quidnovis61

I don't know if you know this or not but we have a cottage in our garden this year. We put it up last autumn and I hammered and nailed away, Per held the ladder and Elizabeth did the camera documentation.... Oh, it was such fun. We chose the best spot in the garden so it would have a great Room with a View. In the early spring we had one or two couples who were interested but it didn't suit their purposes it seems and so we waited. It is Spring/Summer and one really does not need to advertise. If one is patient, it will soon be rented out. And so we waited a few days and soon we had Mr and Mrs Blau who were very interested in the cottage and made a few trips back and forth to have a good look at it. And finally decided that it was a lovely cottage indeed and that they would be very happy here and they didn't mind the proximity to us - we are living quite close to each other here.

And so we signed a contract. We have now officially rented out Cranberry Cottage for the entire season. The rent, we decided, would be paid on an "As and When" basis. It actually works out rather well. We are being paid very handsomely indeed and so happy about the extra joys this rent brings to our family. We certainly could do with this little extra income...

And we are indeed grateful to Mr and Mrs Blau. They are such a lovley sweet couple.

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And so it came about that one very bright spring day we noticed Chirp and Tweety flying about, back and forth, in the bushes around the Cottage quite excitedly. Chirp would sit on the Cottage roof or the branches and chirp very loudly indeed and Tweety would reply and then they would change places... sometimes they were there together...and this continued for a few days. I think they were deciding on whether to rent the cottage after all... and if so, where to buy the furniture and go shopping etc. IKEA for a good soft bed of moss and feathers and leaves and twigs? The garden supermarket for worms and tiny insects? The Jönsson's Restaurant where there is a variety of grains to be had? The kitchen garden for a fresh feast of coniferous seeds and delicious new cones?

They finally decided that this really would be a good place to give birth to young ones and raise them up to be good kind decent citizens of Aves.  And so the feverish activity of "moving in" started.

           
Mr Chirp Blau                                             Mrs Tweety Blau checking out the cottage

Chirp and Tweety are a species, of Cyanistes caeruleus (Latin)  - but most unfortunately -  called Blue Tits in the Queen's Lingo, Yes, I know. I feel my face twitch with silent laughter as well but then there it is. Absolutely NOTHING to do with Pamela Anderson I assure you - the only thing in common is their ancestry: Both have Scandinavian ancestors!! But then this certainly is proof that Language is not static. Meanings change constantly. Etymologically Tits, as a nomenclature for these intelligent denizens of our natural world is from the 14^th century! There are Marsh Tits and Blue Tits (yes we have a number of both in the garden) and Great Tits (no, don't smile, it is not supposed to be a Pamela-pun).

So Tweety and Chirp moved in...many many days of flying back and forth with moss and twigs and feathers. A lot of loud chirping and excitement - well, in all fairness, wouldn't you too - if you were deciding on a new sofa set and matching curtains and crockery and cutlery for your new home? It is a joy to sit in the Sun Lounge and watch them slowly build up the nest inside and hear them discussing and debating. Lately the activity has abated and so I suppose they are happy with their purchases.

The "cottage" (named Cranberry Cottage because our address is Cranberry Path) cannot be opened and one cannot and of course should not look in either. It has a metal protection around the window (hole) so that bigger birds cannot peck at the wood and make the hole bigger and get in. Woodpeckers around here are adept at it, I can tell you! The hole has a particular dimension too, that enables only this size of birds to comfortably fly in/out.

And fly in and out they certainly do.

 







Tweety also likes to sit by the window and look out. Often I go past the window and see her face in the window looking out serenely watching her world go past. But I wonder if she finds it a boring job to sit and hatch all day. I wonder if she wants to just Straighten up and fly high. I wonder if Nature's mother-instinct gives her the strength to be calm and accepting of her situation.

There is a lot to be learnt from these tiny intelligent creatures if one just quietly watches them. I protest loudly to the term
Birdbrained meaning stupid or daft. The person who coined it most certainly didn't watch the birds and see the intelligence in their eyes or the hard working ambitious characteristics in their lives nor their resilient tenacity.

The neighbour's cat I think knows that Chirp and Tweety live there...but cats are really daft! I have seen him pouncing and chasing wasps, butterflies and bumble bees...but they fly away or rather they ZAP! away from him and he is left looking so surprised and rather indignant. Likewise with the birds - they are so swift. And I hope they will continue to be so.

The photos tell their entire story. I hope to hear the chirping of little babies (or the tiny patter of feet as we would say!) and finally I hope to be able to see them fly out of the cottage and soar into the blue blue sky of our brave new world.

These last three pictures are from the Internet where they have been able to take these marvellous pictures and monitor their activities with a webcam fitted inside the bird house. I don't have these hi tech facilities at Cranberry Cottage but I am grateful for the photos The Blau Family offers and generously shares with me.





Signing off for now with a tweet and a chirp!
C.S