The birds know

I shot this video just outside our front door. There was a huge flock of both starlings and red winged blackbirds, sharing the trees surrounding our house, as they sang their songs, hoping to attract a mate. Whenever I hear so many birds singing at one time, I know Spring is not too far away.

A handsome visitor to our garden

Every year about this time, Chinese Ring neck pheasants are released into the pasture way down in front of our home, for the hunters. A few of these birds finally find their way up the hill, through another property, and into the shelter of our acreage. I always hope that the birds will stick around for a while to escape the hunters, but eventually they all go away.

This handsome fellow has discovered all the seed on the ground under the bird feeding station and has been hanging around for a week or so. Perhaps knowing he has an easy meal waiting for him every morning, he will stay for a while.

I was standing inside looking out of the window at him under the feeder for quite a while before he looked up and saw me.

Then away he went, a very nervous fellow indeed, and who can blame him, when there are hunters out there wanting to shoot him and have him for their dinner.

TLC pays off

On December 29th 2009 I wrote about this orchid I got from a friend. It was going to be thrown in the trash but I brought it home instead. I told my friend I would see if I could get to grow, and I have been rewarded for my perseverance. As you can see, there are two very healthy flower stems sprouting from the main stem and the side stem. I have learned this is a Phalaenopsis, or moth orchid, and I think I remember it having white flowers.
The plant is sitting on top of some pretty pieces of polished glass, in a dish which has sides high enough to enable me to keep it filled with water, up to just below the bottom of the flower pot, so the plant is in a constant atmosphere of humidity.
Every day I mist the plant with water, and have a regular feeding program using orchid fertilizer. I must say I am very pleased to see the orchid doing so well and I am looking forward to blooms in the near future.

A lesson learned

So, where did I go wrong? The poor wee Rubine Brussels sprouts are only the size of small marbles.
I did a little research on growing them, and it may be that they needed more manure/compost. I am still learning how much food, water and sun veggies require for a bumper crop.
Does anyone have some advise/secrets on growing Brussels sprouts?

The first day of Spring is not until the 20th of March.

but today I discovered lovely green shoots emerging from the cold, damp soil.

I think these are Snowdrops.

I will have to keep a close eye on the weather and cover the Sedum if frost is in the forecast. I am surprised to see these shoots so early, but we have had a fairly mild winter this year.

Mother Nature at her best

What a beautiful way to greet Thursday morning.

I can rely on

a couple of things happening in January.

I can rely on my Helebores to start blooming.

There are also the rabbits who come for their morning scoop of cracked corn and a couple of slices of stale bread.