, and so beautiful. They can fly away, wherever they want to. They don't harm nobody...they are so gentle and simply amazing.

    Some of the pics I took of butterflies.

    http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/2513/schmetterlin1.jpg

    http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/1788/schmetterlingmaibach.jpg

    http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/102/schmetterlinggrett.jpg

    http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/9718/schmetterling2august.jpg

    http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/8886/schmetterling2t.jpg

    http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/2209/butterflyhand.jpg

    Oh, and I would love to pay a visit to your pool, too. ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. lol me too !!! :D
      And Becki the pix are gorgeous!

      Delete
    2. What are you made of nectar? I've been trying to get pictures of butterflies the past couple of weeks because they are EVERYWHERE. I posted a few pics on my blog Wednesday that my daughter took beacuse I'm completly hopeless, butterflies refuse to stay within photo range of me.

      Delete
    3. Becki these are stunning! Erin you made me laugh. Yes..what Becki Nectar???? I got a wonderful new camera for my birthday so maybe just maybe I will have some butterfly shots of my own soon!

      Delete
    4. *hehe* sounds like my superhero name...Becki Nectar. I catch you with my honey net. :P

      I don't know. Just try to move very slowly, and be quiet and have a lot of patience. =)
      The one on my hand was a little bit weak...

      Thanks a lot! :D I love taking pictures! =)

      Delete
  13. Garden envy *looks at dead flowers on back porch because flowers can't handle 100+ degree weather* :(

    And Barb, your birthday is seriously a day after Deb's???? That's crazy! Happy birthday! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know Holly, I think that is why although we are different gals, at the core of us, we are sisters. I am actually a cancer cancer rising!

      Delete
  14. I am totally going to come to your house and swim in your pool! The heat index is 107 degrees today!!! :[

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY BARB! :D

    ReplyDelete
  15. Happy Birthday, Barb!! And how lovely to get wildlife visiting on your special day, Deb. It's far too wet here for butterflies... it looks like our summer has been cancelled! I'm glad the weather is better for you two. :) xoxo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh Roz too bad. But it is early July. So much can change. Summer will continue for you, I am sure!

      Delete
  16. I can't wait to hear about both of y'all's birthdays! I hope y'all've both been spoiled with fabulous fun!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They were wonderful. Both birthdays perfect! Thanks Rigel!

      Delete
  17. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BARBARA!!!!!!!
    And Deb I love your garden, so pretty! And man that pool looks so nice. It has been 100+ for almost a week now and is set to continue.....ugh.
    Love the animal visitors : )

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know Kelly. Don't you just adore the animal visitors?!

      Delete
  18. Deb, THANK YOU for posting something so peaceful! I got an email yesterday from a friend who wanted to talk to me cause she was having a rough time. We met for coffee today and she's going through a lot of stuff and her depression is almost as bad as it can be.
    LONG story short, she made the (right) decision to go to the emergency room, and she packed in case she gets admitted to the psych ward for her own safety. I drove her into Boston and stayed the afternoon with her. It's tough to not know what to do, but I do know from experience that having someone to talk to who understands that it isn't just something to "get over" is one of the biggest helps.
    It's a HUGE relief to know she KNOWS she can call me. I hope she'll be okay. (She'd BETTER text me or something, or I'll try to reach her. (not always possible if she ends up in the psych ward).
    I'm glad to come home and find some peace here, in so many ways.
    Thank you, ladies.

    PS HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BARB!!! (for the 204th time) :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dawn I am so glad that you were there for your friend. i hope she is getting the care that will actually help her through and I know that she is getting the support from you that will let her know she is loved. And I am so happy that at the end of it, you found some peace here. So happy.

      Delete
  19. Oh, I should probably let you know, since we're all headed your way....

    POOL PARTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  20. CANNON BALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Such a lovely and peaceful looking garden, Deb. And a simply wonderful place to spend a day, I'll bet... :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is April, It really really is. We have breakfast and dinner out there and we hang out. it is our summer sanctuary.

      Delete
  22. Thank you, everyone!!! I had a most wonderful day and absolutely love your birthday wishes here and everywhere. Just made a beautiful day beautifuller and beautifuller. xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  23. Oops (points up), signed in with the wrong id. That was from me :)

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.