A painting by Helen Allingham, one of my favourite artists.
Dear Diary,
It will be a short blog today as I am not too well at the moment. Serves me right for going out in freezing temperatures, getting cold feet, sitting too long at the computer in a cold room and not tucking my vest in.
I am really frustrated because I want to be out taking photos. Never mind, it's not all bad; Ireland won at rugby today so that is one blessing. Now all I want is Wales to win tomorrow. me of the Divided Loyalties of course. My son-in-law is up in Scotland for the match and our family will be glued to the TV tomorrow afternoon.
Any more blessings? I haven't done any for a while now.
Antibiotics, warm fires, good books and good blogs to read. And sleep...always the best thing.
Here are a few pics for now, some taken before I was stricken.
One of my garden angels
My moon-gazing hare (it will soon be full!)
Two young buzzards desperate for food in this frozen snow
Our dippers on the bridge.
M took these bird ones and through a cottage window so the quality is not great.
The buzzards are young which seems odd at this time of year; they have been hanging about the garden and the bird table eating anything they can. Magpies have also been circling. Both would love a small bird for their supper. But here the buzzards are tucking into some bread.
The dippers have never been seen on the bridge before; perhaps they like its new location? (For those of you who do not know, the bridge 'moved' in our Great Flood last year - amazing photos of which can be seen in a previous blog).
The buzzards are young which seems odd at this time of year; they have been hanging about the garden and the bird table eating anything they can. Magpies have also been circling. Both would love a small bird for their supper. But here the buzzards are tucking into some bread.
The dippers have never been seen on the bridge before; perhaps they like its new location? (For those of you who do not know, the bridge 'moved' in our Great Flood last year - amazing photos of which can be seen in a previous blog).
Usually the dippers watch and wait at the edge of the river and dive in and swim to catch fish. Wonderful to observe. We are very lucky to have them nesting really close by as they are quite rare and can only be found in unpolluted waters.
I will sign off now but leave you with a poem by Langston Hughes. It is called Dreams.
Hold fast to dreams For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly. Hold fast to dreams For when dreams go Life is a barren field Frozen with snow. |
Go mbeannai Dia duit,
Cait
Hope you are soon feeling better, Cait.
ReplyDeleteLove the photos. The poem is very much of my own heart too.
Hi Cait. Thanks for visiting.Good luck with your -12 degree temperatures tonight! I love your choice of paintings in both this and previous posts. The two photos you captured of the two young buzzards looks like paintings by a wildlife artist!Congratulations.Inspirational. Hope you are feeling better soon...the little moon-gazing hare is a delight.
ReplyDeleteOh no...sorry to find you feeling ill. Hope that a day or two of good rest will have you back up and at'em. It's always a pleasure to see your beautiful phototgraphy. I had to grin at the moon-gazing bunny frozen in the snow.
ReplyDeletefeel better. I love the bunny statue. I was startled by the buzzards - I always thought buzzards were creepy vulture things. I think I need to go look them up in a bird book now.
ReplyDeleteI love the Dippers, Buzzards and moon gazing hare (and yes, I do realise the last one is stone!)
ReplyDeleteHope you feel better soon.
I hope you're feeling a bit better now Cait. It's at a time like this that I'm very grateful for antibiotics!
ReplyDeleteYour photos sometimes have the quality of water colours - beautiful.
Get better soon Cait.
ReplyDeleteThe buzzards are amazing. It's such a tough time for the birds right now.
I love the moon gazing hare, it brought back childhood memories as my Granma had one in her garden I used to play with.
xx
Oh Cait, I do hope you will soon feel yourself again. How frustrating; keep warm and take care of yourself.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous pictures, Cait, as ever. So sorry to hear you're not well. Tuck up warm and hope you feel better soon.
ReplyDeletexx
Hope you're feeling better soon Cait - it's been quite a winter for illness. Lovely to read you again. We have the same moon-gazing hare!!
ReplyDeleteHope you feel much better soon.
ReplyDeleteLove your photos, but it looks horribly cold where you are. Mind you, all we have is continual rain at the moment, I do wish it would dry up a bit.
Sleep well and dream of warm days... TFx
ReplyDeleteDear Cait,
ReplyDeleteFirstly to say that painting is so gorgeous of the woman by fireside with baby, so comforting to look at. I adore the work of the artist H.Ellingham.
I love your blog page Cait, so too the beautiful header/picture, who is the artist?
So sorry to hear you have been feeling poorly Cait, nothing worse than feeling ill. Lots of rest, stay warm, good books, and plenty of fluids.
Gorgous picture of the Angel in the snow in your garden, and the Moongazer is exactly the same as I bought my friend as a gift last year, so sweet.
Thank you for the Poem Cait, so meaningful the words, really lovely.
Hope you will soon be feeling much better Cait.
xx
I'm coveting your moon-gazing hare and hoping you're feeling right as rain soon, Cait.
ReplyDeleteHope you are feeling a little better?
ReplyDeleteHot tea, hot water bottles
being a little kind to yourself
I thought the young buzzards in the snow were PAINTINGS
they should be
and your hare is enchanting
Feel better soon, dear friend. I am just now over the ickies myself. Drink gallons of hot tea with honey and lemon. Rest and mend!
ReplyDeleteI love that painting. Thanks for introducing me to the artist. Great hare too!
ReplyDeleteHello --I found you through Pamela Terry. What a nice blog you have!
ReplyDeleteI've visited Ireland often but not yet the UK -- hopefully someday.
It has been unusually cold there this winter hasn't it? Take care of yourself and feel better soon!
I am so sorry to visit and find you ill. Edward and I both send you our best wishes for a speedy recovery. It is best to feel badly when it's cold .... snuggling in under warm blankets just seems to fit somehow!
ReplyDeleteI do hope you're over it by now, Cait. The Ireland/France game was brilliant, wasn't it. And the Welsh win was a terrific start.
ReplyDeleteLovely poem, beautiful photos, I do hope you're full of beans again very soon
ReplyDeleteLovely poem, beautiful photos, I do hope you're full of beans again very soon
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear you are not well, I hope you are on the mend by now. I am with you on the tucking the vest in. hugs Margie.
ReplyDeleteThe buzzard photo is great Cait and I love the poem too. here's hoping you are feeling fine now!
ReplyDeleteyour blog is always such a calming respite for me. i love it. and you cannot post too much paul henry to satisfy me.
ReplyDeletei hope you feel better soon. 18 degrees here this morning (fahrenheit). brrrr. everything is covered in thick gray ice.
i go to your blog for beauty.
Get well soon Cait. A little behind on my blog reading the noo!
ReplyDeleteBrilliant bird pics and I am going to find photos of a moving bridge!
CKx
Do hope you're feeling better Cait - that was one nasty bug.
ReplyDeleteLove your pictures....
Loud cheering too in this house when Wales won....divided loyalties here too, I fear!
Jxx