Birds are becoming active

Leaving the house yesterday, I saw a downy woodpecker on the suet feeder, not an unusual sight for winter, but I'm starting to see and hear birds that remind me that spring is on the way. The cheery call of a Carolina wren greeted me this morning, and later, I surprised a female bluebird near the big oak tree in front.

She's the first bluebird I've seen in our garden, although we have many breeding pairs in the botanical garden's meadows. I think we'll try moving the bluebird house on the old Pawlonia to a more attractive spot!

Poking around in the leaf litter in the perennial beds, shoots of spring bulbs are well up, and fresh rosette growth is starting to appear. Hooray!

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Old-World Mixed with Modern

We love the blue-green walls with parquet floors, the mix of light woods and dark leathers in the furnishings, and the enameled light fixtures. -Apartment Therapy

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Bright and Bold Living Room

This colorful room is from architect Scott Weston's home in Sydney, Australia. Love the amazing bookcase and ottoman. Photo from Vogue Living Sept/Oct 2004 and All Things Bright and Beautiful

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Summery, Coastal Style Home

We had chosen the turquoise linen for the sunroom, but when I walked through the dining room and held the sample up to the wall, we both said, "That's it!" The turquoise brightened even the grayest of February days. It has great impact and sets a tone for the colors throughout. Turquoise on tinted linen wall fabric from Quadrille.

Beaded dinner plates from Ballard Designs are topped with striped salad plates from Target. Vintage turquoise sugar pot from Ruzzetti and Gow. Turquoise goblets and flatware from Ballard Designs. -From House Beautiful

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On Bugs ...

Does Blogger have a new bug? A while back, when I was working on another of my Blogger sites I suddenly realised the back button on my toolbar wasn't working. I could click on all the links, but could never get back to the previous page. On other sites it was fine - no problems at all. I didn't really have time to think about it at that moment, so mentally filed it away under "to be investigated" and went on to other things.

And then the other day, I realised it had happened to this site too. (Go on - try it. You're trapped ...) So I started to look at other sites, and lo and behold, other Blogger sites were doing the same thing. Carol, May Dreams Gardens seemed to have got the bug - but I've just checked again and it's fine today. Yolanda Elisabet, Bliss in the Netherlands is affected too. But it's not every Blogger site. Some others seem fine.

For a while I wondered if it was my computer. But no, I tried on another and the same thing happened.

Does anyone know what's going on, and how we fix it? It's a b***** nuisance, both when you're trying to work on the site and when you're trying to read it. So if you are stuck here, my apologies. I didn't set the trap, I promise.

Whilst on the subject of bugs, if you read this blog last year you'll know I was plagued by (read obsessed by) caterpillars for much of 2007. How can they eat so much and do so much damage and avoid predators at the same time. So when I found this David Attenborough clip the other day, I couldn't help but watch. The BBC has opened a series of channels on My Space, and are inviting people to post them to their own sites. So, The Balcony Garden brings you (legally) David Attenborough and the sneakiest caterpillar in the world. The amazing thing is the complexity of the programming that must exist in the miniscule blob of protoplasm that makes up the brain of this tiny creature ...

PS - but an important one : Remember the Garden Blogger's 2008 Carnival? You're still in time to show your appreciation of one of the blogs which you enjoy by nominating it for next week's carnival. It's a great way to say thank you. Click on the link for details.

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Cool, Sophisticated Bedroom

The Master Bedroom is a study in cool, sophisticated glamour. Crisp whites combined with robin's egg blue and chocolate brown provide a an atmosphere of calm. Jonathan Adler headboard and benches are from Hazelnut and the bed linens are from Leontine Linens. The graphic brown and blue rug by Angela Adams gives the room its edge. -From Bayou Contessa

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A Chic, Modern Kitchen

Pale blue works well in this chic, modern kitchen. Unexpected accessories like a vampy black chandelier and sculptural stools keep things fresh.

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