Close Encounters

I was going to post some pictures of beautiful rose hips, but I still can't find time to go to the Heritage and shoot some more of them, so for now, here are some pictures of fast moving objects from my garden.



Sometimes in the afternoon, if all the chores are done, I take a book, a cup of tea and the camera to the patio.



I sit quietly, hardly moving at all and not making any noise.



After a while, curious creatures start stirring all around me, coming closer and closer. All I have to do is zoom in on them carefully and click away.



Here is our resident hummingbird, The Boss.



 Sometimes I think wistfully it must be a different bird from last year because it seems more afraid of camera clicks. It is not afraid of us though.



One evening when my husband joined me on the patio with a glass of red wine, which must have looked like nectar to a hummer, the Boss swooped angrily at my husband diving inches away from his face and spilling the wine. Now we only drink beer outside, which has not yet met with any disapproval :)



I have become extremely careful about sticking my nose inside a rose bloom for a sniff.



You never know who might be staring back at you from inside. Some of them are not at all happy about sharing.

And I am not at all happy about sharing my roses with some of them, such as this impudent cucumber beetle (below). I have had a bad infestation this year, and my fingers are tired of squishing these pests. Fortunately, they seem to prefer roses to vegetables, so my cucumbers, tomatoes and eggplant have been doing well. 

As I am watching my visitors, they are watching me. We have many lizards in the garden, and they are shy, but curiosity still gets the better of them :)

Sparrows are frequent visitors too. They remind me of small boys: cheeky, curious, loud and fast. Here now and gone in an instant.