It's Friday so I'm joining in with Amy
at Love Made my Home for this week's Five on Friday. For some reason I can't add the usual graphics link to my blog as I get red words 'shouting' at me at the top of the HTML page I usually add it to so I've added my own link at the bottom of the page which you can visit to find other bloggers who are joining in this week.
Five small but lovely things that have made me smile this week
1. Bullfinch on the bird feeders - both Mr and Mrs Bullfinch have visited the feeders two or three times a day every day this week. It is lovely to see them. I assume they are nesting nearby.
Five small but lovely things that have made me smile this week
2. Flowers - in the hanging basket. We planted them about five or six weeks ago and they have just started to flower. We bought them from Aldi as they were cheap and cheerful and I had begun to think they weren't going to grow and flower but this week in the warmth they have blossomed.
3. Spring flowers - Cowslips and daisies remind me of my junior school days. I went to a little village primary school, just thirty five pupils, three teachers, a secretary and a cook. We used to have regular nature walks and keep a nature table and cowslips remind me of the meadows around the woods where we took our nature walks and where we played in our free time. The daisies remind me of play time on the school field when we used to make daisy chains which used to hang, wilting around our necks and wrists, during the afternoon lessons.
4. Raindrops - after the heavy rain it was lovely to see the twinkling droplets on the Lady's Mantle or Alchemilla Mollis.
5. Bluebells at Rode Hall - I showed you these in this post from last weekend. They are still making me smile just looking at the photos.
I remember copious amounts of nature walks when I was at primary school. In those days if it was sunny our teacher would just announce we were off on a walk. Probably not many helpers either. Today you have to plan weeks in advance and fill out paperwork in triplicate! Those were the days. Love the bull finches, something I don't see in Jersey. B x
ReplyDeleteWe had three classes in the school - baby class, middle class and top class - as we used to call them and we used to set off for walks one class at a time just with one teacher. I don't ever remember any problems or trouble of any kind. We used to have a school trip every year too to Tissington Well Dressings. I must write a blog post about that one day:)
DeleteI too loved nature walks when I was a primary school and having a nature table (happy days). How lovely that you get bullfinches on your feeders, we only very rarely see them in our garden and they are stunning birds. xx
ReplyDeleteThey were happy, carefree days weren't they? We seem to get the bullfinches if it is very cold in winter and at this time of year when they are nesting. I expect for the extra food to give them the energy they need. Mr and Mrs visited together this morning:)
DeleteA beautiful post, I too remember those wonderful days of childhood when a nature walk was a regular occurrence and we were tasked to bring something for the nature table. Hope you have a wonderful weekend.
ReplyDeleteI remember we all had to collect something different and then put the finds in jam jars or milk bottles on the table and label them, also draw from them too which I was never very good at:)
DeleteI had red words shouting at me too! And somehow I managed to put my post in twice when I tried to fix it. I think it's Friday the 13th.
ReplyDeleteI love your bullfinch. I've seen lots of chaffinches this year but so far no bullfinches.
Oh, dear yes it is the 13th - I don't know what the 'red words' problem is but I hope not to get it again. I did notice that your post seemed to have repeated itself so didint comment at the time and visited later to see if you had sorted it out and yes, you had. I loved your language of flowers post:)
DeleteLovely things to make you smile! The spring flowers photo is so sunny and uplifting. I have never seen cowslips in the wild - I must go looking for them. Your village primary school was idyllic. The sum of your total school was the same as the amount of children just in my form! I wish I had gone to such a school and not my Inner London one complete with a tarmac playground and not a plant or anything remotely green nearby! Have a great weekend Rosie. x
ReplyDeleteThose cowslips were at Tittesworth Water a local nature reserve. The only trouble with my lovely primary school was it didn't prepare me for the culture shock that was secondary school where we had thirty odd pupils or students as they are now in each form and three forms in each year. I was like a fish out of water and never really settled:)
DeleteSome good things to smile about here. Nature can give us so much pleasure. Those primary school nature walks and nature table displays were a good introduction to an appreciation of the natural world around us. How fortunate to have the colourful bullfinch come and go in your garden.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it funny how those times at junior school stick in the mind? The nature walks and table, the bottles of milk, the inkwells, dancing to the radio programme and playing tig and skipping at break times, the school play, the May queen and the christmas party. All a world away from how it is now. I love to see the bulfinches in the garden:)
DeleteThat bluebell forest is so beautiful! I have never seen... Alchemilla mollis with rain drops is always pretty. Let's enjoy the fantastic spring flowers - many more species still to bloom!
ReplyDeleteYes, there are many buds forming on the next plants to flower it is lovely to see them at last. The bluebells were gorgeous:)
DeleteI just love this time of year and your choice of photos today just reiterates that, thank you x
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed the post. It is indeed a lovely time of year with something to catch the eye and delight the mind in every corner of the garden:)
DeleteA lovely post and photos. Oh how I remember the nature table at school and making daisy chains :) Wonderful to have Bullfinches on your feeders - we get very occasional visits to the garden but have never seen them at the feeding station.
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely weekend and I hope your camera is ok now (I've returned my lens to Olympus for repair!).
