Springwatch at Sunnyside

The great tits may have fledged but the avian maternity ward is still buzzing with activity.  All four of the blackbird eggs in the old outside loo have hatched and the chicks are now plump and feathered and almost ready to fledge.  

The long tailed tits from next door are a week or two behind, but fluffing up nicely.  Security in this nest is tightly controlled and our camera can't detect the exact number of chicks, but there is large bundle of fluff and several yellow beaks moving around, so it's looking good.

Jubilations

 Many congratulations, dear Queen, on your diamond jubilee. You have done a splendid job these past sixty years, representing our country with grace, dignity and wisdom.  We raise our glasses to you, and our knives and forks as we tuck into a delicious barbeque, hosted by our wonderful

 neighbours Tim and Christine.  God save the Queen!

The Seaside

We treated ourselves to a day at the beach today with Nanna and Grandpops.  The wind was a little brisk, but we still managed to build a sandcastle to rival any other on the beach.  The tide was out by miles, so rather than wait for it to come in and fill the moat (which might have been at around midnight), we sieged the castle, first with an attack of sand bombs and then with an attack of small feet.  And one or two large ones.

On the way home we were treated to a Battle of Britain flypast in honour of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.  Just as we pulled over to the side of the road and got out of the car, a lancaster bomber flew right over our heads. 

Unfortunately there was no time to get the camera out, so these shots are a little more distant.  We climbed onto the top of the car to view the rest of the display, and it was declared to be the perfect end to a great day out.  Spot the spitfire directly above Jenny's finger (she was pointing at the lancaster). 

Perch Hill

Today I treated myself to my first trip to Perch Hill to see how the professionals do things. 
The alliums, aquilegias and euphorbias were quite spectacular, and even though in their final flush, the tulips added a splash of vibrant colour.  I love the look of the front of the house, the missing tiles, the black plastic protecting the house from the

Perch Hill Farm House

elements and old wooden window frames desperately in need of a paint job, reminds me of our dear old Sunnyside.  This is the reality of living the dream!  The box balls and yew cones have a slightly naughty, wayward look about them.  It's as if the beautiful Sussex countryside is trying hard to reclaim this place.  I rather like it here.

The shed base

This weekend, we put the kids to work laying the concrete base for the shed, under the watchful eye of Ron.

But to give credit where it's due, Mab and Brian helped a bit.  Austin, determined not to be left out, also lent a helping paw (spot the prints).  Well done chaps, good job!

Nesting

 The letter box babies finally fledged at the weekend - here they are just before leaving the nest, now nicely covered in feathers having been fed and nurtured by their very attentive parents over the last three weeks.  Sadly one of the four didn't make it but we wish the other three well, and hope they come back and have more babies in our letterbox one day.

Meanwhile, there is more nesting action going on in the old outside loo, these beautiful little blue eggs belong to a blackbird, so watch this space - we will be checking on their progress over the next few weeks.

And also here, inside the Christmas wreath stored in Tim and Christine's shed, this little nest is like a down sleeping bag, lined with lots and lots of tiny feathers, so I'm guessing this belongs to a long tailed tit. 

The great tits return

It's two years since they were last here, but this year we have been blessed once more with baby great tits in our letter box.  These gorgeous litte birds hatched just a couple of days before this photo was taken.  It's hard to believe they will be ready to fly away in just three weeks.