Eggs and Geckos

Lots of activity in the garden now. The birds are building nests and having chicks. The blackbirds are collecting twigs and the collared doves have already got a chick - at least we found a discarded egg shell in the plants on the patio:

Judith & Leigh are busy trying to make the conservatory look better. Judith has been painting the big wall and packs of floor tiles and bags of cement stuff have turned up in the conservatory. The cats still don't like it. Satin wants to go out the front door now so she doesn't have to go  through the new room but it looks as if it will be good when it's finished. And look - some geckos have appeared on the garage wall !



Leigh has been planting flowers in pots as well and they are really pretty:



And the blossom is just coming out on the apricot bush:

Good Citizen Award!

Well I have now got my Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Bronze Award. It was hard work last night because some of the others being tested wanted to try and put me off by jumping on me when I was having to stay still as a statue but I did it! Alfie wants to get his silver award now as he's not too happy that I got my Bronze already. Here's a picture of me snoozing with my rosette:

Now it is lovely and sunny we can play outside a lot more. Alfie and me have to keep an eye on the cats though as they can get up to all sorts of mischief - not like us! Here is Alfie watching Satin who's pretending not to care.

I think we are getting more men to do work in the conservatory so I will watch out for what they do. Saw a peacock butterfly in the garden but it fluttered away too quickly for Leigh to get a picture so here is a picture of the tiny daffodils in the border instead!::

Sun on the new walls

More work on the walls - those horrible grey blocks have gone and we have a brownish wall - which is a bit better? At least the sun has come out now.

Now the sun has come the cats are spending more time outside - I think someone should tell the pigeons - they don't seem to think there's a problem with perching on the shed but I'm not so sure!

Crufts 2011

Well - Alfie has been living the high life at a posh hotel before he went into the show ring! He said dinner was brought on a tray and there were in-house movies and all sorts of treats. Hope I can go next year. Anyway he did get a place - he was second in the Good Citizen Class and has a lovely big blue rosette and card to show for it. Here he is recovering from all his exertions (!?):

And here I am trying not to look interested in the squeaky handbag he brought me back from Crufts:

and Kaska is also not impressed with his squeaky toy - we were more excited about the lovely cookies and treats though:

More progress on the building work - I will let you know the news tomorrow.

Building work progress?

Suddenly just when we had got used to the concrete launch pad outside the back door more workmen came with scaffolding and put windows all round!

Here's me and Alfie trying to work out if they've forgotten the door.

Then Alfie worked out they had put it on the side just to confuse us...well it's certainly upset the cats as Satin and Lace don't want to come in or out through this strange room - they don't trust it one bit.

Judith & Leigh seem to like it so I suppose it's OK. We still get a good view down the garden.
Anyway Alfie Crybbe is off to Crufts today with Judith. He is going in the show ring tomorrow and we are all hoping he gets a place. Kaska was the very first minature schnauzer dog to get a First place in the Kennel Club Good Citizen class at Crufts when he was there seven years ago so Alfie has a lot to live up to. We'll have to wait and see.

Hens and Hellebores

Here is a picture of a blue tit - we have at least two visiting our garden now. The birds are having to keep a look-out though because there's a female sparrowhawk who has her eye on them right now. She has come to the garden in the winter and taken a goldfinch and a starling. Leigh & Judith say she has to eat too so we let her be - I hope she doesn't get the little blue tit though.

And, there was a little drama the other day when one of the hens from next door jumped over the hedge into our vegetable plot. Luckily Leigh was down the garden putting flagstones round the raised beds and saw the hen pecking the leaves off the rhubarb. She thought she had a really fun playground in our plot - raised beds to kick about in, rhubarb and raspberry leaves to peck.. until Leigh grabbed her and put her in a dog crate. That was the end of her fun and games..but Leigh did give her chicken treats and grass and water until her owner came back - just hope she doesn't think it was worth trying again. Our hens were not amused either and Alfie Crybbe spent the whole time guarding her cage in case she had any thoughts of getting out again.
Anyway there wasn't too much damage as nothing much is growing there yet. The flowers are beginning to come out though - there are primroses and crocuses in the front and pink heather, and at the back there is a lovely clump of purple hellebores:

Building work

Well I'm not sure if this is it but me and Alfie are not very impressed with this building - I suppose it's fun jumping over the little wall to get in the house but it seems a lot of work for not much. Maybe there's going to be a surprise happening soon - we'll keep looking: