a few days, a few pictures

My two wonderful children delight me every year with some unusual plant for Mothering Sunday, I don't know how they do it, finding something I've never had before or didn't even know:

 

                       Dipladena                                                Festuca Glauca

I spent most of Monday out in the garden, chopping, weeding, planting, with an enthusiastic gaggle of ducks about me.  Winnie has now replaced Dash as our keenest worm hunter, she can't get enough of them.

Dotty is getting quite the little gadabout in spite of her difficulties in walking.  I couldn't find her anywhere on Monday until I came around the corner of the garage; there she was drinking out of the heavy red Le Creuset pot [I wonder if she remembered that was what she had her food and water in when she was confined to the big box with her metal brace last June].

 

 
You can see Winnie is keeping an eye on me.  She's ready to join me in case I go back to digging .......

Yesterday was a gorgeous day, especially in the afternoon [today we were back to rain].  I was busy freeing the ancient brick floor behind the fish pond from weeds and had the opportunity to watch the ducks close at hand.  While I was having a rest [blister on finger] there was a sudden huge commotion, all ducks rushing screaming downhill towards the frog pond.  I thought at first that a dog had come down the drive frightening them, but could see nothing.  John was able to explain: he'd seen Captain rushing off on a pirate raid, and that always causes loud panic among the ducks up by the house while Anke, abandoned by her protector, complains loudly.

I saw something else I'd never seen before, Billie-Jean was picking off and eating a whole rosette of dandelion leaves - very healthy!  Another picking session was going on today, and I'm not sure if that was healthy.  The "twins" and then Jay-Z were tugging at the climbing hydrangea in front of the garage and eating the leaves - no, I don't know if they taste good -