The January sun shines brightly upon the pale greensand walls of Duncliffe Manor. The quiet of the day is broken by the sound of a battered Volvo estate car that draws up at the front door, and the Duke and Duchess, just returned from London, descend and enter the house causing a flurry of activity as orders are given, lunches are prepared and bedrooms made ready.
The robin is always by my side, especially in the winter when he is hungry! His melancholic song is always a delight.
I dream of having a photo-lens but have to make do with a kit 50mm lens for the moment. Nevertheless this robin was quite content to come near when I threw a few seeds down. He did not mind the sound of the shutter falling at all.
A mistle thrush has taken residence in the holly tree by the black gates. Larger than a song thrush, she has a grey-brown back and a white under-belly with large black spots. She dines on the berries of the holly and a near-by pyracantha and she defends her territory vigorously: nobody else is going to pinch food from her store larder. Even in the most torrential of wind and rain she will sit astride her chosen tree singing her song, earning her the nick-name of ‘storm cock’.
The Duke has been given a mobile phone for Christmas, a desperate attempt by his family to bring him into the modern times. He always swore that he would never have one but now he has rather taken to it. You can see him through the library window, pacing up and down, sending text messages to all and sundry. He refuses though to use abbreviations and insists on proper grammar and vocabulary. ‘How do you do inverted commas?’ he asks, but no-one’s quite sure.
Cook informs me that the Duchess has taken to her bed with a mountain of travel brochures. A cruise down the Amazon is on the cards apparently…
What stunning robin photos. I love robins, but there again I expect every gardener does, there is something bewitching about having one as a companion when you are out there, even though they are only hovering around for what they can get worm-wise!
Well, you’re doing amazingly well with that lens – those pictures are fantastic. I can never get that close. I have to say that the robin (it is probably more than one but I can’t tell as it is always solitary) in my garden is my favourite avian visitor. Have a good weekend!
Hi, it took a little patience for the robin to come close, some robins are bolder than others, they will feed out of your hand if you are still and patient, i was surprised he did not mind the sound of the shutter….
Amazing pictures, indeed. A fine feathered friend that you have made there! The birds in our garden are unlikely to come close enough for pictures once we unleash the cats on the garden in a couple of weeks!
Hello Sara, yes the cats can be a real nuisance at times, do you put bells around their necks i wonder, it seems a little cruel but….
I hope someday you can compile these posts someday to make a memoir about the manor and being a gardener there. They are wonderful to read.
Hello Susan, yes i would love to put it all together one day…thanks for believing in me….
Like the Duke, I also use proper grammar when I text 🙂 Your robin is SO delightful! Makes me think of the robin in “The Secret Garden.”
Hello Ginny, not surprisingly the ‘Secret Garden’ was an influence in my childhood and inspired me to take up gardening, …i have always been fond of robins…
And wasn’t that house called Misselthwaite?
Hello D, yes i believe it was!
How the other half live! To be honest whilst a trip down the Amazon is very appealing I think I would be just as happy if not happier working in the grounds
Think your robin photos are fab. I have a friendly robin but only a point and click camera and as soon as it appears the robin disappears
Hello Helen, yes the other half do live well! The secret of that photo is to find the territory of a robin… sit very still with your head covered and not look around….put a few seeds down, focus your camera on the seeds…you will hear the robin come by the flutter of his wings…dont look up….and then when he is in place shoot with the camera…
Why Mr. Ben Weatherstaff I believe . . . though I doubt he was as great a writer as you Michael. I love that little robin our robins are so different . . . not so cute as yours. I do love them too. Just working on a post about feeding them too. Mine are not so friendly as yours either. Wonderful photos Michael!
Thank you Carol, i have seen photos of American robins, probably on your post, they look gorgeous too….
Michael your posts always bring a smile and a feeling of other worldliness…your robin is completely delightful and so much sweeter looking than what we have here in Texas! Have a great weekend!
Thank you Cat, and i hope you have a wonderful weekend too…
I just love the story you told about the Duke and Duchess, even only their routine daily lives, the British royalty always a fascinating subject. Not forgetting that beautiful good friend of yours, the robin who looked fantastic under your lens!
thank you so much, the robin has certainly won over everyones heart!
Hi Mike – so glad camera and computer are talking again and what a testament to your Robin images. Did not know the folk name for Mistle Thrush but was pleased to see one in a London square a short while back. How are you on Song thrushes? All but gone from here.
Laura
p.s. sure you know there are companies which will print your blog as a book though your writings are more worthy of the big, glossy coffee table kind.
Hello Laura, we have a few song thrushes but certainly not as many as before….I do love their vibrant song in the spring…
I love the orange on the robin! It is stunning.
Hello Mike, yes you really had me going there. Recently I had a visit to my blog from a friend of Autumn, the Canadian girl who married Peter the son of princess Anne. Now you had me googling Duncliffe Manor. Ah well, I get you now and love your storytelling and those fantastic pictures. Thanks for the visit to aberdeengardening. Have to go Dame Mirabella is calling for her mug of tea and her rich tea.
Thank you Alistair for visiting, I can assure you that everything is real but just sort of jumbled up to provide privacy….and names have been changed…have enjoyed your site too..hope Dame Mirabella is enjoying her tea and biscuit!
The robin is beautiful! Now, I wonder why it has such thin wiry legs.
Hello Autumn Belle, good to hear from you…I guess the bird is so light, just a few grammes it only needs thin legs which keeps its weight down…everything is finely balanced…
That robin was posing for you, Mike! He liked your seeds! He looks different from our robins, and I like this bright cheerful orange color…. As for the mobil phone… well, if the Duke got one, I think I could be next.
hello Tatyana…I am not sure the Duke would see himself as a trend-setter but he does seem to be enjoying the mobile phone….