Sitting outside the Pig n Whistle watching the passing parade I am really surprised how many of those in the parade we have gotten to know in the short time we have been in Bathurst - and every one of them a gem. Of course they have their quirks, but don’t we all? I still feel that we are too new in the village to begin with character sketches of some of them - I don’t know them well enough yet to make comment or take the piss without seeming offensive, when that is really not my intention at all. There is just so much colour here, and every character is simply a part of another group of brush strokes that I can’t wait to apply to the canvas, but I must be wary. There is a very definite overriding sense of FIFO that exists among those who are established residents here, and wanting to ultimately fit in I am very aware that I must watch my P’s and Q’s until such time as I properly feel acceptance, or run the risk of having the last two digits define my fate.
The roof is finally on over the deck area but there is still plenty to do …… hand-rails, trims sanding and sealing …………… and ultimately a bamboo ceiling. Fortunately Graham Walker is stripping his swamp area of all the resident bamboo and has very kindly offered to stack what he cuts on one side for me to collect when I am ready. Thanks Graham - most kind of you.
Spring has heralded growth in the garden that is hard to believe …………. literally within two days of cutting the grass it looks as though it has never seen a mower - flower beds that were pristine 10 days ago are thick with weeds to the point where there is virtually no definition between grass and beds. I can see how disheartening it is for Pat ofter all the work she has put in, but every day she valiantly gets down and tackles the weeding with a gusto that is quite admirable. Well done girl!
With the deck done I now have no excuse not to begin tackling all of the myriad little finish items that need to be undertaken. My excuse to date has been not having a level surface that is covered ……… well that ain’t gonna work no more, so I can see evenings and weekends being applied to more important things than relaxing with a drink and listening to the birds. But it is rewarding, despite all the frustrations of limited finance and time, and I quite frankly don’t know what I would do with myself if these challenges didn’t exist.
For weeks now I have been trying to get a decent shot of one of our resident Hoopoes, but they are extremely shy and take off immediately they become aware of one. So - I set myself up in the kitchen with the 600mm lens the other evening and finally managed to grab a few shots: not the best in the world, but definitely passable, so this week’s No. 6 bird is the Hoopoe (Upupa epops). In passing I should also mention that our Hadeda chicks have sadly been predated - we are not sure if it was other Hadedas or the Vervets that come down daily to feed in the Mulberry tree, but Mama Hadeda was absolutely distraught for a long period of time, perched in the nest and calling in every direction for three or four hours before disappearing, and we haven’t seen her since.
Hoopoe (Upupa epops)
Hoopoe (Upupa epops)
Hoopoe (Upupa epops)
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