Another Fine day

Tuesday March 15

Accustomed, during lockdown, to vacating the house on Tuesday mornings whilst Sam cleaned for us,  we couldn't go far to-day, as Pam had an early afternoon routine dental appointment. Again, the hygienist cancelled so it was dentist only. She swears that it was a mere two minute job before she was out again. How much did he get paid for that?

Five minutes after we arrived at Selbrigg, Marriet's Chariots turned up, and a whole class of school children filed out. I took one photo of a Dunnock and we left.

 

Via a sun burnished Kelling Heath and Old Woman's Lane, we drove to Cley beach, stopping along the lane to photograph a male Reed Bunting on the overhead wires. Our first in Norfolk this year.

 

No Wheatears on the Eye Field - one was reported from Granborough yesterday - on to Salthouse via Iron Road. So few birds around, apart from a flock of very flighty Starlings, swirling around in a patternless and segregated flock. Suddenly, a thick cloud of midges massed outside my window, quickly leaving as suddenly as they had arrived. I think that the Starlings were chasing them.

A detour via Lion's Mouth on the way home, due to extensive road works on the Felbrigg Road, took us through Metton, where I heard my first Chiffchaff of the year. Pam heard one in the garden yesterday.

After Pam returned from Stalham, I walked the garden, recording some of the plants in bloom.

Camellia

Mini daffodils

Dodecatheon

Polyanthus

Unlabelled Alpine !

 

Our Acacia/Wattle/ Mimosa is an annual delight. 

 

Last year, the trunk split very badly during a storm. Adrian tied a rope tourniquet around the split with a piece of wood inserted. He gradually tightened the rope using the wood and it seems to have worked wonderfully.

Pam called me over. She'd found mating toads in the pond.

There were also strings of eggs already laid, none of them showing on my photos.

I've seen several Peacock and Red Admiral butterflies this month.To-day, there was a Comma in the garden, warming itself on the concrete path. The car thermometer went up to 14C by lunchtime - several people walking around in shorts seemed a bit previous.