Quick word from England

Haven't figured out how to get my pictures onto Alina's computer so this will just be a quick update without pictures.  The weather has been quite good by English standards--rainy but with sunny patches in between.  I am enjoying working in Alina's "English Country Garden".  It's well grown and just needs tiding up around the edges.  The number of birds that come to their bird feeder and back yard is amazing.  Every thing from small wrens and finches to spotted woodpeckers, green woodpeckers and even parrots.  Alina was calling them parakeets but I think the British word parakeet has a different meaning than the American one.  Since Alina and Nick have been working I've been enjoying my meals at Kirsten and Carl's and helping in their garden some.  They have been in their house longer and were used to having a big back yard so don't need that much done.  Kirsten has a wonderful little vegetable patch.  When I went to dinner the other night I got to dig my own potatoes.  We have also had zucchini fresh from the garden.  She will have corn on the cob soon.  I do need to get a picture of her garden because she ran out of manure when she got to one corner and the 4 corn stalks that are there are pitiful compared to all the rest.  Guess that about brings everyone up to date for those that aren't on Facebook.  Pictures when I get back to my own computer.

Mama Duck

Last Thursday we went to the park on Lake Lily. Luke Michael had been down the slide several times when I saw him squating down and looking under the slide. I went to see what had his attention and there was a mother duck sitting there surrounded by lots of downy feathers. Of course I didn't have my camera with me so wanted to go back, but it took a week before we went again. Sure enough Mama Duck was still there and someone had put up a sign to warn people, but I think she is determined. At one point she changed positions and I counted 9 eggs in the nest. Actually it was Luke Michael who discovered the eggs. He would go look under the slide each time after he slid down and suddenly I heard him calling, "egg, egg," and sure enough there were eggs. Unfortunately we probably won't get to see the ducklings since I am leaving tomorrow for England, but maybe Tamara will take him to the park on one of her days off. (I almost said in her spare time, but I'm sure she doesn't even know what that means with her busy schedule.)

What to do on a Rainy Day

Luckily Luke Michael and I went to the park about 9:30 this morning because at 11:00 it started thundering and pouring, so the rest of the day was spent inside. Luke M. was getting very frustrated because Alex and Samantha were in their rooms and wouldn't let him in. I finally built him a "house" to distract him and it wasn't long before he had company in his "house". Of course once he had an audience he had to become "Spider Man" and try to climb the walls. He gets very upset because he pulls on his fingers and no web comes out. He keeps saying "I can't open it". It took us awhile to figure out what he was trying to open.

What a difference a few years makes

Thursday was the Seaside Fiesta on Flagler Avenue. The turtle group had a booth there. Of course it's always the same 2 or 3 of us that show up to do these things. Samantha came home with me on Thursday afternoon for a short visit and to help man our booth. She had done this once before either 4 or 5 years ago. The pictures say the rest.

Computer Time

Samantha and Oma with our Toshiba computers.

Night Blooming Cereus

The night blooming cereus, is a cactus like vine that is climbing up the palm tree in my back yard. In December 1989 we had serious freezes here and it killed the cereus plant, but obviously not the roots because it has grown clear to the top of the tree and spread out. I have missed most of the blooms because I'm not home during the week. I could see these buds way down low and was afraid I was going to miss them, but they waited for me and bloomed last night. They only bloom after dark and when the sun comes up the next morning they wilt and are gone. One of the blooms was actually on the ground.

Space Shuttle is brought back to Florida

Just wanted to share this picture that a friend of mine took. I already put it on Facebook but not everyone is on there. She lives on the beach and was on her pool deck but usually has her camera close. The plane was really low, about as low as the little planes that pull advertising banners behind them.