Happy Birthday, Pine!

Last year the 15th May marked the beginning of the horrendous duck virus enteritis which killed 9 of our ducks and drakes, and right in the middle of that happening our darling 'gardening duck' Anabelle was taken by a fox.  But let's not dwell on these gloomy thoughts, I'd rather virtually join in birthday celebrations with Pine!

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Yesterday afternoon I spent 3 hours gardening and watching out for foxes in the area where Hedda was attacked.  For some of the time I opened the fence and eventually Captain and Anke came out and searched in the field for goodies.  Candy was too shy or frightened.

Here now a few photos from yesterday - you will see that the sun was shining then.  Sometime after 6 several hefty showers started, much as today when the showers hardly stopped.

Before I went out I took a quick snapshot through the window of the 5 drakes resting for a change and not running around from gate to gate or trying to bother Anke and Candy.

 This is a very sad picture, the white feathers are Hedda's.  This is the spot where the vixen tried to pull her away.  In the distance you can see the upstairs window in the house from where I could see it happening.

I think I was conned when I bought these 150-odd bluebell bulbs, native English they were supposed to be.  Looking at these though I suspect they are the Spanish kind which have upright stronger stems and little bells all around the stem.  The native ones have the bells arranged on just one side of the stem, and gravity makes them bend gracefully.

I should have used the panorama function on my camera for these two pictures
instead of  awkwardly cobbling them together ...