I am back and logging on again after some absence from the blogosphere. My husband became ill very suddenly and had to be hospitalized.

He is home now and recovering after five days in hospital for treatment and tests. To our immense relief the tests all came back clear, and eventually he responded to treatment for severe head pain. In addition, as he had shoulder surgery a month ago, he endured all that with one arm in a sling.

Due to Covid-19, no hospital visits are permitted and it really brought home to us the awfulness of the isolation from family and friends of patients in hospital during the ongoing pandemic. And just to be clear, my husband tested negative for Covid-19.

Our dog Amy last year logged on in her own way. I hasten to add the cut wood is from an invasive alien tree in our garden

Now that my husband’s health crisis seems to be over and he is recovering slowly I have logged back on. I intend to resume blogging once a week but will see how I go I as my husband continues to need a bit of looking after as he recuperates.

I am really sorry that I have not been able to read other blogs and especially the blogs that I regularly follow. I have missed that and I feel out of touch. I will try to catch up but realistically I probably won’t be able to go that far back in time. However, I do hope that I am able to read at least current blogs as soon as possible.

Bronze mannikins (Lonchura cucullata) on a twig that is just about log-sized for these very small birds

Today we are having wonderfully soft spring rains and we are very fortunate as this is a blessing denied much of the rest of the country, with many regions still suffering  from several years of prolonged drought. But here, as I write this I can hear the clicking calls of river frogs at the pond and the occasional calling of a fiery-necked nightjar.

This female collared sunbird (Hedydipna collaris) perches jauntily while eyeing flowers of a Natal bottle brush (Greyia sutherlandii). It is only the male collared sunbird that sports a ‘collar’

And here she is enjoying nectar from the flowers

Posted by Carol