Saturday May 7th
A large and if I didn’t know better, pregnant, red robin has made her new home in a gardenia bush that faces my office window. The plant sits in a large tub against the turquoise wall of the secret garden, it is neither large nor small but seems an extraordinary home for a bird, given the number of enormous trees around us. It is true that squirrels are building nests in the trees too, one oak is home to a swarm of wasps every summer, and perhaps they are not the safest of places. I wouldn’t know about any of this except Mrs. Robin screams at me each time I open the glass door to the outdoors. She flies into the air screeching and then flies towards me wings flapping. Finally, out of breath she sits on the top of the ten-foot wall and stares at me, screeching her distress, so with some relief I left her and rounded the corner to find the first blooming agapanthus of several years sitting in large pots by the back door.
The agapanthus buds were just beginning to form on the end of the tall stems, and I looked at them in delight having never expected them to flower after all these years. These hardy African plants, ubiquitous in Southern California, have large blue or white blossoms the size of a small football on long stems that bend in the wind, they are elegant enough without flowers and I have become used to their greenness. They were a gift several years ago and I dutifully planted them, knowing they probably wouldn’t get enough sun on our shady hillside, but today a handful of flowers are finally emerging. I find it satisfying that nature never fails to surprise me, even after all these years, although it might have something to do with our weather becoming hotter and drier. The wind has picked up again, birdsong diminishes although I shall keep an eye on Mrs. Robin and whatever she is up to outside my office window.
Friday May 20th
Mother Robin has become accustomed to her nest and no longer flies at the few human intruders to the secret garden but when she was gone for a minute this morning, I peered into her nest and saw four, tiny, bright turquoise eggs waiting to hatch. Nature is astonishing, isn’t it?
