One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest

Photograph by Sergey Yeliseev (available under a Creative Commons Licence)

"The Cuckoo comes in April, sings his song in May, changes his tune in the month of June, and then he flies away".

"The humble British cuckoo has been added to the ‘Red List’ of the UK’s most threatened birds. Numbers of the famous singing bird have dropped by 59 per cent since the 1960s, with only 10,000-20,000 breeding pairs migrating from Africa.
Experts predict the drop in the number of caterpillars could be partly to blame for the near-extinction of the cuckoo, as the bird relies on these for its food. The Red List aims to highlight the birds most in need of conservation measures."  (Virgin Media)

I have heard a cuckoo only four or five times during my life.   On Tuesday I went with a group of children to a Worcestershire Wildlife Reserve again.  On arrival we heard the Cuckoo almost straight away, he was calling his little heart out.  I did not expect to see him.  One of the children spotted him through binoculars and managed to point him out to me.  It was sitting at the top of a Hawthorn tree, throwing his head back and calling like crazy trying to find a mate.  We had him in our sight for over ten minutes and when one of the children made a 'Cuckoo' call he actually flew closer.  The reserve is a perfect habitat for Cuckoos as there are nesting Reed Warblers.  The Cuckoo empties the nests of smaller species of  bird such as warblers, lays its eggs and leaves their chicks to be reared by the exhausted 'Foster Parent' smaller birds.  Again it was nice to see the children on task and fascinated by the wildlife.  We also saw Ducklings, Coot chicks and a Little Grebe.  The 'Prima Ballerina' from last week was the one to spot and call the Cuckoo this week, he also made me laugh when we got off the bus back at school, he was quite cross as another child bumped into him, so he said in a Macho voice 'Oi, watch my 'Forget me nots' will ya!'   He had picked a small sample of wild 'Forget me nots' to add to our display and was guarding them safely.  I am sure we will all remember trips like these.  Magic!  I am hoping in the half term holiday to take my own kids, a couple of jam sandwiches, a flask of tea and some binoculars.  It is a bit like owning up to reading 'Knitting Fiction' I am somewhat of a 'Closet Twitter' and have always liked watching birds!  You heard it here first!!

We're all going on a Summer Holiday!

I am so excited and it is great to have Bloglanders to share it with.  I have booked my Summer holiday and we will be staying in this fantastic Yurt.  It may not be everyones cup of tea but it looks perfect to me.  We have tried camping which had it's ups and downs (more downs than ups for me!) but I believe this is called Glamping.  Glamorous camping!  At least me and my other half won't have to argue as we struggle to put the tent up!  Yippee!

Compared to camping it looks fabulous.  Loading the car with the tent and all the equipment causes you to need a holiday and then doing it all again to come home can be soul destroying!  (If you are lazy like me).  The burner looks fantastic at least we should not get too cold at night, I find camping freezing.  In the morning, usually about 5am, I wake up and need an hour or two to feel human!  With Glamping I am sure I will wake up like a movie star and be refreshed and ready to go!  The site is a thirty acre Community farm in Cornwall.  It is not too far from Tintagel Castle, surrounded in Mystery and Legend and said to be the birthplace of King Arthur.

I have the small matter of a babysitter for chickens to sort out, if they hurry up and start laying they make make themselves more appealing.  I can hire chickens when I am down there for a week which will be fun.  The dog can come and stay at The Yurt too, but I guess we need to think carefully about the logistics as Cornwall is not particularly dog 'friendly' in the Peak holiday season.  I will be fine with the dog and my crochet, living in a Yurt, but my partner and the kids may want more from their holiday.  I need to calm down a bit as we are not going until the last week of August and I am already getting Hiccups thinking about it!

Miscellaneous - Sock Yarn and flowers

 

In my excitement to 'Ta-Dah' my socks I didn't post which yarn I used, so I have done it here in this miscellaneous post.  I still have a small amount left from a 100g ball.  When I regain my knitting mojo I may knit a pair of socks using the left over ball.

 

I wanted to share these Sweet Williams, aren't they pretty?  They are my all time favourite flower.  I would like to say I grew them myself but I didn't, maybe next year, watch this space!    

