Returning, with much to think about

Almost two weeks since my previous post, and I'm not really sure why the reluctance to blog.  It's not through lack of things going on, that's for sure; indeed perhaps there has just been a little too much on my mind recently.  To tidy things up, I'll attempt a quick round-up.

I have alluded to some paid work over the past few weeks.  It wasn't planned or sought out, but when it was offered to me, I decided to try it out.  Although I knew there would be some compromises to be made at home, I had not anticipated some of the other issues that cropped up and I have learned some  valuable lessons as a result.  I had many hours to give serious consideration to some quite 'big' issues - choice, agency, social/economic prejudices - and the realisation that not everyone gets the same breaks in life.  The discussions I had in my head were wide-ranging and thorough, and found I had to challenge some mis-conceptions I hadn't realised I held (or perhaps unwilling to admit to).  Temporary contracts, minimum wage, uncertainty, limited options . . . yes, plenty to think about.  

My foray into employment didn't last long (my choice - and I realised that I was fortunate to have that choice) and I am now busy working back at home.  I had missed it.  N and I make a good team but we both need to be here to make our simple life work properly.  Having said that, N has managed to get lots of odd jobs done - the second coat of paint in the kitchen and hallway for a start, no mean feat.  And so much work in the garden, too.  I found that I was so tired when I got home each evening that even though there were many things to be done, it was a real effort to do even a bit.  The cleaning slipped, bread was bought rather than made, no sewing done at all.  It's taken a few days to get back into a rhythm again while I try to catch up on bits that were left but I'm more or less there now.  And it feels good.  I've finally been able to dive into a pressing sewing project (why do I always leave these things till the very last minute?) which is going far better than I thought it would (and I should have learned that lesson, too!)

I must make mention of the water situation.  The water butts were empty and we were diligently saving every drop of reusable kitchen water to keep the vegetables watered.  No rain for days.  Until yesterday, when it rained, not a light drizzle but a torrential downpour for the entire day.  Apparently we had as much rain in one day as we normally get for the whole month.  The storm drains  overflowed, there was huge run-off from the parched ground unable to soak the deluge up, and roads were flooded.  But the water butts are now full - hooray!

Cycling up the hill

This was Wednesday . . . 

. . . and this was yesterday . . .

To say that it rained would be an understatement; it simply poured for several hours non-stop.  Yes, it watered the garden (again) and filled the water butts up (again) but it also threatened to wash-out something we had been really looking forward to.

Ryde was hosting the first leg of the cycling Tour Series (some good action photos on the official site) and along with a few thousand other locals we braved some dodgy weather conditions to watch and cheer.  And we weren't disappointed - it was great.  There were team time trials in the afternoon, each team of 5 (ten teams in all) aiming to post the fastest time around 2 laps of the circuit, and then the main race in the evening.  The start-finish line was on the Esplanade, and the course involved a bit of a climb up one of the main shopping streets in town (I try to avoid walking up this particular street if possible ;o ).  Watching pro-cycle road racing on TV doesn't really prepare you for the live spectacle; it is quite thrilling to see the riders racing flat-out uphill on each and every circuit.  I tried to get some action photos but to be honest, they were whizzing past me so fast, the pictures were a bit of a blur.

In the end I gave up and simply enjoyed the occasion.  As well as the 9 professional teams, there was a guest team made up of local riders, who received huge cheers of encouragement whenever they flew past.

Rounding the corner from the Esplanade, the pier in the background

The lead pack on their way up the hill

Thankfully the rain just about held off for the race to finish in the dry.  The event was incredibly well supported by locals - it's not often we host something like this - and the atmosphere was fantastic.  Pounding music, great commentary, enthusiastic spectators and incredible athletes.  It would be great if the tour returns next year; apart from the kudos of hosting, several parts of the course were re-surfaced in preparation for the race.  Good to see the back of a few potholes.

Weekend round-up

Another year older (way past counting!); an excuse for some age-related cards:

We've had a good weekend pottering in the garden, and doing a spot of packing for our hols.  Oh, and an emergency repair to one of our bags - the zip had pulled away from the fabric, and yet again I was thankful that I had some strong thread (and needle and thimble) to effect a more than satisfactory repair.  Phew, emergency averted!  I've also finally managed to finish a project that got put on hold for a while, so the kitchen walls look a bit brighter at last.  It's surprising what a splash of colour does to life some plain walls.

