She's French, plastic chairs, new squirrelbird feeder

She came through the post from France. I told her about the man Queen  in England about to get coronationed and his insistence that the entire UK stop whatever they are doing  to pledge allegiance.  She insisted on her own because she is worthy. I do agree. We got some gold wire out of the thing drawer and fashioned a crown for her. This is her pleased as punch, regal expression,  French!
 

The terrible plastic chairs that have dwindled from six to  three, having spent their chair lives being forts and GI Joe barricades and whatever else the kids came up with- been painted three times, this time the paint job is not  acceptable and they will be headed to chair afterlife when this summer ends.  They have existed on the deck for about fifteen years, not bad for cheapo plastic chairs! They are chipped and dinged and the paint job is really horrid up close - they are still great for butts and they did take their fashion sense from the poppies. So, not entirely lame.

I scrubbed the deck with Fabulosa and white vinegar, following Mary Moon's lead. I can only find it at the dollar store - it must be toxic but smells heavenly and takes a year's worth of  bird poo, slime and dirt off in a few thousand swishes. I used a brush as well.

I cleaned the bird feeder but the bottle brush got stuck and  broke everything. Off I went to Ace to get another. All of the bird feeders were poorly designed, our old one came from Audubon. Ace  had cutesy ones that are more for people than for birds. I bought one that is satisfactory until...Oh - look, Dennis fixed the old one ! He is a great fixer of objects- so now we have two bird feeders. The one I bought is very pleasing to the squirrel and the black headed gros beak.Chickadees and finch seem to like the old one better.So , everyone is happy!

The purple finch is not at all purple.

Looks insulted that some one has labeled him purple when clearly he is rose.

Across the cul- de -sac our neighbor's tree is showing off big time. Pity that he travels for work so much so that he is rarely here to enjoy this perfect season of spring.  Well, I say "perfect" but two days of sunshine does not a perfect spring make!  Rain for the next few days, so sayeth the forecast Lord. I am pretty much over the dark rain and the chill to the bone weather- besides I got too happy about the sunshine and put my woolly layers away.  Tricked ever bloody year, I never learn. Fool me once, fool me twice, fool me all the time every time....

Finches having a natter over lunch. 

So that's that, Prince Charles and Camilla will not be watched in this house as we find them unprepossessing, particularity the notion of  Tampon Prince and the  Rottweiler , as is their love story. We will celebrate the Queen of France, however. Long may she reign. Canada is thinking hard about why the hell they give billions of dollars to the
"Empire", especially now that the real queen is gone. I wonder that too.