Rooks, Strawberries and No Butter!

Today we had a rook on the feeder in the garden. This huge, glossy black bird, with pale grey beak swept on to the little table that precariously balances atop the pole that holds the seed feeders. Kim had filled it before heading off to Switzerland (lucky dog) and the usual suspects had all visited, jackdaws, blackbirds, robins, starlings, goldfinches, greenfinches and the chaffinches had marched around the bottom of the pole clearing up the crumbs from the messy starlings. I've never seen a rook land on the table before. I think he had been having a bad feather day - his head was glossy and iridescent, but the feathers on his wings were rather tatty and muddy, poor chap. The rook filled his sabre-like beak and kept an eye on me as I lurked about at the kitchen sink. He was not frightened off when I stepped into the back doorway, but as soon as I made a noise, he flew off; it was a shame really as he was a rather splendid bird.

Yesterday, I went on a quest for cream. The lovely Leanne, as Somerset Seasons had given me instructions on how to make butter and I was keen to try it out. I went into the Coop in Ilminster and they had completely sold out, I went into the local village store in Shepton, and guess what? They had sold out. Sigh. Clearly, looking for double cream on a Monday, when shops probably hadn't re-stocked and in the middle of Wimbledon probably wasn't the brightest thing to do, but hindsight is such a clever thing.

One super find today was a small crop of wild strawberries. I had gone to the house in Crewkerne and was pulling out weeds in an attempt to make the wilderness back into a garden, when I found some little plants, hidden under the weeds, full of tiny strawberries. Each fruit was only about the size of a blueberry (and not a very fat one of those either!), but boy, did they pack a punch! I don't think I have ever tasted anything as strawberry-tastic as these little berries! It was like an oral explosion and I have to admit to wolfing them all - it seemed a waste to leave them for the slugs! As some of the plants had spread into an area that will be walled, I dug up a few plants to bring home. I'm just off to pot them up now and hope that they do as well here.