April Showers bring May Flowers

In 1557, a gentleman by the name of Thomas Tusser compiled a collection of writings he called Five Hundred Good Points of Husbandary. In the April Husbandary section he wrote

Sweet April showers

Do bring May flowers

There was meaning behind the words. Many of life’s greatest things came to those who wait, by patiently enduring the clouds and damp of April and welcoming the sights and abundance of May. May heralded the beginning of the warmer months and led into summer, when the highest concentration of plants could be found blooming. It was an example of the spring  cycle of renewable that the Earth go through.

Sweet May hath come to love us,

Flowers, trees, their blossoms don;

And through the blue heavens above us

The very clouds move on

~Heinrich Heine~

These are the views outside my window at the moment. Isn’t it gorgeous? I absolutely adore cherry blossoms. And with the abundance sunshine we recently had, they had produced an explosion of pure delicate pink blossoms . Cherries were distinguished from other trees by having clusters of buds at the ends of the twigs (only oak also had this feature) and usually a smooth bark with regularly placed rougher lines running part or all the way round the trunk. The trees have been grown in England for around 500 years, since they were introduced to Kent during the reign of King Henry VIII.

To the Japanese, the cherry blossoms symbolised clouds, and the ephemeral nature of life, as well as love, affection, friendship and Japan itself. For over a thousand years, they practised a custom called Hanami, which involved having a picnic under a blossoming sakura tree. A cherry blossom was the flower of the cherry trees known as sakura. How romantic and tranquil was that, having a picnic under the gentle pink hues of the petals. A gentle breeze and the petals showering over you. I think that would be added to my list in the future.

In our garden, this Lilac bush  was bursting into blooms and it smelt heavenly. Bees were buzzing and humming around it. We made a mistake of erecting the shed in front of  it because we weren’t aware of what it was. But somehow it still manage to tower over the structure and blooming happily. A pity they only lasted a few weeks but those few weeks certainly justified their presence.

“Plant a lilac, and you plant a memory. Lilacs are the flower of of reminiscence, perhaps because of their fragrance, so linked for us with winter gone and summer coming perhaps because their brief season of fabulous bloom or perhaps because our grandparents grew them.”

~Jennifer Bennett, Lilacs for the Garden~

On Saturday, we braved the elements and checked out Slimbridge WWT. It was 16C in the car. Rapeseed fields were beginning to bloom lined both sides of the M6. There was a slight congestion when a broken-down caravan in the middle lane slowed down traffic. The skies were getting darker and heavier as we got closer to our destination. We arrived to a sudden cloud burst and wasn’t surprised to find the car-park virtually empty. Bluebells haven’t flowered yet but everywhere we looked were clumps of Cowslips.

We saw Cowslips dotted along the roadside verges as we drove past. There was a legend that St. Peter dropped the keys of heaven and where they fell Cowslips grew. The name derived from the term ‘cowslups’ basically meant cowpat!!! This unflattering name reflected their past associated with meadows grazed by cattle.  The ‘freckled cowslip’ appeared in Shakespeare’s Henry V as a sign of fertile and well-managed pasture which unfortunately isn’t true today. Cowslips declined dramatically due to the intensification of agriculture and the ploughing of old grasslands.

As soon as we entered the reserve, we were greeted by the yodelling of the Bewick Swans. These must be the residents because the others had already arrived at their Siberian breeding grounds. We also checked out under the eaves to see if the House martins had nested but nobody was home. Everything seemed to be behind but not for these Nenes. They were out and about with their gangly off-springs. Another successful breeding programme accomplished because we spotted at least 5 families.

The heavens opened again and we took shelter in the Wader Shore and we weren’t alone. While others waited for the rain to stop, we busied ourselves with the gorgeous inhabitants. The Redshank were playing tag with their melodious flight call echoing around us. The elegant black and white Avocet were having a shut-eye among the chaotic surroundings. Ruffs were showing in a variety of colours while the Black Stilt was content to watch the world go by.

In between showers, we rushed to the South Hide, trying to avoid the pestering Nenes and more clumps of Cowslips. More visitors were sheltering from the rain. We spotted Oyster-catchers, Great Crested Grebes, Common Gulls, Hirundines and Shelducks.  We made a pit stop at the Flamingo Lagoon to see if they were sitting on eggs. Their mud nests were still empty. We missed the Otters feeding session again but they were more than happy to entertain us by swimming very close to the screen.

We made a quick dash to Rushy Hide trying not to get drenched. More Shelducks were out and about, being territorial and vocal. A large flock of Black headed gulls was reported to be roosting here but we didn’t see that many. We continued on to the next hide with a pit stop at the bridge to see if the water vole was out and about. We didn’t see him but the water was too muddy anyway.  

We’d Martin Hide to ourselves. Where was everybody??? We made ourselves at home and started photographing the Hirundines. Unfortunately, they didn’t rest on the post near the hide. We saw a sign to be quiet because a pair of Cranes was nesting nearby. We scanned the reed-beds but we couldn’t see anything. For such a big bird, it would be impossible for us to miss.

We went to the opposite hide which was nearly flooded because it doesn’t have any shutters. Luckily, there were plenty of birds flocking around and below the feeders. We spotted Chaffinches, Greenfinches, Goldfinches, Robins, Blackbirds, Long-tailed tits, Dunnocks, Blue and Great Tits. But our highlight was when Babe spotted this Song Thrush pulling worms from the sodden ground. Babe think that she must have a nest near-by.