The camera still works but I think I need a new one. I have a Fuji bridge camera and it has been wonderful for the last few years but I find it takes too long to switch on and to focus now or perhaps it is me getting impatient with it? I don't know, the on/off switch sometimes takes three or four attempts to work. I've just had a new laptop so will have to wait to replace the camera. Hope your lens gets back to you very quickly. Have a lovely weekend:)
Deletelovely photos and a lovely post. I think I've only ever seen one Bullfinch before, nevermind at a feeder, you're very lucky. Fabulous shot of bluebells too :)
ReplyDeleteThe blue bells were heavenly. We are lucky to get the bull finches, we get green finches, chaffinches and goldfinches too and they all spend ages on the feeders it is lovely to watch them:)
DeleteWhat a lovely little bird and bluebells always make me smile.
ReplyDeleteYou can't help but smile at the bluebells and the bull finch is great to see. Although his lady friend is quite aggressive with the other birds so we call her 'bully' bull finch:)
DeleteSuch beautiful pictures. I love the bluebells. There used to be a woods near us while I was growing up that had a wonderful carpet of bluebells in the springtime. We used to take off on our bikes and play at the brook and then walk up to the woods. Sadly the town has spread out since then and the brook is now part of the town. Your picture brought back lovely memories.
ReplyDeleteSounds idyllic, Sharon, we used to play near a brook too but non of us had bikes then. It is a shame when places you remember get changed by the spread of urban sprawl. Glad to have brought back some meories for you:)
DeleteHi Rosie, this is such a lovely post. Your Five on Friday made me smile. I've seen a couple of photos of the bluebell woods this week - how I miss this wonderful sight! Enjoy your weekend. Marie x
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed the post Marie, bluebell woods are so special aren't they? Hope you have a lovely weekend too:)
DeleteSuper Rosie. Your alchemilla is doing well, I've only got tiddly ones breaking through the soil at the moment but they look wonderful in your photo with the raindrops on.:-)
ReplyDeleteThe alchemilla has really spread over the last few years and it can self seed and get quite invasive. We try to contain it in a raised bed by the pond. It always look so fresh and green at this time of year by August it is getting dry and dusty looking:)
DeleteFive things I love.At our last house we had a bullfinch visiting regularly but although we have only moved a quarter of a mile no sign of bull finches.We used to think they came to the cherry tree.What is in your feeder?Nature walks,nature tables bring back some lovely memories.I went to a school in the country surrounded by fields .We had 70 pupils and had to go on a bus to get to it.A lovely post bringing back some wonderful pictures to my mind.
ReplyDeleteWe put sunflower hearts in two feeders and all the finches love those much more than the nyger we used to put out for the goldfinches. We get green finches and chaffinches too as well as the goldfinches and occasionally siskins. We put bugy nibbles out for the bigger birds and they have peanuts and fat balls too. We walked down the main village street to school until we went to senior school then we were taken by bus to another larger village about 20 minutes away:)
DeleteA nature table sounds very nice indeed. Oh those bluebells. Nothing like that here sadly.
ReplyDeleteWe always had a nature table at school and regular nature walks. I don't know if schools still do that today. The bluebells were gorgeous:)
DeleteYour bluebells are lovely. They remind me of the bluebonnets down here in Texas.
ReplyDeleteThe are such beautiful flowers and the sea of colour they create is amazing:)
DeleteBeautiful bull finches. I like the idea of a nature table. I don't think we had one in my school. The bluebell woods pictures would make me smile year round.
ReplyDeleteIt is such a lovely time of year and the bluebells for me are the best bit, although blossoms and lilacs come a very close second:)
DeleteI hadn't thought of a Nature Table in a long time, but remember them from elementary school. Your Five post was lovely today.
ReplyDeleteThank you, glad you enjoyed the post and the memories of the nature table:)
DeleteJust wanted to let you know that I nominated you for a Liebster Award.
ReplyDeleteOh, ok - thank you Janet. I'll pop over to see what it is all about:)
DeleteWhat a lovely five things to make you smile, they make me smile too. Great to see the Bullfinches are still around.
ReplyDeleteAmanda xx
It is good to see the bullfinches, I was watching them yesterday evening so they are still popping by to use the feeders at the moment:)
DeleteAbsolutely beautiful!!! I loved your memories of primary school, somewhat similar to my own - although we had a few more pupils, but not many. Thank you for joining Five On Friday, I hope you are having a good weekend. Sorry to be late visiting, I have been otherwise occupied as I said in my post. xx
ReplyDeleteThank you Amy. Glad you enjoyed the post and the memories. Thank you for visiting and comenting when you have had such a stressful and week and thank you for continuing to organise Five on Friday:)
DeleteHow lovely to see the bullfinches. I really wish they would visit my feeders, they are one of my favourite birds. I have happy memories of spring flowers (such as making daisy chains and looking for four leaf clovers) in the school field, too.
ReplyDeleteOh, yes four leaf clovers and als testing if you like butter with buttercups under your chin! I'm always pleased to see the bullfinches. It seems to be starling time at the moment lots of little ones leanrning where food comes from:)
DeleteBull finches are so pretty! You got a brilliant picture there!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kezzie. Mr Bullfinch is very handsome isn't he?:)
DeleteYour raindrops photo is stunning. I think you should enter it in a photography contest.
ReplyDeleteOh, thank you Patsy - glad you liked the photos:)
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