It is the smallest moments in my life that give me the greatest joy.
Splitting wood is meditative work, the physical act of chopping the wood into bits is satisfying and time up at the woodpile is always time well spent.
There is always something to distract me once I am outside and time slows down and becomes fluid, as the birds hop about the woodpile looking for their breakfast.
Dusky Robins and Grey Shrike Thrushes have learned that we mean food and it only takes three or four loud thwocks of the axe biting into the wood, to alert the birds to the fact that an easy meal is up for grabs.
Within minutes I have an audience, perched on the fence and on the handles of the wheelbarrow, all waiting for the insects I will disturb.
The Dusky Robins are the bravest and one little bird has become so fearless that yesterday morning I had to gently shoo her off the log I was trying to split.
I have filmed the Robins and once time permits I will pop up a short little video.
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Great capture – what a lovely little bird!
Ooohhh. Oh I want that one in MY yard… So dainty. I have feeders up, I’ll have to get Dan to post some of the birds I have. Right now I have been feeding mostly Yellow Headed Blackbirds, Great Pic’s
I love it. I’ve always found birdwatching to be soothing, and can’t imagine having my own little audience waiting for a meal. Too cute.
What a sweet and clever wee birdie 😉
The clarity in the photo is fantastic, if I didn’t know better I swear he is posing especially for it. Just so so beautiful. My husband who works the land finds great joy in his daily interaction with his feathered friends, how lovely for him that joy is in his work, surrounded by nature.
My father finds great solace with wood, he is too old now to do big deal wood chopping but he spends hours and hours and hours (much to the annoyance of my mother) in the greenhouse cutting kindling into exact lengths for our open fire. He arrives, with laboured breathing due to a lung condition, acquired apparently from a bout of whooping cough or maybe measles it is not known in childhood which has sat at the bottom of his lungs to appear in his late seventies causing him a lot of difficulty breathing, he walks slowly to the back of the car, lifts out boxes of kindling normally when we are out, and we return to find even more boxes piled carefully by the front door. Its very very good and he always worries that we have too much (which in truth we have) they are everywhere, the shed is full, in fact everywhere is full of them, but I cannot bear to say enough is enough, there is only so many sticks to be had. I would give them away but our neighbours have all blocked off their fireplaces and prefer a different way of life to us. However, I love them, he finds great calm in this ‘work’ as he names it and I will never ever say no more.
I was crap at chores as a child (I know now that it was because of the EDS) and one of the few I could do was chop the kindling, I was probably far too young to have my little axe but I loved that chore. My poor sister would get all the heavy work and hated me for apparently getting off lightly. So I understand my fathers need (even if he is a little OCD with having to have the lengths exactly the same, thats OK if it makes him happy).
So I totally get the whole chopping of wood thing, totally and agree with your sentiments and agree wholeheartedly Kim. Nowadays, I would like to sit nearby being a pathetic creature these days and sit quietly not watching you do it but to smell the wood, to watch the birds, to drink in the ambience. I think perhaps it is a better form of therapy than Prozac or similar and should be actively prescribed to townies suffering from pavement overload……
The small things make my day. And that is one beautiful, restorative bird. Thanks
Indeed it is the little things that mean the most. I spend ages watching the wrens, honeyeaters and robins in the grevilleas outside my craft room window. Very seldom catch the little blighters on film though ;-( Saw a new bird the other day which may be shrike but until I see it again cannot be sure – I now have a bird book so that I can identify more of our feathered visitors. Of course what I’m supposed to be doing (making my Christmas cards) isn’t proceeding with any speed at all lol!
Life was meant to be a balance of work & play..Sometimes you get it(the balance) when outsidedoin chores, taking pictures, chopping wood, pullin weeds.. & sometimes it’s when you have just cooked a Huge meal for the kids, grandkids..& the smallest climbs up & asks you to read a story. He reaches up, touch’s you cheek & says with complete sincerity…”I Love You Nanny”.. He really means it…oh yeah, it is the small things..
That’s a robin? He’s so cute! Almost cuddly.
Oh she is gorgeous! Not at all like the robin red-breasts we have here. (who are also gorgeous!)
xx
She is lovely. Great shot. I could use a woodpile to work on right now – it must be good for de-stressing?
love it.
And you.
Thinking of you today
Very cute! Great shot too. Brave little birdie 😉
How did you get such a good focus on the bird and the bark? That picture attracted me right to this post! Thanks for sharing 🙂