Then we walked back to the Safari Park to see if the Mandarin ducks were out and about. They were nowhere to be seen. The sun came out and we sat down on the benches watching a family paddling along the river. As we were having something to eat, we spotted a flock of Cranes circling the reserve. We quickly finished our meal and made our way to the Back from the Brink corner. We knew they were going to land. Unfortunately, the gate was locked but we still managed to see a pair performing a display. We stood there mesmerised by their distinctive mating ritual in which they leapt up with raised wings, their tail plumes fluffed and erect and trumpeting loudly. What a lovely finale to a wet day.

On Sunday, I got my cooking mojo back. I was up early and while the laundry was being washed, I was busy cooking. I made 2 portions of cottage pies, baked 2 dozen banana muffins and rolled a dozen sushi. Woo..hoo. Then I vacuumed the casa after hanging the laundry out in the glorious sunshine. What a change from yesterday. It was lovely to be out in the sun that I mowed the back lawn and added the clippings to the Dalek. A Common Blue, Speckled Wood, Brimstone and Peacock was flirting around the garden, keeping me company.

“I am grateful for the lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and floors that need waxing because it means I have a home.”

~Unknown~

After demolishing the Sushi (they were fab), we made our way to our favourite playground. We walked straight to Baldwin Hide. It was nice and quiet as the morning crowd had already left. The Canada Goose was still sitting on her nest right below the shutters while her mate was patrolling around her. The Common Terns were very vocal on the pontoons and the pair of Great Crested Grebe were checking the nearby island. I hoped they weren’t thinking of nesting there again. Little Ring Plovers were feeding along the mudbanks on the main island. A pair of Dunlins flew in but they were too far away to be photographed.

The highlight of the day was the pair of Oyster-catchers nesting on the island beside the hide. A Greylag, too, was nesting at the corner of the island and they seemed to tolerate each other. We will be coming here weekly to monitor them. I couldn’t wait to see the Oyster-catcherlings :-).

They say in the Highlands and the Western Isles –
This tale was made by men who knew
What being harried and pursued could mean – that Jesus,
Fleeing the malice of his enemies,
Went down to the wild shore, to find a cave to hide in.
But the sea-pies, flying
About the limpet-covered reef, with clear bright calls,
Took pity on him there, and in their scarlet beaks
Brought kelp and tangle to cover him completely.
The ruthless foe went by. And for that season
His cup of suffering passed.
Therefore the oystercatcher
Is of good fortune and well seen of men,
Running at the tide’s edge
Upon the cockle and the mussel banks.

John Heath-Stubbs (1918-2006)

This poem celebrated a Scotch folktale, of how an oystercatcher helped Jesus: . There was nothing in the Bible about Jesus making a trip to Scotland, let alone being hid under a pile of seaweed by oystercatchers! It  was also said that after the pursuers had gone Jesus emerged from the seaweed and gave the birds a white cross to wear for their services. In Gaelic, the oystercatcher was known as gille-bride, the page or servant of St Bride, a patron saint of birds.

I had another appointment with Walsgrave Hospital. Planning was crucial to make sure I arrived on time to avoid the exorbitant parking charges. We left the casa half an hour early as we lived 10 minutes away. But at the entrance, we were caught in a massive traffic jam. I was tempted to walk in but Babe told me not to. We then queued to find a parking space and with minutes to spare, I rushed in leaving Babe to catch-up. After registering, we waited and waited for the consultant to turn up.

After about 20 minutes of consultation, I was asked to provide blood samples and make another appointment with the Gastroenterology department. I took the ticket for the blood test and there was 20 people before me. We decided to make the appointment first and fingers-crossed, still arrived in time for my blood test. It was a very long walk to the department. Again, we’d to wait for at least 20 mins before I could get a date. Then rushed back to the haematology department and I was still in the queue. Phew!!!

After having a few mm of blood extracted, we made our way home. Again we were trapped in a queue to get out of the car-park. The traffic warden stopped traffic because an air ambulance was about to take off and it was just a hundred metres away from us. What a pity we didn’t have our cameras with us. We saw a lot of people taking photographs with their I-pads and telephones.

We’d our first rounders match. Gulp !!! We only had 2 training sessions if you can call it training and then we were entered into a league. We called ourselves Hitless Squad which was hilarious. The six of us made our way to Croftfield to meet our opponents, the Sons of Lupins, a team of young, agile, competitive students. What have we got ourselves into. And to make matter worse, it poured buckets that day. We batted, ran, fielded, drenched and still lost 1.5 :13. It wasn’t that bad because in the points table, it still put us ahead of teams that were no shows. I didn’t even manage to score half-rounders :-). The game was called off after one innings due to the atrocious conditions

This week too we faced unseasonably 60 mph strong winds and driving rain. They were caused by an ‘unusually’ deep area of low pressure, which was moving west from Northern Ireland. Yellow warnings had been issued by the Met Office  to slow down on the roads due to the cross winds that brought down branches and trees . The Highways Agency had issued an amber alert for high-sided vehicles, caravans and motorbikes too. There were dramatic scenes of strong gusts and crashing waves around the coastal areas. It was freezing in the wind and rain, with maximum temperatures around 13C. What a contrast to the glorious sunshine earlier in the week, with the hottest day on Tuesday.

And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow.

~G. K. Chesterton~

It was Mother’s Day in Malaysia.  I called my Emak to wish her a wonderful day and I hoped you did too. Happy Mother’s Day to all the lucky Mothers out there. I wished you a very warm and thoughtful day full of the love and appreciation from your children. I’m eternally thankful for my Emak and everytime time I called her I always let her know of my appreciation.

You don’t need a special day once a year to let your loved ones know how much you cared about them. While you don’t need to let them know every day, just remembering to let them know from time to time was all that was needed. People just need to know and hear that they were loved and appreciated (even if they were “supposed” to know it).

A Mom’s hug lasts long after she lets go

~Unknown~