Although we've had bright blue skies and sunshine where we are, the foghorns have been sounding out over the weekend and today, and on our walk into town this morning we understood why - the sea was completely blanketed with sea-mist/fog (I think it's due to an inversion of cold air over hot air - or is it the other way around?, I'm never quite sure!)  Either way, today it had cleared by the afternoon but as I'm typing this evening I can hear the foghorns blaring away again so I guess the visibility over the water is bad again.  It is a timely reminder that if you live on an island, weather conditions do have to be factored in to any travel arrangements getting on and off the island, especially if there are further connections to be made with trains etc.  A delayed sea crossing can mess travel plans up completely!

Everything in the garden, and indeed the hedgerows, suddenly seems to have taken off.  

Tomatoes and squashes

Trees that just a week ago had the merest suggestion of colour are now bursting with fresh green-ness; the fruit trees have blossom and the lawn is covered with bright yellow dandelions - I must try to pick the flower heads off before they set seed and go everywhere.  Every day there are new seeds emerging in the greenhouse and propagator, it's such an exciting time.  The promise of all that wonderful homegrown goodness to come . . . mmmm!

With the heating now firmly off for the summer, our gas consumption has dropped right down (always so satisfying!).  We continue to record the weekly figures and whilst the gas is down, the electric usage is only slightly down.  Cooking, laundry etc still have to be done.  Perhaps it will reduce a little in the summer.

The list of projects I began at the start of the year now has lots of very satisfying ticks alongside the items and I think the time has come to begin a new one for the next two or three months.  Having this checklist to work to has kept me focussed over the winter and some projects that have been outstanding for several months have at last been finished.  I am now mentally compiling my new list and already it's getting quite long ;-)  

Back after our hols . . .

It snowed!

Not quite the blizzards and snow drifts of the US, or even north England and Scotland, but it snowed here overnight:

A few more flurries before breakfast but by 10am it had all but disappeared.  Never mind, it has snowed.

So what's been happening here, snow aside?  Yesterday we had a radiator installed in the bedroom/conversion and all connected up to the existing heating system.  It makes sense, short-term and long-term - it really has been like a fridge in that room since Christmas.  All the radiators are fitted with thermostatic valves so we can turn the temperatures down in individual rooms and only heat the rooms we use.  This morning, however, we did have the luxury of the heating on most of the morning (well, it was snowing ;)  ) and it was lovely to have the warmth.  N made an interesting observation a couple of days ago; he commented on the fact that in the winter, many people go on holiday to sunny destinations to get away from the cold, but instead of spending maybe £1/2000 going abroad, for perhaps £100 on the fuel bill they could simply have the heating on more at home.  It's certainly a thought.

The work in the spare bedroom was an opportunity for us to have another sort-out of odds and ends in the garage store, and we have recycled a load of bottles, and found new homes for electric cables.  Another two storage boxes have been emptied and I may be able to use them to tidy up the chaos in the sewing room.  We had a box of spare light bulbs and in the process of sorting through them we discovered that three of them didn't even work so they have now been disposed of.  It may be slow progress, and only a little at a time, but it all helps.

In between all of this, I did manage to do the Monday cleaning chores.  

This was the state of the vacuum head - threads all twisted round the roller, dust in every nook and cranny, and on the black cogs (top centre in the picture above) you can just about make out a tack that had managed to embed itself in the plastic.   It must have been hoovered up during all the renovations last year - I had wondered what the odd noise was!  Now it's all been thoroughly cleaned out, it all works a treat.

We've been feeling the benefits of the new quilt on our bed; goodness, it makes such a difference on these cold nights.  I had planned to start machine quilting it this week but I think that's unlikely now, plans seem to be 'fluid' just at the moment and I am adopting a flexible approach to each day.  Yes, I like to have some organisation to my days, but nothing so rigid that it can't adapt and change as needed.  Things still get done, just not necessarily when I thought they would.  

We're still working our way through the freezer, although there isn't too much left now, and N came up with a 'leftovers' meal this evening, using up some bits in the fridge.  Very tasty it was, too.  Nothing goes to waste here and N's talents in the kitchen save us pounds.  A lot of it is having the confidence of knowing what ingredients go together and of creating something out of whatever is available in the cupboard, fridge and freezer and not relying on convenience foods.  Our meals may not have gourmet names created by celebrity chefs, but they are tasty, nutritious, filling and made from scratch using fresh food wherever possible.  I am thankful every day that my lovely other half not only enjoys cooking, but keeps us so well fed.    

