Friday, January 08, 2010

Antics and Surprises on the deck

Our mid-morning cup of tea on the deck took on a new dimension this morning when our regular friendly magpie, Rossini, flew down onto the table to see if we had brought anything for him. A few minutes later his 'wife' paid us a rare visit and they warbled in unison, perched on the back of the chairs.

Evidently Rossini had urgent matters to attend to and flew off, but the 'wife' stayed and was soon joined by Junior Magpie, squawking for a feed. Mother did her best, even trawling through the flowers to get to Junior......anything to shut him up.
"Say 'please' and I'll feed you."

"Still trying to fight my way through this 'undergrowth'"

"There, that should keep you quiet for a while."

"I'll try playing deaf and ignore you."


A short time later Richard was thrilled to discover that two of the Hoyas he had grown from cuttings were not only threatening to overun the deck but had also burst into flower....the first we've seen.




14 comments:

Bernie said...

Great photo's and the Hoya's are really pretty....so nice to see something green again as we are in the middle of dead winter....Hugs

Michelle said...

Hoyas always remind me of Grandma and Grandpa's front porch. Thet were always in flower around this time.......of course. I was never sure if I liked them or not as they looked so plastic like. I think I like them now!!

Kerri said...

Oh those maggies bring back such happy memories of our back yard at Palm Beach. And oh yes, do I remember those squawking baby maggies. What a pain in the neck they were with their incessant begging. Poor mums and dads! And us! And you! Makes you just want to say, "Grow up and go get your own food!"
Love you pictures :)
Believe it or not, I have a tiny hoya just like your red and white one! There are no blooms on it at the moment, but it did flower during the summer.
I need to put it in a bigger pot.
I like the pink one too. Michelle's right - they do look rather like plastic...but pretty plastic :)
I'm amazed at the size of yours. Good on you Richard! Do you feed them?

Ozjane said...

I have almost a football team of crows down here.....they are all ready to be sent off somewhere.....
Must check to see if my hoya is flowering.
Rotten heat on Monday did a great wrecking job ...again.

Puss-in-Boots said...

I have a couple of magpies and babies I feed, too. I love their warbling.

Those are certainly very healthy looking hoyas...they are also called wax flowers and it's easy to see why.

diane b said...

Great shots of mother feeding baby maggie. They are lovely to watch but I don't like the pooh on my chairs. The hoyas are lovely too .I had one once but the tree it climbed died and when it came down it destroyed the hoya. They attract a lot of bees.

RachelD said...

I don't know HOW I missed this post for a week!!! I always look for you, and somehow this one just slipped below the top---I'm delighted to see you, anytime.

We've never had magpies---of course in that great steamy spot that we lived down South, anything's possible---alligators at the door, a snapping turtle in the dark of the patio, etc., so in amongst the starlings (LOUD BIRDS) and the crows (LOUD Bullies) I may have seen some and not recognized.

And the lovely little hoyas---I've never seen those, either. They're like perfect little fancy mints, ready for a special tea.

Best from the snowy Heartland!!

rachel

Marlene Depler said...

I have never seen a Hoya plant and blooms before. Thank you for posting it. And what a story about the magpies!

Self Sagacity said...

Hey, those are hilarious - the ones of the crows! What a capture! Your flower picture is very unique.

Laura in Paris said...

How delightful .. I could hear them ...great shots.

Reflection Through The Seasons said...

Hello Dear Frances....

How lovely to see the family goings on with Mum, Dad & Baby magpie.... but what struck me most of all was that wonderful green vegetation in the background of your pictures.... my heart sighed... I’m longing for spring, the warmth of the sun and fragrance of flowers in the garden. All is looking rather grey right now, but signs of spring are to be seen with green shoots breaking through and pretty clumps of snowdrops.

Richard’s Hoya looks extremely healthy... such pretty flowers.... yes, the pinks ones do look like wax.

Have a great week.... enjoy your season. Love - Marion

Bob West said...

God has greatly gifted you
I enjoyed visiting your blog
God Bless
http://westbob.blogspot.com/2010/02/philippians-46-9-be-anxious-for-nothing.html

Meggie said...

How lucky you are to have the song of the Magpies!
I dearly love Hoyas. My mother gave me one when my son was born. She was disgusted to find it was not in flower- she had used Inter-Flora. It did not flower until my son was 7 years old! But once it began, it seemed to out do itself every year. We gave it to a friend when we moved to Australia, & as far as I know, it is blooming still!

Michelle said...

So have you got another blog then??????????????????