Rosy Starling, Cudworth, South Yorkshire

What a stunner of a bird ! Cudworth, just 50 miles away so headed there Saturday morning. The weather was not kind with heavy showers, thick cloud and very little sun. But we stayed and waited with a lovely crowd (all keeping their social distance), the sun did show itself briefly and the starling looked magnificent. The cherry trees were almost stripped so this bird isn't going to hang around, infact it hasn't been seen at all this morning (Sunday), so probably found a fresh food source. Very friendly locals, all showing an interest and permissions to enter gardens if needed, now that doesn't happen very often does it.  Hope you like our pics x

Our veg plot

Onions and tomatoes. The pots of tomatoes have been grown from seeds as we did not know if plants would be available this year. Lucky, we now have both. Good job we like tomatoes ! 

Onions, peas and runner beans along with a couple of tubs of potatoes 

During lockdown, Tom built a small greenhouse that was have used to the extreme. All the seeds were germinated in here, it was packed to the gills. It's been a resounding success and all that is left in there now are Tom's chillies. They just need heat and sun to grow and that seems to have gone !

Our first peas. We grow garden peas, sugar snap and mangetout. Hope we have a bumper crop like last year.  

Aliums looking spectacular in the border 

Another raised bed of onions and tomatoes 

Onions and peas, looking good ! 

And then we have potatoes, masses of them. You really can't beat home grown potatoes. 

Tomatoes growing nicely and we now have tomatoes on 

The ones grown from seeds will be planted out when they have a bit more growth on them.

On Friday, Simon harvested his first potatoes, 'Charlotte'. They were without doubt, flipping delicious, served with a good knob of Lurpak ! 

Just look at these, you can't beat home grown veg 

The strawberry bed. We have 1000's of flowers and strawberrys on. Can't wait for them to grow and ripen. 

This was the first harvest of our strawberrys last Thursday. They were scrumptious !!

Smew, Slaynes Lane, Misson, Notts

Male Smew on Slaynes Lane. Was suprised to see it still so flooded, very impressive and covered in birds. The smew was distant (but not as distant as when it was on Blaco Pit). A nice local drive out, weather cold and wet, fleeces back on !

and a reed warbler 

A few from last week

Garden pond 

Herb Bennett

Lots of colour in the garden at the moment. Will have to try out the camera on my new phone once the sun returns !

A suprise for the 'strawberry grazer'. We are going to have a bumper year, bought jars for making jam already, we are going to get masses ! 

Sweet Gum (Liquid Amber), a tree not normally seen in flower, stunning.  

This week saw many fires break out in Laughton Forest, this fire was massive and took days to extinguish. We could see it from miles away.  

The highlight of the week without doubt. A trip to Johnsons in Gainsborough which was recommended to us. They were absolutely mouthwatering delicious !!