Nick spent the morning
sanding down yesterday’s filling of walls, ceilings, and woodwork;
painting ceilings
and, this afternoon, walls
The blackbird’s nest, first sighted on 3rd June, now has,
as photographed by Jackie, two babies. One egg may be unhatched; the yellow ball is a seed.
For much of the day I listened to BBC’s sound broadcast of the last day of the second cricket Test match between England and New Zealand. Anyone who knows what happened will understand why.
This evening we dined on spare ribs in a variety of sauces, mine being chilli; Jackie’s flavoursome savoury rice, and tender runner beans, followed by strawberries and cream. The Culinary Queen drank Hoegaarden, Becky drank Portuguese Rosé, Ian drank Cobra and I drank Calvet Prestige Côtes du Rhône Villages 2020. Flo abstained.
The blackbird’s nest may not be the tidiest, but it’s doing its job!
Thanks very much, John
Interior shots of active nests tend to be hard to come by. Congrats to Jackie for this interesting look into Blackbird’s life. Glad to see Nick’s work ongoing. He does do good work…
Thanks very much from each of us, Maj
What a great shot of the nest!
Thanks very much from us both, Jodie
xo
Oh my now wasn’t that something…
Took me back to Jim Laker’s 19 wickets – we rushed home from school to turn on the radio. Thanks a lot, Geoff
As a pre teen I read everything I could find about the Surrey glory years while enjoying Hampshire’s glory years. The idea of listening to Laker’s wickets would have been a boyhood dream. I’m now seriously jealous of you….
That’s good. I’m proud, if not smug 🙂 You will know he got all 10 for Surrey at the Oval a couple of months before.
I enjoyed getting a glimpse into the nest!
Thank you very much, Liz
You’re welcome, Derrick.
I must confess I prefer Côtes du Rhône to cricket… Don’t know why.
🙂 Thanks a lot, Brian
(Must be a cultural bias) 😉
Jackie’s bird nest picture is excellent
Looks like Nick is making great progress.
Jackie’s bird nest picture is excellent
Looks like Nick is making great progress.
Thanks very much, Pat
Good preparation is long and dreary work but without it, the finish paint job looks terrible. It’s going to look great!
Indeed, Chrissy. Thanks very much
I was following the Test scores, it must have been a very exciting run chase to watch Derrick
It was stunning. Thanks very much, Ivor
Bairstow and Stokes are a dangerous combination ..
Painting ceilings is my least favorite kind of painting. Great detail in the nest shot!
Thank you very much, JoAnna
Hope the hatchlings prosper.
Thanks very much, Cindy
Love to see craftsmen at work. 😊
Thanks very much, Val
Nick seems engrossed in his work, a hallmark of a perfectionist. The blackbird’s nest holds promises of an upcoming friendship.
Thank you very much, Uma
Nick’s doing a fine job of feathering a nest for you and Jackie, too.
Nice comment, Linda. Many thanks
A wonderful journal of your day.
Thank you very much, Andy
You’re welcome.
Nick does fine work! Glad to see him using a respirator while sanding, protecting his lungs.
I will enjoy watching the baby birds grow. Thank you, Jackie and Derrick, for documenting their journey.
Thank you very much from us both, Lavinia XX
I find its a bonus to actually find a nest in the garden and am impressed that Jackie managed to get a peep inside it!
Thanks very much, Anne. I think we have quite a few we don’t see
So nice to have garden guests.
thanks a lot, Andrew
I imagine Nick’s muscles get sore! I bet he sleeps soundly at night with all of the great work he does!
Oh, Jackie! Thank you for letting us get a peek at the birdie-babies! So sweet!
And, Derrick, thank you, again, for sparking a good memory for me and for letting me link your post and photo in my latest post.
One of my joys in life has been having birds nest in our yards and trees…and getting a front row seat to watch as the bird parents build the nest, care for the eggs, and the babies, etc.! 🙂
One time we got to watch a mom and dad quail as they helped their babies fly up and over the wall when they were finally old enough! What a thrill to watch them go off into the big world! And a joy to provide a safe place for them to get their babies raised to that stage of their lives. 🙂
(((HUGS))) 🙂 ❤️
A lovely response, Carolyn. And you are right about Nick. Thanks very much X
Whatever happened to those cheery robins who used to nest in your garden? Did they all fly away?
Nugget was the really friendly one. He left several broods of progeny who are around, but not so friendly. Thanks a lot, Geoff
Good afternoon, my dearest friend Derrick. Nice shots again! Give our hugs to Jackie!
Thank you very much from us both, Sofia
A great shot of the nest. We have another pair of lovey doves in one of our hanging plants. The first set grew up to be teenagers and is long gone. Only time will tell with these newbies.
Thanks very much from us both, Eugi
That next looks so snug and cozy! Very impressed with all of Nick’s hard work and its quality. Beautiful!
Thank you very much, Laurie
At the moment we have cardinals and mourning doves each with a nest in our grape arbor–several feet apart. Sadly they are above my head, so I won’t get any photos. I do like watching the nest cams on line to watch hawks. I had never seen blackbirds in a nest. THanks.
Much appreciated, Elizabeth
I wondered what that yellow ball was!
So did we, Barbara. Becky gently flicked it off. Thanks very much
Now you have resident blackbirds instead of robins, Derrick.
They are still thriving, Dolly. We also have some of Nugget’s progeny, but they are not as friendly as he was. Thanks very much
I suppose children do not always inherit their parents’ values.
You are very welcome, Derrick.
That is such a beautiful shot of the nest by Jackie! Beautiful colors and composition. I hope the babies do well.
Thanks very much from us both, Merril. They are still looking lively
You are both welcome! 😊
Great photo of the nest! Nick is so fast!
Thank you very much from us both, Ribana
Before you know it, those babies will flege/fledge (spellcheck doesn’t like either spelling!). Anyway, those baby birds grow so fast! Great nest picture, {{{Derrick}}}.
Thanks very much from us both, Jan
I love the babies in the nest, Derrick. You have the best descriptions for food.
Thank you so much, Robbie
Ugh, ceilings. My neck hurt from memories as I looked at your photos of Nick painting. Ceilings are the worst. He has done a beautiful job of prepping though. After the basecoat one can’t even detect all the repairs that were done.
Thanks very much, Crystal