Feathers and cosies

We've had some chilly old mornings here recently, -2 degrees a couple of times, very heavy frosts but to date no snow.  I see reports and pictures of snow 'up north' and, well, it would be nice to have something to show for the freezing temperatures here, too, but it doesn't seem to have ventured across the Solent yet.  In the meantime, I had to spend 20 minutes scraping ice from the car windscreen before I could drive to work yesterday morning, but the ice on the fields and trees was incredibly pretty, and the creek at Wootton was frozen as I drove over the bridge.

I went to the second half of the 'feathers' workshop yesterday afternoon and spent a most enjoyable three hours practising machine quilting.  It's such a treat and I was surprised how much more confident I became as the afternoon progressed.  Lots of hints and tips picked up along the way, and so many ideas and inspirations.  Now it's just a question of lots and lots of practising.  The only down side is the amount of thread I seem to be getting through - a great way of using up strange colours and oddments but I'm getting quite a collection of empty cotton reels on the window sill!

I mentioned, a few days ago, that I was knitting a hat to take away with me, but forgot to post a photo.  N refers to it as my 'tea cosy' (goodness, so sweet!) but as it keeps my head and, most importantly, my ears warm and toasty, I guess 'cosy' is a very apt description.  It's made from Shetland wool bought in Orkney, so it is very dear to me.  I used this pattern (aptly named Gin and Tonic hat!), but added a few extra rows as the wool was quite dense when knitted up and didn't slouch quite as I had hoped.   

After some deliberation, I finally decided on a self-bind for the bowtie quilt; I was going to do a separate binding but decided to opt for a bit of a short-cut. 

 I machined around the edge of the quilt, trimmed the top border fabric to about 1", the backing and wadding to 1/4", and turned the border fabric over the edging and hemmed it in place on the back.  The quilt police would probably have something to say about that but the finished result is neat and, amazingly, the opposite sides are the same length!  It's being pressed into service tomorrow - we have visitors for a couple of days - and an extra layer on their bed will not go amiss.  I'll get around to quilting it later in the week.  I feel some feathers may be in order ;-)

Slow and quiet

Our Christmas guest (DD) left us today to spend some time with other family members.  It was very white and sparkly when I drove her to the ferry - for the second day running, a really sharp overnight frost had touched every surface white.  The trees were picked out in a white dusting and it did look so pretty (no photos sadly as I was driving!) - it may be the closest we get to snow.  By late morning the temperature had risen sufficiently to thaw the frost although the water in the buckets remained frozen throughout the day.

The frost yesterday

Ice on the outside of the conservatory door

So now it is just the two of us again, and we're slowly sorting ourselves out.  We moved the dining-table back into the lounge (we have the dismantling and reassembling down to a fine art now) and the 'middle' room is once again our cosy snug.  It's interesting how the house is constantly evolving to meet our changing needs, and every time we have to move furniture around we see rooms working in different ways for us.  It's quite fun to have a number of options.

We took ourselves for a walk into town this afternoon, and although it was still a bit chilly, it was gloriously bright and sunny, and yet again we were reminded just how good it is to wrap up warm and get moving outside.  No post-Christmas sales shopping for us, though.  To be honest, by the time we ventured anywhere near the shops, there were a lot of empty shelves so I guess the bargains have been grabbed.  I'm always surprised that people still have money left to spend after Christmas, having been urged to part company with their cash on so many occasions on the run-up to the holidays.  There's no more spending for me now until 2015!

I'm pottering around, gathering bits of paper together, jotting down ideas, and yes, compiling lists.  There are some things I would like to do/tackle/try in the coming year, and I have found that writing things down helps me stayed focussed.  Hopefully by tomorrow evening the ideas will be a little more organised and committed to paper.  

A post-Christmas walk

We've had a quiet but very pleasant couple of days.  Much-appreciated gifts, wonderful home-cooked food, one or two warming beverages along the way, phone calls to loved ones in other parts of the country.  And, surprisingly for us, we watched some television; some very funny, entertaining programmes that have added to the enjoyment.  We've also had some quietness, just right for reading, doing puzzles and crosswords.  It's been a really nice mix.

