Posts Tagged ‘thrush’

12 February 2010 DIRTY NAILS’ BLOG by Joe Hashman HURRYING SLOWLY, SCHOOL LANE GILLINGHAM, JUST THINKING, THE PRACTICE OF GARDENING

Friday, February 12th, 2010

HURRYING SLOWLY Whilst  nursing a cup of tea first thing, to wake up… …eight pigeons clapper-board in powerful flight, veering right to left. Blackbirds steer low and straight, either directly in line with my seat, head-on or, with an audible whoosh, coming in to sight from behind my head. A pair of blue tits check [...]

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2 February 2010 DIRTY NAILS’ BLOG by Joe Hashman LISTENING TO THE WIND

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

LISTENING TO THE WIND 13.44: Sitting in the dry, on an old bench amid an untidy horde of old carpets, galvanised corrugated sheeting, posts, poles, poles, rocks, plastic bags and general tat. In an old stable, looking out on a cobbled yard which has completely grassed over to the point at which it is now mown. [...]

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31 January 2010 DIRTY NAILS’ BLOG by Joe Hashman BIG GARDEN BIRD WATCH

Sunday, January 31st, 2010

BIG GARDEN BIRD WATCH Have you noticed how many birds there are in the garden at the moment? During the cold weather after New Year we’ve been inundated with blackbirds and other thrushes, tits and finches. Bullfinches, stocky black and pink fellows who show a distinctive white rump when flying away, are as exciting to [...]

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11 January 2010 DIRTY NAILS’ BLOG by Joe Hashman CATS & REDWINGS

Monday, January 11th, 2010

CATS & REDWINGS Life is tough outside for the birds. They’re pretty stupid now with hunger, dopey enough for an approach to be made dangerously close before they lift off to nearby branches. It’s this combination of cold and lack of food which brings them into such easy reach, and who can blame the neighbourhood [...]

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2 January 2010 DIRTY NAILS’ BLOG by Joe Hashman WHILST SITTING ON THE FLATTENED BUTT OF AN ANCIENT POLLARD OAK

Saturday, January 2nd, 2010

WHILST SITTING ON THE FLATTENED BUTT OF AN ANCIENT POLLARD OAK… … a country robin flitted between nine tanalised fence posts which bordered the bottom of an uncut thorny hedge, one-by-one. It surveyed the frozen pasture from the flattened top of each in turn. Jenny wren emerged from a tangle of dead brambles, looked left [...]

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24 October 2009 DIRTY NAILS’ BLOG by Joe Hashman SWEEPING LEAVES

Saturday, October 24th, 2009

Love Lane, a sweeping tongue of asphalt upon which plays a rippling jig of golden leaves. Like fishes in panicked rush when rounded up and attacked by sharks, they catch the mild autumnal teeth of breeze and scamper in somersaulting fashion to rest and settle further down the road. Blackbirds chink in garden hedges, a [...]

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