Purple Poppies Purple Ducklings and a Happy New Year!

This time of year is poppy time! At Watson's Road we had the most beautiful poppies l have ever seen.  Some as high as 6 foot tall. All shades from brilliant red to dusky pink, bright purple and every shade of each colour in between. It was a glorious display that sadly lasts all too short a time. Photos here taken by super talented big sis!

We don't have any poppies here....yet............. it was too late to put the seeds in this year but next year we will make sure we have an area set aside for their brilliant display.

We had one.............. just one! It popped up unplanned and unannounced in a tub alongside a walnut tree sapling. Its just as beautiful even though there's just one!

Went out this morning to feed my little waterfowl tribe to find Momma Duck and only three ducklings! After a quick scout around the orchard as l knew no animal would be able to get them out of there l found them. Two sad sorry little things huddled up alongside the house each with one wing bloodied and chewed. Amazingly though the injuries are fairly superficial and although the wings are hanging down l don't think they are actually broken. l doused them with Cetrigen( otherwise known as the fix everything Purple Antiseptic Spray) and put them in a small pen away from all the others. They are eating and drinking so l am hoping they will recover even though they might both have peculiar shaped wings as they grow up. These are the two l wanted to keep as well! The little one l think is the only girl  and is the one l hatched myself as she ran out of energy getting out of her egg................

And the big boy is the only lavender coloured one of the batch. So now l have little purple ducklings as well as a purple poppy!

l must say l am at a loss as to what could have done it. All l can think of is a rat trying to pull them away from their Mum and grabbing each by the wing. Unfortunately because of the injuries l can't put them back with the mother as the other ducklings attack them. Must be a self preservation survival of the fittest thing happening there! So they will have to stay apart until they recover!

And aside from that its about time to sign off for 2011 from us both. Its been  a huge year and where we were 12 months ago is so different to where we are today. Have a Happy New Year everyone and see you all in the next one!

Geoff and Danni xxx