Screech Owl Sanctuary

O.K. So here,s one of the pics that I took of the beautiful European Barn Owl from The Screech Owl Sanctuary ,on show outside Trago Mills last week . This was the best photo that I took of the Owls as it was a very dark day and I didn,t want to use the flash in case of frightening the Owls . The Screech Owl Sanctuary have a great web site at this address http://www.screechowlsanctuary.co.uk/ . I cant wait to visit !
What did you get for Christmas ? I got Flu . Still suffering .... :(

Qince

I have cut into it and made slices to cling film up in tiny batches to freeze away . These I will add to give my Apple pies a delicious flavour and fragrance . The pips are now sown in compost and the pot is set outside to over winter . I hope that they will germinate next spring . BUT does anyone know which type of Quince this is ? AND Wether it will come true from seed ? Debbie : )

Quince

A friend has given me a beautiful Quince . It is the biggest and most beautiful Quince ,that I have ever seen in my whole life !

Today I saw a Bat !

Whilst I was busy in my vegetable garden ,I noticed this little bat flittering about in the blue sky ! I grabbed my camera and got these pictures . There must be hundreds of bats here and we generaly see them at dusk . At this time of the year they are mating and looking for a place to hibernate . Sometimes they come out during the day for a snack...I have put on a Youtube slideshow of my pics . See my list and enjoy !

Planting onion and garlic sets today .

I am always thrilled to see the woodpecker and I managed to quietly sneak out of the kitchen ,into the garden to take a couple of pictures of him . However .... I am not so happy that he has taken a real liking for pecking away at the trunk of this lovely red cordyline australis !
Today I am on a mission to plant out the remaining bags of onions and garlic sets , the ground has been rock solid and impossible to dig ,this month has been so very dry .At last ,today , we have rain . Also need to get my baby cabbages in , a bit late due to not having any slug pellets . This is a quite a task as I have to put up chicken wire and sew on mesh over the top to protect the plants from the two beautiful ,but always hungry , collared doves who live here .
I spent a couple of hours sewing windbreak mesh on to the fence surrounding the veg garden the other day . It is well worth taking some time and effort to do a proper job of this ...and apart from the shelter it also helps keep the rabbits out . I wish it was was dark brown instead of green . Dark brown would blend in better . They dont make it in brown ! Humph ! I will be sorting through the pile of garden fleece and old blankets that I use through severe weather to cover plants and maybe have a small bonfire ! Yipee ! Then , time for a cup of tea and a piece of cake !

Some more of my garden finds .

So while we,re on the subject of arcaeology, here,s a few more treasures that I have unearthed from my garden . Not the greatest of finds I know , but each little piece of broken pot and such like ....well they tell a story about folk who lived here long ,long ago . I really must begin labelling my finds and making a note about where exactly I,ve found them .

One of my Garden Finds .

Here is the "moccasin or shoe " like stone that I found recently whilst digging in my vegetable garden . What I mean is the shape of it is very like the toe end of a clog or shoe . It has also been worked ,ground or shaped . It has a slash or cut mark across it . Maybe it was used for leatherwork or shoe making ...or it also looks like a broken loomweight . There are alot of Bronze age sites here on the Lizard and around Cornwall .

Just me !

Raven landing .

Seriously though, I love the birds and welcome them into my garden .
This beautiful raven has a nest up in the big pine tree on the other side of the garden .
She flies back and forth from there ,to the top of this tall fir tree, calling to her chicks to fly !

Zentedeschia aethiopica

                   Cool and sleek and so romantic ,this jewel of the botanical world .

                 This grows SO easily here in Cornwall ......everyone should have it !

 Even the tiniest piece of root will soon grow away  . It prefers a moist soil ....but I have it in a fairly dry area too and it is just fine  .
 It will collapse into a heap and go dormant through cold snaps ..but then revive as soon as the weather becomes mild again .

Epie fully open

Beautiful Epiphyllum Flower

Meanwhile up in my Greenhouse......

.... the Epies are coming !

.....aah.....but ......

...........on the river walk .....I found this ! It,s fossil bone ...but I dont recognise which bone or what from.......plesiosaur ? Any ideas would be welcome , as it will be rather costly to send in the post to the Natural History Museum due to it's weight . ....and I am SO excited about it and cant wait that long !

Charmouth for Fossils !

The Golden Cap at Charmouth .
The pictures above are of the various Ammonites to be found here and three single Ichthyosaur vertebrae ....which my husband found all within one hour ! ....... he also found the four fused Ichthyosaur vertebrae ..... not fair ! hmph !

Little friend of mine !

Lovely Helebores

Sparrow guards !

Archaeology !

So any ideas on this ?

......whilst digging in the garden recently ,I pulled this strange object out of the earth .

It is about 4 0r 5 inches long and an inch or so wide .

You may not be able to see from this picture , but there is a distinct groove going length ways along it on one side . It feels smooth to hold in the palm of the hand . The ends are rough and give it a bone like appearance . My thoughts are that it might be a WHETSTONE , used to sharpen the blade of a cutting tool . I will be taking it to the museum to be looked at along with a rock which maybe a roughout for a stone axe that I found in another part of my garden . Sorry no pic of this yet and it maybe nothing anyway !

My Faithful Friend Megs

My Cactushouse

My 10 x 8 ft greenhouse which is mostly for cacti and succulents and other wierd things !

Yay ! I see the leeks seeds are up !

Tylocodon wallichii ....isn,t that a brilliant name ? !

My baby Agaves .

All will have to be rearranged soon to make room for the blooming tomato plants !
Another greenhouse would be a far better idea ....hmmm .