Dorothy Clive Garden

Another lovely day forecast.  Another resolution not to waste a moment of these gentle June days.

I thought the Dorothy Clive Garden was included in my RHS membership but I was wrong. However, the admission fee was well worth it. I was rather too late for the rhododendrons, but there were so many treats in store in this small and cherished garden.

At one point I sat in a lovely little pavilion high on the hill and looked through the wisteria out into the greenery. I had taken my telephoto lens in anticipation of glorious flowers and, perhaps, the occasional butterfly, so the wide angle view was taken on the phone.

On my way home, I called into the Wolseley Centre to see how the kingfishers are doing. There are now eggs in the nest and the male is doing the hard work of sitting on them. As I arrived, he popped out and flew around for a few minutes (far too fast to capture). He then returned for about an hour or so.  The female gave us a fly past a couple of times. All seems to be well. I followed the male with my binoculars and it was pure magic.  But no photos today, although to hear about their progress from the nutters enthusiasts who go there most days was a real bonus.

We know exactly where the nest is. We watched him go in and out. Their estimate is that the best time to see the babies and both adults will be the second or third week in July.  I suspect I will be back long before that.