As the spring turned to summer we noticed a pair of blackbirds flying into and out of our balcony with increased frequency. Early mornings and evenings they would appear with something in their beaks. Following the trail led us to a nest well hidden in one of our olive trees. It became quite noisy as the young ones started crying for food. This week the babies left the nest and have been hopping around the balcony with very anxious parents looking on and this morning one of the babies appeared amongst the hydrangeas in the courtyard to our surprise, four storeys below ... mother on hand looking on.
So this year has been more successful than last year when the eggs were stolen from the nest down in the courtyard, probably by a rat, maybe a fox. While not as dramatic as playing with Bonobos, watching the migration in Kenya or dancing in India at the Holi festival it is still very special and not bad at all for central London!
Julie and Adam
Blackbirds in Bermondsey - 11 July 2010
Elephant Parade London - 4 July 2010
If you have been in London over the past weeks, you will have seen some amazing painted Elephants all over the City and West End. These are there for a serious purpose; to raise awareness of the plight of Asian Elephants in the wild. The main charity The Elephant Parade is supporting is www.elephantfamily.org and you can find out more about father and son team's The Elephant Parade at www.elephantparade.com.
As well as raising awareness, the campaign concluded with a series of on-line and live auctions over the past week or so. Elephants are animals that we never grow tired of and yesterday we went along to support the charity.
It was a lovely day in London, the clouds were amazing, and it was slightly strange to see hundreds of bright elephants all lined up inside the grounds of the Chelsea Hospital.
Some were really bright and whacky, others ornate, yet again others taking their inspiration from nature itself.
And the detail on some was amazing!
One elephant stood out distinctively; it was made of a clever metal mesh and was stunning:
We both were surprised by the good weather (London can be great!!!) and the amazing designs and really got stuck in.
Anyway, the serious point of the afternoon was raising funds for the charity supporting the plight of the Asian elephant. A chap from Sotherby's did the auction and he really worked the room. The organisers, charity, sponsors, supporters and most importantly the Elephants should be very proud.
We did some bidding and spurred along by the real commitment and passion shown by The Elephant Family charity and The Elephant Parade organisation (and helped by a couple of glasses of wine) we were successful in that we are now the very proud owners of two elephants! We will post pictures of these when they arrive home but we are really pleased.
What a fabulous way to raise awareness and money for a really important cause.
Can you imagine a world without Elephants?
Julie and Adam