This morning we saw a female with a juvenile. Most of his/her red cap has gone but he/she is still being fed. Mum on left.
And then this male (Dad?) turns up alone.
It seems we could be inundated with Greater Spotted Woodpeckers this year just like the Cuckoos! This house has such an attraction to birds it's amazing!
And the flurry of activity yesterday was halted early as we had to go into Salisbury but I did find a lovely book on the architectural oddities of the city, something I have often said to John I would like to photograph. Now it has been done for me.
So far I drew a cartoon out on flip chart paper, sourced some photos and then transferred some of the cartoon onto freezer paper. In the Jan Messent book she did a lovely pieced and hand stitched hanging of St Cuthbert. I liked the concept and found a local story to use myself. We have a 12th c church ruin near us that is set in a Bronze Age barrow and there is a tale that the devil stole the church bell and threw it in the river. The local people harnessed up white oxen to pull it out but didn’t succeed. I will be filling the blank spaces with the church, the pulling scene and the ruin. Well that’s the theory! I have the sketches I just have to trace them out.
I have started the top panel already using calico, silk threads and wool wadding. A least it is portable and should keep me quiet for a while. It is 18 x 36 inches in total but I'm doing the panels separately.
