After John's birthday celebrations ...

... I took a long rest and this afternoon took the camera for a walk around the garden.

As for photos of the birthday party - I failed again.  I did take pictures of the birthday bunting I knitted and crocheted for John last year and put up again in the sunlounge and of his cards,

and after that I was too busy to take photos of the 'assembled guests', we were 12 altogether.

 I also took one of his cake [not a patch on the "pugs" cake Annie had made for Eleanor's birthday].

 

John really enjoyed his two days of celebrations, he had a huge amount of fantastic presents.  I'll leave it to him to thank all the givers and senders!

My afternoon "walkabout" started with cleaning and topping up with bedding of the two huts near our house - and a surprise.  When I opened the doors on the hut the 5 ducks sleep in I was attacked by Gertie, I had forgotten to fetch out the 5 eggs this morning and she had made a beautiful and tidy nest around them.  My mistake, I thought she'd given up brooding - I'll make sure to collect the eggs tomorrow.

When I checked later she was back on the empty nest, threatening me [memories of poor little Taffy]:

 









The cow parsley in the old chicken run looks spectacular - as it does everywhere at present, last year's Kerria from Carl is blooming nicely now and John did a lovely job of weeding the onion bed:

 

When I was doing the food and water for Captain and his two this morning I noticed that a lot of Hosta leaves had been picked off and put next to the plant in the bit of bog garden next to the pond, and something had flattened them by lying on them, very strange - pheasant??  Went back this afternoon to take pictures of the scene while the three residents were having a rest nearby: 

There was a lot of resting going on elsewhere, too, except some had to get up, didn't they, as soon as they saw the camera ...