Garden wildlife surprise -

 Oh deer!!!!

This sweet faced doe (I think) was resting quietly in the back garden

when I opened the kitchen window blinds early yesterday morning.

She must have had breakfast as the hosta leaves were decimated, the 

climbing roses nibbled, she looked very comfortable and relaxed. . . .and

didn't hurry off.

Look at those eyelashes - I want them!

Thatcher Rock, Torquay, Devon. . . . . . . .I'm on my way home!

Many thanks for all the kind wishes left on my last post wishing me

a great trip home to see my family and friends after waiting so long.  

Shades of blue. . . . and travel ahead!

 This will be a busy week around the cottage and garden as we'll be leaving

 early next week for that first big overseas trip since the pandemic arrived!

Thankfully, I seem to be over the food poisoning episode, a really debilitating

 two weeks, and now feel up for all the preparations required for a long

 distance flight and spending time with my much missed family and friends

 in England.

MEMORIAL DAY weekend flew by even though we did little out of the ordinary.

Still staying cautious and away from crowds with travel coming up, we enjoyed 

the garden which is lovely right now. 

There were a few surprises. 

Sitting on the porch yesterday afternoon enjoying a cup of tea, a beautiful

 large deer bounded across the lawn in the sunshine.  A baby bunny nibbled

 on our freshly mown lawn.  A chipmunk flashed by my feet when I took a

 break on the back deck, while the usual large family of squirrels were

 omnipresent under the bird feeders. Butterflies are back and quite a few

 bees, both lovely to see. Birds have hidden nests in our shrubs and I hear

 babies chirping. The 'dawn chorus' is awesome and I love opening the

 windows early to listen as the sun comes up.

I've been cutting some hydrangeas to enjoy indoors, sharing some with

 my new next door neighbors. With the intense heat we are having (it feels like

 mid-summer) and which will reach 100F on Thursday, the lovely blue flowers

 will be struggling in the sun even though we'll be watering daily.

Here's to a pleasant week ahead everyone.

Healing with tea, nature and modern medicine!

January brings so many changes. Here, we've only just started having

 real cold winter weather and it will most likely stay chilly until spring.

I feel comfy. I feel satisfied. If I get my mobility back I am ready to

work at much that requires attention inside the cottage.

The garden is on hold until spring. The last 'leaf collection' by the city 

will arrive soon and Bob has raked and blown millions of them down to

the curb. Living in "The City of Oaks" is hard work once autumn arrives.

Bob has replaced that chore by starting on his major downsizing

 'paper chase' and the shredder is working overtime!  

Yesterday's visit to the hospital pain clinic went well. If the lumbar spine

 injections work I should start to have relief from the terrible nerve pain 

down my right leg in a few more days. Fingers are crossed!

Many thanks to everyone who sent good wishes and kind tips on how

 to handle chronic pain.

This is my favorite tea blend made my super friend Jeanne on her

 farm in New Hampshire. Many of you know this delightful, creative

 writer and photographer from my visits to Tahilla Farm, a most 

beautiful place, and from the many years I've followed her blog

Collage of Life 

when ex-pat Jeanne and her family lived in so many fabulous

 countries around the globe.

I saved much of the tea Jeanne shared with me last July when we last

 visited - one of only two trips away from North Carolina due to COVID - 

because I love hot tea on these winter afternoons and I knew

this would be a favorite. It brings back memories of Bob and I sipping 

it iced, at the farm, on a hot summer's afternoon with Jeanne

 and her charming husband Mr. H.

Yes, out come the favorite nature books at this time of year - along with

 cookbooks specializing in winter warming soups, veggie stews and

bowls - all making for interesting reading and menu planning.

My latest go-to cookbook for plant-based recipes is Laura Wright's

The FIRST MESS loaded with fabulous food for any time of day. 

Laura also has hundreds of amazing recipes on her blog HERE.

Yesterday we enjoyed Weeknight Root Vegetable Dal (from the

cookbook) and was delicious. There are so many dishes I want to try 

that my own "COVID stuck in the kitchen much of the time days"

will never be boring thanks to Laura!

Before I leave here and get moving on long overdue comments on your 

blog - just a quick look at the wildlife this morning outside the window. 

Because Bob melted the sheet of ice on the fountain, and scattered extra

 peanuts along the porch rails for the hungry birds, two squirrels decided 

to move in and grab breakfast!  Love them/dislike them but understand 

they're hungry too!

Note the gleam in its eye as I'm knocking on the window and

 shouting - stubborn little devils.

We replenished the nuts for the birds!

Have a great Saturday dear friends.

Humid 'Dog Days' of August -

Mornings with fog and a whiff of delightful coolness in the air. Doesn't last long 

though as the humidity seeps through with the harsh rays of the August sun.

Early, whilst the neighborhood is 'sleeping in', I cross the damp grass

 in my Nike 'pool shoes'. I don't have the pool but love those slip on sandals

 in the garden as I can hose them off, even run them under the faucet, 

to easily keep them clean!

