Six on Saturday 12th June

Another week has come and gone, and Saturday is upon us once more. I, along with many other intrepid bloggers, will be embarking on another Six on Saturday, led as ever by the fearless Propagator. The weather is warming up properly now, with the nights being predictably mild, and the days being anywhere between mild and warm. There’s an ornithological bent to my Six this week, so I’ll start on that theme:

1. Swifts

Swifts are quite possibly my favourite birds. Nothing beats a summer’s afternoon lazing around in the sun, beer in hand, cricket on the radio, idly watching the swifts zoom overhead. Usually they’re high in the sky, performing their acrobatics at great height. On this occasion they were swooping down to fence level, feasting on the insects in the gardens and under the eaves of houses. Appreciating this is one thing, photographing it is another. Suffice to say, I have a lot of pictures of empty blue sky. I did manage to get this photo though, which I’m quite pleased with.

2. House Sparrows

As well as our summer visitors, a year round presence are the sparrows. On the RSPB website, they’re described as having red conservation status. Round here, they’re common as muck. Either way, they’re more than welcome. Every year they nest under our roof; the chap above is sitting at the entrance to their nest. Having a lively, chirping nest about a foot away from our bedroom window is a always pleasant way to start the day. Before you say anything (Dad): yes the fascia boards need painting.

And now onto a few floral treats:

3. Oxalis semiloba

In the greenhouse, Oxalis semiloba is looking rather fine. I’m sure it would be fine out of the greenhouse, but for now it sits with the other Oxalis for safe keeping.

4. Clematis ‘Nelly Moser’

Ol’ Nelly’s looking pretty good too. Unfortunately, these flowers are facing away from the house. The trellis separates the main garden from what I generously refer to as the nursery, where the Corydalis and Dicentras are grown. Still, I can appreciate them while I’m messing around in the nursery.

5. Begonia

A bit of leftover bedding from work is sitting in a few pots, brightening up the patio. Cheap and cheerful so often does the job!

6. Turnips!

A bit of early produce from the allotment, in anticipation of next week’s Six on Saturday: hopefully, I’ll remember to take the camera with me on my next visit so I can do a little update on progress.

That brings us to the end of this week’s Six on Saturday. See you next time!