I usually try to get out for a walk on Boxing Day but it yesterday was a bit wet and a warm house seemed as preferable option!  However, today was bright and dry and I felt the need for a breath of fresh air.  Yes, well, it was blooming freezing!  N sat in the car and read while I buttoned up the jacket and set forth along the seawall.  There were a few dog-walkers out and about, and some parents supervising small children on new bikes and skateboards but actually there weren't as many people as usual.  It was cold.  No, actually it was very, very cold!  My ears and cheeks were stinging by the time I got back to the car and I'd only been out for half an hour.  It had been very windy last night and the sea was stirred up, banking up pebbles and shells along the beach.  

The beach-huts are all shut up for the winter, and look a little sad at present.

There's snow in some northern parts of the country, but I doubt we'll see any on the Island.  The weather has to pretty extreme to see the white stuff this far south.  I think we just have to content ourselves with some sharp frosts and very chilly winds, although I did manage to get the washing dried outside yet again.  

I'm trying to marshall my thoughts for the coming year into some kind of order.  It's always tempting to charge into new plans and challenges, with lists on clip-boards to organise the new year, and while there are things which I would like to incorporate into 2015 I think I have come to realise that nothing will be achieved, and indeed much might go quite the other way, if I don't take time to be kind to myself.  This is something that has been on my mind for some time, and I think it is important to start off in a state of positive well-being.  There is much to look forward to and I want to dive right in but I need to be in the right place to do that properly.  And actually taking a little time for me is certainly going to be beneficial to not just me but those around me, so for me it makes sense.  

But I think I'll still make sure that clipboard is to hand, just in case!!

Almost there

I should have learned by now that a glass of wine followed by a glass of prosecco renders me incapable of typing; I had planned to blog last night but apparently consumed too much alcohol to do so.  Hmm, I really should take note of this for future reference ;-)

The pasting-table is on it's last, rather wobbly legs but as this is the last papering to be done we'll forgive it.

 

Very smart meter boxes.  The top one N made from offcuts he had in the shed; the other is a spare bathroom cabinet.  Waste not, want not around here!

However, today I can happily announce that the decorating in the new room is done.  Fully painted and papered, although, naturally, not without a hitch along the way.  Four sheets of wallpaper went up yesterday morning, and shortly afterwards those same four sheets of wallpaper came down again, ripped from the wall with a measure of disgust at how unobliging the paper was being - stretching out of shape and bubbling at will.  After taking a bit of time out, we had another attempt and of course the paper went on a treat!  It's always the way, isn't it, when you just want the job done quickly, that little glitches seem to crop up to thwart progress.  Anyway, we pressed on and managed more than we had planned, and today we finished the papering completely.  We are really pleased, not to say relieved, that's it done.  The carpet is being delivered tomorrow for us to lay ourselves, then just some furniture to shift around, bed to be made up and we should be there.  Simples!

The leaves on the tree in our neighbour's garden caught my eye yesterday morning; bright golden yellow . . .

. . . and just a few minutes later the sky turned extremely dark (rain followed shortly after!!) and the leaves seemed to shine.

More rain, in fact it seems to be permanently wet at the moment.  I think it's just as well we have plenty of things to do inside through the winter because if this weather keeps up, we won't be venturing out much at all.

On a schedule

This was the sunrise from our bedroom window yesterday, lovely purples and pinks.  Then the rain started.  I have a feeling the rain may have set in for the winter :-(   

The washing gets pegged outside if there is the slightest break in the clouds (I would so much rather dry washing outside if possible) but today it was back in again within twenty minutes.  Ah well, at least I have space inside the house to dry on the airer if necessary, it just takes a lot longer.

Plasterboard 'sealed' with diluted emulsion; skirting board screwed to wall and first undercoat; arrows on floor marking position of battens

Man . . .

. . . and woman at work (boilersuits essential, just wish it came in my size!!)

