TINY TUESDAY - IN OUR GARDEN - THEME "FOOD"

The weather forecast was right and we woke to quite heavy rain this morning and with a fair breeze, it looked quite chilly out in the garden.  However, I could see that one of our red peonies was blooming so I went out to take some shots.  Whilst I was out there, I could see several buds with little ants crawling all over them, so thought they would like to have their 15 minutes of fame on Blip.

I must confess I was a little concerned about all the ants, but asked Mr. Google about this and found out:

“Ants on peony buds are a common and natural occurrence, and while they might seem like an issue, they are actually beneficial to the plant. The ants are attracted to the sweet nectar produced by the buds, but they also help protect the plant from other pests that might damage the buds or petals.”

After finishing my Blip, I looked up the theme for TT and saw it was “Food”.  This is not food as we know it, but it is food for the ants so they can stay and enjoy their time on the buds and on Blip too.

The Ox-eye Daisies are growing well in our “No Mow May to September” grass - there is no way this is a lawn with beautiful stripes and no moss or anything else in it - but we like it that way, and we are sure that the pollinators are grateful too.  When we mention this to people, many of them say, “Oh I couldn’t let my grass grow like that, I like it to look tidy!”  Our response is, “Once the pollinators are gone forever, so are we!”  So we carry on doing our thing and know that we are helping the environment, as we all should be.

I went out for coffee with a friend today and we talked solidly for two hours - it was a great catch up and always good to chat things over with a friend.  I hope the next time we go out, I will be able to drive;  I’m having my 72 hour heart monitor fitted on Friday, so hopefully after that, provided nothing untoward is found, I am hoping I can drive again. 

Now the sun is shining, but Mr. HCB has a cold, so is happy to sit in the conservatory and read or even have a nap - whilst I do some more sorting out for the Community Fridge file. 

I printed off all my Blips for 8 years, carefully putting them into A4 Clear Transparent Top opening Polypropylene Punched Pockets and then into yearly Lever Arch files, but I’m not sure any of our family will want them when we “pop our clogs”.  I have therefore decided to do some decluttering.  Trouble is, once I have sorted them all out, there will be 365 x 8 = 2,920 - not forgetting Leap Years - worth of plastic files.  If anyone needs some - let me know - all in pristine condition.  

I also have some labels to make for the Community Fridge so that’s my afternoon taken care of.  How did I ever have time to go to work?  I’m sure many retirees feel the same!