It turns out there were eggs in the nest! They hatched two days ago and since then the parents have been kept busier than busy feeding the chicks.
It's going to be fascinating watching their progress... I'll keep you posted.
It turns out there were eggs in the nest! They hatched two days ago and since then the parents have been kept busier than busy feeding the chicks. It's going to be fascinating watching their progress... I'll keep you posted.
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There's a family of these in our garden. They are Black Redstarts. I love watching them, their orange tail really flashes when they fly and they flick their tails and duck their heads almost as if to show their tails off. They seem to eat a lot of insects and are quite skilled at hovering. We're not sure whether they already have fledglings or whether the nest still has eggs or baby birds or even if they are just visiting an empty nest from time to time. Fortuitously the nest is on the supports for the roof over the stairs and front door and is quite rough and ready. We have a birdhouse but were too late to put it up this year, maybe they'll use it next year. I hope so but, if they don't, they'll probably use the same nest site so won't disappear. They have a lovely tuneful song unlike the cheep cheep of the numerous sparrows around and a tic tic call which is quite distinctive. As well as these wee characters, there are the ubiquitous sparrows, loads of house martins and the occasional wagtail but it is in the air that the most impressive birds can be seen. Massive buzzards or possibly kites ride the thermals over the farmland and circle till they find their prey and then swoop down for the kill. I could, and do, spend hours watching them. I must invest in a decent pair of binoculars. I'm sure there's loads more I haven't even spotted yet. It would be good to spend some time up on the hill just waiting and watching. No 3 is really making inroads into the wilderness there - he's cleared up to about halfway but there's still plenty of long grass to watch from. I can't even think about pretending I can take photographs of birds unless they are right in front of me so I'll probably be nicking more from the net as I identify what I'm looking at.
I finally arrived in Moşna on Saturday, 2nd July. Our removal firm had dropped off all our stuff the night before with THO (The Hungry One) while No 3 and I tidied up in Bucharest and waited for the landlord to arrive to take the keys back. The only problem since then has been that ‘our stuff’ doesn’t happen to include much in the way of furniture unless you count a carpet, a shelved cabinet with doors and a camel saddle - I kid you not! Have you ever tried to unpack boxes to nowhere! Still, with a couple of successful trips to a local second-hand German furniture shop, we are down to boxes of books, towels and sheets, winter clothes and sewing and knitting gear. We even have proper beds to sleep on. We plan to buy another set of furniture from the same shop next month which will almost complete the bedroom. Then we will be looking for the right second hand kitchen table and bookshelves which, of course, are like rocking horse shit! Just today, I finally sorted the kitchen out and everything has its own place – it really won’t be so much of a squeeze when we finally sort out the utility room but that’s last on the list.
No 3 has been working incessantly in the garden - well, at least when the rather wet spring allowed - and has made an amazing difference. We even have some temporary plants in what will be the kitchen garden – okay, they’re lavender and will be moving in the spring but it’s a start! We also have herbs growing in pots – my experience of a herb garden in Bucharest has taught me that nearly all herbs are invasive so they need to be contained for the most part. Over the next few weeks, the work we do will seem rather trivial – unpacking boxes, hanging pictures, finally getting into the attic – our ladder disappeared with the builders – but we will also be settling into a routine of sorts and, as time goes on, it won’t be quite so hot in the middle of the day so we can do more outside. But, over time, I will document the evolution of each room during the renovation here. The bedroom is possibly the most spectacular because it was the barn before and is now a massive light, quiet room – it’s so large, I plan to use a section of it for sewing!
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AuthorScottish teacher of English who lives in Romania, cooks a lot and is enthusiastic with a camera. Archives
December 2016
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