Brothers

No need to be worried about thunder and lightning when your big brother is near.

Wilf and the baby owl

Thanks for all your interest in the small owls. Here as requested are some pictures of Wilfs little friend the baby owl ( and an entirely gratuitous one of Wilf en route to helping me in the olive groves). The owl pictures aren't going to win any prizes in a photography contest but I didn't want to use the flash and it was getting pretty dark - they don't do the little thing justice. I'll try to get some group shots of them en masse in the courtyard if I can - it's really rather like a scene from a Star Trek episode with all these bizarre ,cross looking little creatures waddling around.

Digbys thought of the day : " We have a choice : to plough new ground or let the weeds grow ".

Any excuse for fun

Every morning bright and early we check the pool to make sure that it's clean, that the water levels are ok and that the pumps are working properly. For me it's just one of those thousand and one routine type things that need to be done every morning. However,for the boyz it is another chance to play. Wilf now has a well perfected summer routine. When I go down to the pool he races off to pick up a ball from the courtyard. He then carefully follows me around with the ball in his mouth and when he's absolutely sure I'm looking he drops the ball with a satisfyingly loud splash into the water.This then means that I have to get the pool net,fish the ball out and then throw it to him. This cycle was repeated seventeen times this morning and was accompanied by joyous squeals, yelps and play barking.
The two boys love to stand close to the edge of the pool ( but not too close in case they should come into contact with water ) staring with all their combined concentration at the ball being hauled out. You need to be a dog owner to understand the laughter that comes from sharing your day with a four footed friend. While you're worrying about everything that needs to be done in the next twelve hours they are focused on living life to the full.

"It's not what you look at that matters,it's what you see"

Digby's thought of the day:"Don't be afraid that your life will end,be afraid that it will never begin!"

Digby's reflection of the day : " It took me a long time not to judge myself through someone else's eyes".

Out by six this morning - another of those wonderful Italian days with the sun already on your face , not a cloud in the sky and the gentlest murmur of a breeze. If ever you want to come to Italy the months straddling late April/early May and late September/early October are the times to come - no hoardes of tourists, no oppressive heat, and no queues. The boyz were on leads this morning to keep them out of the long grass where the vipers have been spotted by the builders. They both seemed to enjoy the security of being walked rather than running wild. It's a national holiday here today - Liberation Day - so everything is closed.

Wild flowers galore and a study in contentment

Since we stopped using insecticides on the land the number of wild flowers and birds has increased dramatically. However, our carefully and expensively nurtured lawns are being taken over by a rather beautiful but prolific wild plant - I think it must be a form of white wild crocus. If anyone knows its name please advise - all hints gratefully received. Wilf is as happy as a dog can be - so far today he has said hello to the lovely post lady,two electricians, five builders and three gardeners - naturally all have been presented with a ball to throw. This afternoon the plumbers are coming and some garden furniture is being delivered so the excitement isn't over yet. Readers of this blog will note from the photographs that as the day progresses the white fur around the mouth gets dirtier and dirtier and the overall coat more and more tangled.