Nature 101 and a birthday

Anyone who knows me knows I'm a bit of a nature nut. I can sit for hours and watch ants carry food home or birds bathing in puddles. It's a great way to waste time. So imagine my thrill a few weeks ago when a Willy Wagtail decided my knee was a great perch to spy bugs from. I was weeding the lawn at the time and stirring up all sorts of creepy crawlies. He really made my day. And then on the weekend we had such glorious weather I went and sat on the back lawn soaking it up. Who should pop in but Mr Wagtail. He never touched me this time , just hopped around my legs, and came right up to my fingers. Just jokingly I said to him 'are you waiting for me to stir up some bugs?' and ran my fingers along the grass. And he followed my hand. Cos I wasn't doing anything anyway, I thought I might as well find some for him. So head down, bum up and fishing through the grass like a junkie from a gangsta movie I searched for bugs. DS 5 thought I'd lost the plot, searching for bugs is a boy thing!!
Anyway we gathered a heap of bugs up and placed on the sacrificial altar (aka a piece of brick) , with their butts squished so they didn't wander off. Almost immediately Willy swooped down, filled his beak and took off. And was back in no time hopping around us both waiting for more. And oblige we did, he was picking them off as we were putting them on. So brazen. He wouldn't take them from our hand but some bugs never hit the brick he was soo close. DS tried a couple of times to touch him but he'd fly up to the fence, flash his eyebrows and chitty chat at us. It was really amazing how he had no fear of us, how he trusted us to give him this food. Would've been the easiest pay day he'd had I tell ya. In some sweeps he had 5 or 6 bugs in his mouth, I'd say he's got chicky's in a nest and took the bugs back to them. I just love this stuff - Shaun calls me Dr Harry (Better Homes and Gardens) in his dry, sarcastic way. Mr Wagtail hasn't been back, probably full up, or maybe we've exhausted the bug supply, we did sacrifice a few. LOL!!
And the more exciting news!!My baby turned 1!! Oh, where has this year gone???
Cake shots - Little piggy polished off two big chunks of cake. I think it's his first cake ever actually. How sad is that?? I'm such a naughty mummy!! He had a low key sorta day, blew up a heap of balloons, sat him in the middle and he was set - instant party.

So we're off to Bali on Friday, bit excited, a lot scared. Not of Bali so much but of not enjoying myself. Who's bright idea was it to take all the kids? Oh that's right, NOT MINE!! LOL, I'm sure they'll be too excited to be naughty! See you when we return!!

Cheers