Thankful Thursday

What a perfect find out on my walk today.  

I have a daily notebook that has sayings in it.  The saying for today is 'Be the reason someone smiles today'.   Well I hope that my 'Little Free Library' is a reason someone might smile today.  This morning I put out the one book left from yesterday, and this afternoon that was gone, and others had been left in its place.  Hopefully people are smiling at a new book to read.  Finding the stone above certainly made me smile.

I just did a gentle walk today to my local bay, and then around the cliff and home again.

The obligatory ship photo.

I was delighted to see my first Stonechat today.

Luckily I was able to get a few shots of him/her.

Kind enough to show me a good view of front and back!

I spy a ladybird in the grass.

A Glanville Fritillary 

A calf enjoying the grass.

Back home...

The pond is looking good with the water lilies.

Another of my roses.

A little Damselfly

I had a reasonably productive time in the garden today...I managed to fill three more round canvas bins to put in the green bin - jumping into the bin each time to stomp it down.  I've got rid of some more of the dreaded stinging nettles, and yes I have got stung again!

I think I might have to take my tomato plants out of the glass house as it gets too hot in there for them...but they are in grow bags, and I am not quite sure how I am going to go about moving them! I do give them a good water each evening.

So I am thankful for being able to get some gardening done today.  Although it doesn't look like I have done a lot, to be able to do any is an achievement, especially considering how bad I was only last week.  I am thankful for seeing the Stonechat today.  I am also thankful for the person who painted the stone and left it.  I hope the stones I left out at Easter made whoever found it as happy as this one made me feel when I found it.

Terrific Tuesday

Focusing on the positives, it was a glorious day today.  I got up early and managed to get quite a bit of work done in the garden before 9 am!  I tackled the job I couldn't face yesterday, digging up yet more carpet and digging over the 'new' bit of ground I wanted to extend for the vegetable plot.

This is the area I needed to tackle...  moving the coal bunker, wood and carpet.

I also needed to dig out another bit of carpet in front of the tree.

Getting there...

Carpet moved as well as the wood and bin - hidden behind the tall ornamental grass and fruit tree until such time we can take it to a dump.

Ground dug over - still got to dig up the carpet to the right.

From the other side.  This new patch is 5 foot wide by 12 foot long, so all in all I now have a 10 x 12 vegetable patch up here.

It took me a while.

Carpet stacked up - I can't believe they just dumped all this at the top of the garden!

I spy a beautiful butterfly.

Bluebells, although not the native kind.

Bumble bee

Ladybird - not the usual seven spot, I can see I am going to have to learn how to identify the different types.

After my morning tea, and then again after lunch I did battle with the stinging nettles.

I forgot to take a photo of the pile I have dug and pulled up.

My arms are suffering for it!  Still prickling now several hours later.

Another ladybird on a nettle leaf.

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I went for my usual walk this afternoon, (same time I often go) and was shocked to see how many people were out walking.  Normally I am 'lucky' if I see two people, today I saw at least 19 (plus two on the cliff path in the distance).  In the end I cut my walk short as there were just too many people out for my liking.

I took this for my records, as I am sure it is worse than the last time...

Not sure what plant this is, but there is quite a bit of it along the coastal cliff path.

The tide was out and the blue of the sea and sky looked amazing.

Just look at the blue in this pool of water.

So I still managed to walk two and a half miles, but was disappointed not to feel able to do more. It is sad to feel this way, but that is the way it is, I don't want to take any unnecessary risks. I will choose a different time of day to go for my walk and see if that is any quieter.