We have had to draw up a 'schedule of works' for the conversion - we're both finding this last phase of the renovation a bit of a chore, if we're honest, and we need to stay focussed to see it completed.  It hasn't helped that N's knee has flared up again making it very difficult for him to continue with some aspects of the work so we have had to shuffle the workload around a bit.  Every little extra bit we get done is one less bit to do, so while N cooks the dinner, I paint the skirting boards; while he unpacks the groceries, I paint the loft hatch.  We are reminded, yet again, that there is always so much more to 'paint the woodwork' than simply painting the woodwork; it's all the preparation - filling in screw-holes, sanding down, two coats of undercoat, at least one topcoat etc etc - what, on paper, looks like a couple of hours' work will probably take two or three days, allowing for paint to dry sufficiently between coats.  Never mind, we are just very thankful that we have the time to do all this ourselves, thus keeping the costs as low as possible, and that we are not only capable of doing the work but actually enjoying it as well (and learning new things at the same time).

So we are aiming for next Friday.  Completed.  Finished.  Fingers crossed.

Lofty issues

We had a bit of a situation with the loft hatch a few days ago.  The hatch-cover is/was really quite heavy and great care needs to be taken when opening it to ensure it doesn't over-swing and hit the door to the sewing room . . . . 

Sadly this is exactly what happened, one of the hinges ripped off the hatch and it was left swinging precariously.

Now, I have already had issues with this loft.  Soon after we moved here, I nearly lost the end of my ring finger when the loft ladder slid open on it's own (it was incredibly heavy and cumbersome and had a mind of it's own), and since then I have had a complete phobia about using it.  So this second loft incident prompted us to take action.

Firstly N made a new loft hatch, and a very nifty job he's made of it, too.  It just goes to show that odd bits of wood, accumulated over time for a 'just in case' moment, really do come in useful.  Then a new lightweight loft ladder was bought, and there followed an interesting couple of hours while we attempted to fit it.  A little patience was required, and several practice attempts, but we got there in the end.  And I'm now confident that I can gain access to the loft without fearing for my fingers, which is certainly something of a bonus!

All I need to do now is have a declutter in the loft . . . 

I need to mention the weather.  It seems to be raining a lot lately.  Pouring, in fact.  Last week the roads were flooded again, drains unable to cope with the volume of surface water.  I seem to remember it was like this for a lot of last winter - wet and windy almost all the time.  And we've had thunder and lightening far more frequently than usual (last night, again).  I'd much rather have a dry, cold winter than a wet and windy one but I don't think I'm going to get my wish, somehow.  

Clouds

A busy couple of days, out and about at work and visiting friends for a lovely meal and chat.  

We've having some interesting weather - bright blue skies one minute, lowering grey skies and rain the next, wild, windy and thunderstorms for good measure.  I love the cloud formations that changeable weather brings:

I took these early morning photos within a few minutes of each other - the view was constantly changing and the sunlight behind the clouds produced some wonderful effects.

Man-flu has hit the house here, although I have to admit poor N is really under the weather (sorry for the pun) at the moment.  I have fingers-crossed that he keeps it to himself although, being the sharing and caring kind of person that he is, I think there is a good chance I shall end up with it too.  

Fully curtained

I seem to have been sewing curtains non-stop these past few days.  The new-to-us bedroom curtains were just a bit too short once they were hung, so I took a deep breath, unpicked the hems and lengthened them an inch and a half.  So much better - worth the extra time and effort of re-doing them.

Then it was onto the lounge curtains.  We bought these with us from the flat and width-wise they were absolutely fine but again, the length needed altering.  Goodness, I have lost count of the number of times I have fixed all the hooks into the tape, hung the curtains to check the length, then taken them down again to re-pin, or sew.  They are heavy old curtains, to be sure, but on the plus side they are lovely and warm to have over your lap when you are hand-stitching the hems ;)  Anyway, finally they are up and I am really chuffed with how they look.  I had problems with them when I made them originally and was concerned about altering them but my worries appear to have been unfounded because they probably look better now than they did to begin with!  Again, time and effort well spent, and no money spent, so a winner on all fronts.

N and I have pottered around touching up paintwork, tidying bits away (we will probably need those bits later and forget where we have put them, no doubt), edging the kitchen floor, and a few other odds and ends that needed finishing off.  The list of outstanding jobs is still long, but we just tackle one or two things a day.  

They may only be tiny, but it's exciting to see seedlings popping up

I must remember to mention that the onions have sprouted.  Three or four little bright green shoots poking their heads above ground.  I think it must be all the rain we have had this week (really, plenty of it, just last like winter).  The temperature has really dropped as well, and N is muttering about the heating.  We will see if we can eke it out till the end of October.  An extra jumper and long woolly socks are a good stand-by; and maybe a dressing-gown, too!

