Heron House

Hey – what are you doing up there?

Our friendly neighbourhood heron greeted us as we came home last night….

Awning = Done!

Finally done!

I can hardly express how nice it is to have some shade on the top deck. It was entirely unbearable up there – essentially unusable.

Even my roses are bleached from the relentless sun.

It took  while, but it was worth the wait. Et voila – shade!

Grass

Don’t worry about me, I have grass…

It was only a few days after moving in before the ‘don’t you miss grass?’ questions started flowing in. It is the most common question we are asked. Who would have thought we were so attached to grass in North America?

The answer is NO, I do not miss grass – I have some!

I mean really, how much grass do you need?

The Cycle of Life

For the first time in our 3 + years of tenancy here, Mother swan has abandoned her eggs.

A few days ago we noticed a putrid smell as we descended down the ramp. Mamma swan still sat atop her (now 4) eggs, though we suspected them to be the source.

Two days later, Mamma and Pops are nowhere to be found.

Like grieving parents, perhaps they left to give themselves time to mourn. It is unusual for them not to be here. I assume they will come back.

At first I was quite sad about this new development. But further thought tells me that this is part of the important cycle of life.

Our river is not that wide or fruitful. Mamma has many babies every year. When they reach teenage status, she violently kicks them out – forcing them to find somewhere to forage on their own.

There aren’t that many options around. And they are fiercely territorial, mute swans. They will kill each other to maintain their ground – or at least beat the heck out of each other – that I have seen.

So, c’est la vie (such is life), as they say – in the most literal sense.

Such is the cycle of life.

The Bald Eagle

..and in an instant all waterfowl disappears!

This handsome fellow lives across the river, and can usually be seen perched high up in his family tree. I have seen him fighting other birds that dare cross his airspace.

This day, he decided to come for a visit on the docks, much to the chagrin of the usual inhabitants. Within a split second, all other wildlife disappeared (except the brave and dominant swan that can be seen considering an attack behind him).

Quite an effect he has on his community!!

Forget-Me-Not

My favourite flower, growing on drift wood.

I am not sure what it is about the teeny delicate little flowers of the forget-me-not that appeal to me so much. Maybe it is the colour, maybe it is that given a moment, they will take over like weeds, spreading their little blue cheer all over the yard.

Whatever it is, I love them and bought my first pack of seeds this year. I intend to inundate my floaty home with tiny blue flowers.

The ones pictured above were my inspiration. They decided to take up residence, naturally of their own accord, on a big chunk of driftwood floating beside the dock.

Spring Roses

Springtime on the upper deck.

Though they seem to attract a plethora of aphids (*dislike*), I love my pink roses and feel excited every time I see them wake from their winter sleep. Awwe, so cute!

Related articles

• Aphids and Roses Don’t Mix! (rosemaniablog.wordpress.com)
• Ladybug sex (winterbounty.wordpress.com)

Biking Dykes

Little Jimmy loves it!

We live beside a dyke, so we spend a lot of time taking advantage of the beautiful riding paths – and little Jimmy loves it!

Storm Overhead

Another photogenic storm overhead…

I love a good storm. The rain smell, droplets bouncing off the river, the sound on our roof – the fact I don’t need to water my plants for another day….

Ugly Ducklings

‘Ugly ducklings’ – so cute!

Last year, momma swan had four babies. A recent check shows her with seven eggs this year – better buy some more feed!