I think they look particularly fetching in a Jam Jar with my Attic 24 style jar cover.  I would like to say somebody special bought them for me but they didn't!  I bought them myself from the local Mini Supermarket for the grand price of £1.50.  A small price to pay for these little beauties.  I love them.

I call this 'Flaming Katie', it comes in different colours it was all yellow when I bought it.  Over the last few weeks it has changed colour and lived up to the 'Flaming' part of its name.  It isn't photogenic though because I tried several times to capture a nice clear photograph.  To be honest I only bought it for the holder!

Cute isn't she and not as messy as my 'real' girls!

Ta - dah! Crochet sock Result!

I have a pair of Crocheted socks that I can actually wear!  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, nice socks shame about the legs!  (As you can see I don't go in for fake tan!)  Look at they wonderous socks!  I was going to give them a photo collage all of their own, I am that overjoyed with them.

Here they are again, wow I am mightily impressed.  My six year old hates them he thinks they look awful and he can't believe I like them, he says I am blind.  I think that is a little harsh.  Right up until the last half an hour of making them I couldn't quite see how they were going to turn into a pair of socks, but then it all became clear,  what a joyous Ta-dah moment!  I am a little too pleased with them.  I  have been singing a triumphant 'Sockie Wock' song in my head...Homer Simpson style.  'I've got soc-kie woc-kies, I've got soc-kie Woc-kies, I've got soc-kie woc-kies tra la, la la, laaaa!'  Hmmm a white van has pulled up out side, if they are coming to take me away, my feet will be perfectly attired.

The pattern is free from here Joans Crochet Socks from Lion Brand.com you need free registration to see them.

This is an important announcement - Crochet Sock Preview

I am hooking my little heart out!  Crocheting my socks off!  I am desperate to have a  triumphant 'Ta - Dah!' moment 'Like this one here' or ' here' .  I was inspired by Tickety Boo's delight in her 'Socky Wocky Do Dahs', (Even maybe a bit jealous of her wonderful creations.)  I am hoping to have a pair of beauties completed within the next day or two.  I have an awful feeling it may not go to plan, I will admit to feeling a little bit doubtful but I am going to carry on with this pattern in blind faith it will work out.  I know that you too are looking at the photograph and thinking it looks unlikely!  I also know you will all be there to share the congratulations or commiserations.  The wonderful thing about Blogland is you'll never walk alone!  I am so determined that these socks are going to be great I will wear them even if they cut off my circulation and give me blisters. 

May All Your Weeds Be Wild Flowers

This week has worn me out!  I have been busy at work and busy at home.  I have not managed to find time to fit much craft in but I have one week at work and then another holiday for a week.  Yippee!  I will surely be able to get to work on some unfinished projects.  I took this photograph in a Worcestershire Wildlife Nature Reserve this week. I was lucky enough to take the group of children I teach for the morning to do some 'Science' work.  We surveyed the plants in the meadows, caught some bugs and observed them and used binoculars to observe pond wildlife.  I find it funnier to watch the children.  One insisted on wearing his hood up, zipped up, even though it was warm because he was worried about bugs.  He also skipped through the meadows like a Prima Ballerina, I think he was worried about his trainers!  These kids are mostly 'Townies' through and through.  They seemed to have fun and were busy with their investigations.  This is the only photograph I managed to get without children in it.  It is Ragged Robin and the meadows were covered in it.  My Grandmother told me when I was a child it was her favourite wild flower.  It is also known as crow flower, meadow spink, bachelor's buttons, thunder flower, Polly Baker, and Shaggy Jacks.  I have never seen so much of it.   In folklore girls carried ragged robin, naming each plant for a local boy. The flower that opened first would have the name of the boy the girl would marry.  In another tradition men would carry ragged robin in their pockets, whether the plant thrived or not indicated success in love.  It has no known herbal uses but can be associated with goblins and evil.  I didn't see any goblins, I will look more carefully when we return next week!
In the language of flowers ragged robin represents ardour, and also is a symbol for wit.