Phew!

Lazy days

As we loafed lazily on the patio this weekend, we wondered what had happened to all the ladybirds and butterflies that only last year had infested our garden.
No sign of either, the long winter that just finished may have caused untold damage to them up here.
No doubt our buddleia bushes, succumbing to the freeze, hasn't helped the situation either.
We usually, at this time of the year, hay making time, actually find sitting on the patio very uncomfortable,   the "thunderflies" are nowhere to be seen either.
Thank goodness, the green fly are very low in numbers, I wonder what the swifts and swallows are chasing about?
The same can't be said about the slugs and snails, they're eating all my salad veggies.
Our song thrush sings all day long when he should be helping us out.
Although my bare feet tell me he's had at least some of them, so he's forgiven... for the moment!
I just hope this lack of insect life it's nothing to do with that insecticide that has just  wiped out the invertebrates  in the Kennet from Hungerford to Marlborough.

It's very hot out here, even under the umbrella,so I'm surprised to see out of the corner of my eye, a toad hopping over the brick paviours and heading to my (currently) dry stream area. I rush in for the camera, dodging snail shells, but I'm told "he's hopped in behind the gunnera".
I'll leave him in peace, it's certainly cooler, and no doubt still damp, as any rainwater ends up down there.
I've not seen a toad in the garden for at least two years, and thought they had also suffered the consequences of the last two winters, much the same as our frogs, which I found after the pond ice melted, trapped during a very quick freeze.

Somewhere in there

So, it's seven o'clock, time to head indoors.
Closing up the brolly I see we have a visitor, a solo ladybird, I'll let it stay wrapped up in the folds for the night.

Murray has won, well done young man, but I'm sure I'll have more interest in the cricket starting this Wednesday, and hope that the Australians are in as much disarray as our press leads us to believe, and they get another thrashing. More time to be spent on the patio with the radio

Oh yes I forgot,talking of hay making, my future dinners is back in the field next door!