I love the smell of Tiger Balm in the morning OR The JOYS OF SUMMER

Bags our house martins have raised a brood for the past three years. It's lovely to see the wee ones, mouths agape, peering over the edge of the nest. Wondering if they will return this spring. The lovely elderly lady for whom we worked [until her death at 104] used to allow the martins to fly around her vast home. They built nests [not now used] in the corners of the high ceilings in the entrance hall

Fingers crossed that the house martins will stay and use one of the nests. We haven't had any nesting for two years. We think our population (eight nestsful) was wiped out in the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud on their way back from Africa.

A particularly beautiful Spring here this year, thanks to all the rain. It has reminded me of England.

Our lanes (and even roads) and fields are awash with wild flowers now. How lovely is that? Was only noticing it on the way to archery last Tuesday. You should visit Scotland, jess.

Wow soop
Bit of sparrow hawk action in the garden lately.And today, lot of magpie noise. When i looked out of upstairs window could see it was magpie determinedly scolding young cat on the next door fence. Magpie on bush, about 2 ft from cat, pecking lumps out of the bush, as a demo of what that beak could do.
The trees look so lovely this week. And the rape flowers look as if they are illuminated from within.
Drove through warwickshire - thinking about how different it must have looked in Shakespeare's day - with the strip system, the woodland and the common ground. And all the fields and lanes awash with wild flowers.

Plus they are new leaves. Spring greens are always lovely, I think, and Argyll is gorgeously green for a lot of the year. This time last year a lot of the newly clothed trees were scorched brown by a storm we had in early May that blew salt spray onto them all. They looked half dead until autumn. They seem to have recovered though, so that's good.

No! I think it's all the rain that washes off any dirt off the leaves! It hasn't had a chance to settle on the foliage!

It's all the extra carbon dioxide we're feeding them, jeni! Trees just suck it up with great delight!

My taxi driver and I, have been commenting on how VERY GREEN every thing is on the drive into work!
We both agree that the colours seem more intense than normal.
We also have the wild garlic and bluebells!
Does anyone else agree?

Oh Bags sounds wonderful after 3 weeks of living just west of Slough!! Can't wait to get back to Fife tomorrow; it always seems so peaceful - even after a day in Edinburgh, I walk down the hill towards the Forth and our house and feel 'lighter' and more carefree

The world is very beautiful where I live. Just been round to the scout hut to open it up for another Cub Pack who are spending the weekend there. Hillsides carpeted with bluebells, the white of wild garlic, and Lady's Smock. Red campion coming into flower in places, and the gorgeous fresh green of newly clothed trees – birch in particular. Heifers, sheep and lambs in the same field. So lovely.

Butter It's the spindly, long legs that do it for me. As for M&S - they do a super tikka masarla, which we treat ourselves to on rare occasions...and some of their puds are delicious for a special treat.

Nonu it most certainly is. Paul and Linda had a farm just outside Campbeltown. In the town is a beautiful garden in memory of Linda. Paul loves Kintyre. Not a difficult thing to do

SOOP , love the sound of it all , forgive my ignorance but is kintyre the one McCartney sings about ?

soop who needs M&S when there is a new fawn to enjoy! How wonderful.

Mules are still bred here, and last week we saw a very new foal in the field nursery. Deep chocolate brown coat and the most beautiful big ears and wobbly legs. Magic.

Nonu We live in Kintyre - the remote peninsula on the west coast of Scotland. Across the road is the sea. The inner Hebridean islands of Jura and Islay are big, bold and beautiful. To the side of us are rocks. To the back, is an ancient forest. The deer have been visiting us for some years. The largest family group of seven, came to the fence to be fed during the bitter cold winter of last year. An otter swims down the burn that runs through the forest. It sometimes sits on a huge rock on the beach. We've watched it swim and catch fish, eat the catch, roll around in the pebbles, and then return to the burn.
PS our nearest M&S is a three and a half hour drive away.

SOOP what a great story , love it it must be very rural where you live . See we wouldn"t get anything like that here as we live in the town centre , not that I am complaining you understand , but there must be something special about seeing wild animals so close to your home .

Nonu Recently, mother deer was being fed chopped apple by Mr soop, when Rory the feral cat started to fuss. When Rory went the otherside of the fence to investigate, the deer chased him a wee way into the undergrowth. Cat not fond of competition.

SOOP that is incredible , how lucky you are

Next time the wee one visits, Mr soop will have the camera ready. Previous fawns, have been left dozing amongst the ferns. In dappled sunlight, they are well camouflaged. Mother can be absent for long periods. It is such a treat to witness the reunion between the two. There's an awful lot of nuzzling and licking.

How absolutely wonderful, soop. What a start to the day!

soop, so lucky!

Mr soop whispered in my ear...'are you awake?' Which of course, I wasn't. And then he added...'there is a near new-born fawn with it's mother, and they are standing beside the fence...' I leapt out of bed - forgetting that I need a crutch, and stood wide-eyed in wonder at the long-legged wee creature not many yards away. Rory was not impressed. He yowled for food and wore a cross-patch expression as we oohed and ahhed. He certainly was not used to being kept waiting...

Absolutly , and of course a fair dose of "tomato feed " well thats what I use , seems to suit my plants

It is indeed. I like the idea of letting a garden evolve - with a helping hand, of course.