Soggy days

So, August bank holiday came and went, as is so often the case, in a shower of rain.  Or rather a downpour, all day, then again all day yesterday.  There was so much rain that the storm-drains were inundated and there was localised flooding on some of the roads.  It was very reminiscent of the problems we experienced this past winter; waterlogged ground unable to cope with huge amounts of surface water.  There was a lot of remedial work done in the spring and summer to try to alleviate further problems but it seems that just a couple of days of, admittedly, heavy rainfall and we are back to the same problems.  

The wet weather put paid to any ideas of getting out and about - a spot of walking or similiar - so we had to turn our attention to work indoors.  There's plenty of that still, indeed it was difficult to know quite where to start.  I cleaned the kitchen walls in preparation for painting (remembering just how horrible the gluey residue had been in the bedrooms) and N made a start at sorting out the garage, known hereabouts as the 'dumping ground'.  As so often happens, one job entailed tackling several others (none of which were planned as such) before the first task could be properly completed - you know how it is with these things - and what should have taken half an hour ended up taking about 3 hours and involving both of us!  Never mind, it's just how it goes some days.  A bit more was sorted, tidied away, found new homes for, added to the charity shop pile or put aside for the next trip to the dump.   We are gradually reclaiming the space.

I have finally finished upcycling my old jeans and although they are looking a little thin, they will certainly do another winter at least.  I'm now cutting out the lining for the charity shop curtains we bought a few weeks ago and will press on with that over the next couple of days.  

Our minds are somewhat preoccupied at the moment, waiting for some news which seems to be taking forever to be completed.  It is more than frustrating as we are very much at the whim of other parties and having done everything we have been asked to, and when we have been asked to do it, finding ourselves now having to wait for action elsewhere is becoming extremely tedious, to say the least.  There have been many phone calls and emails recently and our patience is being very sorely tested.  It is beginning to affect us both; our minds are not really on the work we have to do here and we find ourselves struggling to concentrate for any length of time.  Uncertainty can be quite an enemy!

That being said, I'm taking comfort at little achievements and successes - sorting  out a cupboard here; decluttering a drawer there.  The list may be long, but each item crossed off is a step in the right direction.

Not seeking perfection

The tranquility of the sunset last night gave no indication of the electrical storm that was to follow!

Good grief, did we have a storm last night!  Thunder and lightening like I haven't heard and seen for a very long time, and it went on for ages.  The sky was lit up with huge flashes and the thunder rumbled around almost continuously.  And did it rain!   Quite spectacular even if it was the middle of the night.

The tiling has been started.  It's a slow process but the end result is going to be worth it.  And a bit more of the bare plaster is disappearing which is a bonus.

We have finished painting the lounge at last.  I say 'we' because although I usually do the painting, for some reason the paint and I did not get on.  I was getting more than a little frustrating, not being able to do a good job so N offered to try his hand instead.  It's certainly better than my efforts and as we said, there's a number of pictures and paintings to be hung which will hide any imperfections.  I think there were a lesson to be learned there - sometimes, no matter how many times you may have done something before, there is no guarantee that the same job will go right every time.  N and I set ourselves high standards but again, we accept that striving for 'perfection' is often counter-productive.  Aim for the best we can do and be satisfied at a job done to the best of our abilities.  And be willing for someone else to take over if necessary - that's not always easy to do, and is something I need to be more gracious about, I think.

We hung the vertical blinds back in the lounge and have cleaned the greenhouse shading off the windows.  Just some curtains needed - I will keep an eye out for a charity-shop bargain.

This evening we noticed huge numbers of birds circling overhead.  A quick glance at the grass confirmed our suspicions - it's flying ants season.  For just a day or two every summer, the flying ants emerge and the birds gorge themselves.  We have so many ants nests in the lawn the grass was crawling with the insects as they emerged and began flying.  We will have to deal with all these nests over the winter; not sure what the best way to tackle them is but action is definitely needed.

March sun

Today was one of those beautiful Spring days just made for getting out into the garden, which is exactly what we did.  N read, I took a shirt to pieces (as you do!) and we both relaxed and simply enjoyed the warmth of the sun's rays and the beauty of the bird-song around us.