Ms. Nala, in my care for a few weeks, waits patiently for breakfast and 

 now and again, plops on my lap and permits a cuddle for a few minutes, 

purring loudly. It always takes about a week for her to do this when

 I'm cat sitting, cats are like that.

Bees, bunnies and noisy cicadas are busy.

Our baby bunny is growing fast and is now almost as big

as his mama. He's not shy and will allow me to walk close by 

for a "hi little one, how are you today" chat. 

Who knew cicadas had such lovely colors close up - they are dull and grey 

from a distance.

Robust looking American robins are everywhere now the figs are

 ripening. . . . . . in the tree nibbling and on the ground nibbling again 

when fruit fall to earth. They really love figs, and they love water breaks

on hot days.

Celeste fig harvest is awesome again this year. We've picked pounds

and shared with neighbors, friends, the mail carrier, and the gardener we've 

employed to help with some backyard work this week.

I'm eating some fresh from the tree, and this week will most likely bake

 these really yummy fig frangipane pastries. Click HERE for the easy recipe

shared back in 2015!

My neighbor's large tomatoes are wonderful now and I'm harvesting

 several daily. Whilst he's away I get to pick and eat as he insists

 they're 'our' tomatoes! Today I plan to make panzanella, that great

 Italian salad I first enjoyed in Cortona, Tuscany so many years

ago. It will use up some of the last basil from the garden and the

 few days old bread - Italian style with rosemary and olive oil - we try

 not to waste good food around here.  

Hope your week is going well.

Mine will continue to be busy by the looks of it. . . . .something penciled

in on the calendar for each day.

We have a chipmunk problem!

 

Be careful what you wish for! 

There's a population explosion going on here.

 

We had just one chipmunk for years. 

We named him/her Chippy and always enjoyed seeing that cute as

 a button creature emerge from hibernation each spring. 

Chippy must have found a mate somewhere underground this past winter!

We now have several scooting about the garden, coming up on the

 front porch to drink from the fountain, gorging and filling their pudgy cheek

 pouches with fallen birdseed, and digging in some of my potted

 plants. That's definitely a no-no!

But it's not just our garden riddled with chipmunks, neighbors near and

 far in our area seem to be experiencing a gigantic explosion of cute 

chipmunks in their gardens this spring. There have even been news

 articles about them showing up in eastern North Carolina toward

the coast, a place they never called home before!

Size comparison of the Eastern grey squirrel, of which there are millions 

and are a real nuisance when it comes to eating the birdseed, or anything

 else they can get their greedy little paws on, and the smaller chipmunk.

Yes, adorable, cute. . . . . . . and now also becoming a nuisance by 

causing holes all over the lawn and garden.

A few days ago I actually caught this chipmunk - perhaps Chippy or

 an offspring - in the pot of heliotrope, rolling around in the soil 

making a real mess and causing the plant to go sideways.  

I chased it off and had to repot the plant deeper.

Any new creatures sighted on your garden this spring?

Many neighbors are finding cute 'Bambi' fawns, often twins,

 tucked away for safety in their back gardens. Mama deer 

leaves them while she does other things but always comes back

 for them later.

Early in the week the most unexpected visitor seen in our 

neighborhood was a fairly large black bear! Several people were

 able to catch it on video running through their yards, crossing a street,

 and one woman filmed it climbing over her fence. It was last spotted

 heading toward a shopping center - wildlife officers are tracking it. 

We all hope it's not a mama bear who has been scared off and

 left babies somewhere!

These lovely animals are losing their natural habitats in this area

 due to the tearing down of older homes and clearing of wooded

 spaces for the construction of larger than life million dollar plus

 houses, apartments, office buildings etc. 

With Google, Apple, Amazon etc. set to move into the area and

 the population growing by leaps and bounds, we will see more

 changes in the months and years to come.

Called 'progress' but really more like destruction. Very sad!

On a happier note - the Carolina wren and Black-capped chickadee

 enjoying the seed wreath hanging on the front porch. We just bought two

more of these wreaths as the small birds are really loving them.

Chilly morning in April -

 ........but the sun is shining and there is so much to be thankful for.

A busy day ahead once it warms up. Last night was the second night in a row with close to freezing temperatures - so unexpected this late in April and following that mini heatwave we experienced recently.  I pulled the new pots of hydrangeas awaiting planting, the hanging Boston ferns etc. onto the front porch and covered all with sheets - couldn't do anything with the large growing shrubs so they were left to fend off the chill best they could.  

A quick walk around this morning and all looks saved rather than frost-bitten thankfully. The garden is full of life with many squirrels, Chippy the chipmunk is stuffing his cheeks, Northern flicker showing his long tongue at the suet cake, a  sparrow rests on the snowball bush, and an ever-sweet Mourning dove is enjoying a sunny morning drink. The Spanish bluebells are fading but still standing sturdy and proud. The new plants have been moved out into the sunshine..........tomorrow heavy rain is expected so no watering needed today. Most of my seeds are planted - lots of vining Moonflowers and Morning glories in pots, along with summertime cooking herbs. I may be moving them to the porch tonight so they won't be drowned tomorrow!