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Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Bon Voyage Harry!

Today is a special day because Baby Harry has taken his first steps (or slithers) into the big wide world. Here are some photos he posed for this morning.



This illustrates his size. I said I'd release him when he grew to the size of a nasturtium seed but, as you can see, I put it off until he reached the size of a pea.



Here he is chomping on a fresh dandelion leaf



Hi there big boy!

At half-past eight tonight Charlotte and I said our goodbyes to Harry and took his jar from the shed into the garden. Whispering a short prayer, we released him on to a cherub statuette under the Angelica. We decided to let him go in the evening while it was cool and damp. As the saying goes, the world is now his oyster...... or the garden at least, full of abundant greens and minerals. From the tiny dot I first encountered on my kitchen worktop, it was wonderful to see him skimming over the surface of the cherub like Stirling Mollusc...... way to go Harry!




To all the humble beasts there be,
To all the birds on land and sea,

Great Spirit sweet protection give,

That free and happy they may live!


John Galsworthy

15 comments:

  1. He looks so sweet. I'm sure he'll go out there and really make something of himself.

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  2. Best of luck Harry.
    You could have painted some go faster stripes on his shell. Stirling Mollusc!! He certainly knows how to pose for the camera.
    How are the "love birds" doing?
    I do like that header pic.
    John

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  3. Will reply to you both tonight..... rushing off out to mum and dad's....... :)

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  4. Lesley,

    you should have put a bit of luminous paint or a bit of nail varnish on so you can recognise him from a distance. We did that on one years ago and you could track it round the garden then one day it just vanished. Proabably a starter for some passing Thrush.

    John

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  5. Thanks Joy.... and I'm sure he'll produce lots of offspring too! :O)

    Hi John. Harry's feminine side objected to speed stripes. :) I've only seen one of the robin chicks with its mum being fed. It's grown amazingly fast, already has the beginnings of a red breast and can fly well. The header picture looks good up there, doesn't it. :) Phil did identify the moth, but I can't remember the name now. I'll have another look and post it here.

    Hi Codder John. I've heard of people marking snails' shells with nail varnish so they could keep track of them. I didn't want to do that in case I encountered him at a later date in grisly circumstances! He's in the hands of Mother Nature now. :)

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  6. Re: the moth in header picture. This was Phil's reply.

    ".....it looks like a green longhorn moth Adela reamurella (but there are several closely related, very similar species)... "

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  7. Hi Lesley,
    Had a look at that species/family of Moths and there are quite a few. I didn't see an exact match but that is definitely the family.
    John

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  8. Good luck, little Harry! And don't forget your foster mom!

    Lesley, you must go check out Gone Walkabout and see where her little wren friend decided to nest:

    http://teri-gonewalkabout2.blogspot.com/2010/06/opportunitst.html

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  9. Hi John. I didn't realise how many species of moths there are until I started googling for them!

    Thanks Ethelmae, I went over to Teri's blog and what a lovely post that is! :D

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  10. Ahh baby Harry Lesley! He's growing up! Its never easy to see a snail get a teenage attitude and move on. Don't you worry, he'll get a job! Just don't expect to many letters or even money. Snails are notoriously slow in writing!

    Love the new layout to!

    I take it that you've got all your ink-jets working now to?

    I also just want to say how much I appreciate all your comments that you've given me for well over a year now Lesley. Seriously, I do appreciate them. I write for nobody but me and never know who gets it! I write from every emotion and from every outlook, no matter how obscure or real, so I know that I can never be that constant in forming an opinion?!
    Your obviously such a good hearted woman and it makes a part of me smile to know that somebody like yourself finds the time, over a cup of tea, to read me.
    Thank you so very much.

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  11. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  12. Hi Gf. ".....Just don't expect to many letters or even money."
    In that case I think our sons must have gastropodic tendencies also! :O)

    I had great fun mucking about with the template and trying all the variations. Yep, I finally got my finger out (or my debit card!) and bought some new inkjets.

    "...it makes a part of me smile to know that somebody like yourself finds the time, over a cup of tea, to read me."
    It's I who should thank you.... you save me a fortune in magazines and far better quality reading too! :D

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  13. I had to remove the previous post as I mucked up the html when highlighting your comments... got it right second-time round though. :D

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  14. Harry, love the name btw, has grown so much,you have nurtered him well, he was so tiny when you first found him.
    Nice that you and Charlotte have relocated him to the greener pastures of your garden ... I'm sure he will love exploring and they don't expect or eat much.
    'All creatures great and small' ... xoxo ♥

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  15. Hi Dianne. I still wonder about him sometimes and hope that he is doing well. :)

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