We’re gutting the garden at the moment, as you can see with the mounds of garden sand all over the place. What you don’t see are trenches all over the place for the irrigation system.
Needless to say the dogs are extremely happy with all of this, they’re not though when they have to be locked up in their kennel while the workers are around during most of the day!
I’ve just let them out when I took these pictures so you can imagine their “enthusiasm” for being let out! Bulls in china shops is a vast understatement! 🙂
Comments
Turmoil in the garden
You have cute dogs.
Turmoil in the garden
Right outside my dining room window, about an hour ago….a mother rabbit just gave birth to babies. She covered them up in the nest she had built out of her fur and leaves and just scampered off to go get something to eat and I’m sure she’ll be back to nurse them again in awhile….
Adorable…..
Thinker in the USA
Turmoil in the garden
Hehe cute, they look very happy :).
Re(1): Turmoil in the garden
[quote]I’m sure it’s a relatively simple exercise to get a permit to visit the south of the island, never bothered to find out though. [/quote]
Apologies for my ignorance, Mahmood, but why do you need a permit to visit part of your own country?
Ash
Re: Turmoil in the garden
[quote]In Europe, I don’t think there are as many wild animals. Somebody told me that is because during wars…they ate them…but that may be the rantings of a nut. [/quote]
It varies a lot. In some countries you’ll find all sorts of wildlife, including plenty of large animals like caribou, wild boar, wolves etc. In others, the bigger wild animals have been killed off. For example, the last British wolf was killed in Scotland in 1911. But there are lots of smaller creatures. I live near a big urban park and regularly see all sorts of birdlife (including herons and cormorants), foxes, squirrels, rabbits, wild mink, water voles, moles (well, molehills anyway) and so on. There are even otters living here, right in the city, though I’ve only seen them on TV. In the countryside we also have very large numbers of wild deer (several different species), wild ponies, badgers, etc.
Re(2): Turmoil in the garden
military training ground most of it, the other is a protected desert area.
Re(1): Turmoil in the garden
Mahmood
There is a popualtion of Indian Moongoose running around the Island. Cute but vicious creatures.
Re(2): Turmoil in the garden
I’ve seen those of course, and grass snakes and other assorted things that I would not want to get near… I remember our old german shephard Sam chasing one in the old compound we lived in and it almost tore Sam’s face off! Vicious is an understatement.
Re: Turmoil in the garden
That is unbelievable! Living in Bahrain you forget about wildlife as if we don’t have any. Thinking on it, we actually don’t in the traditional sense, unless you count insects and birds wildlife, but cute furry things I don’t think we have… at least I’ve never seen any here. Bahrain is like one big urban area.
The bottom half of the island however I’ve never been to so I don’t really know what there is other than what I heard – which could essentially be just rumours.
Re: Turmoil in the garden
This morning we had 2 Deer in the front yard, 5 Turkeys doing what turkeys do and Mr. and Mrs Donald Duck in the swimming pool acting like it was their own private pond. One rabbit chomping on something (my plants I am sure!) and a Red Fox stalking all involved. We have 2 Hawks and a Bald Eagle hanging around the neighborhood, as well as a few Turkey Vultures. They are HUGE birds with 5+ feet of wingspan. This place is like “Wild Kingdom” so come on over Mahmood and feel free to absorb the wildlife.
Re(1): Turmoil in the garden
bloody hell, where is your house? the savanah? 😉
Re(2): Turmoil in the garden
We are surrounded by public and private conservation and reservation land which is a blessing. I think all total close to 700 acres of open pasture, woodlands and various mini lakes and marshes. Thank goodness we have a few dozen Bats living around to keep the biting bugs down in the summer.
Re(3): Turmoil in the garden
we have bats! at least in the old house and they come swooping all around the front garden at dusk.. haven’t seen any in the new house yet, but maybe in late summer/begining autumn they’ll come around.
hang on a minute, we DO have wildlife, we just need to record the bloody things before they disappear. that documentary idea is getting more real and important now, just need some money and production equipment and staff to get it done… hmmmm… sounds like plan! 🙂
Re(4): Turmoil in the garden
[quote]just need some money and production equipment and staff to get it done… hmmmm…[/quote]
I will pledge 20 BD towards the project. Anyone else?
Turmoil in the garden
The south of the island is fantastic, there are or were gazelle and jerboa plus lots of thub lizards. I used to go there with my father when he was surveying the island. There are a number of cool houses there to rest in during the mid day sun. They are tall, narrow with both ends open and in line with the prevailing wind. They are painted white. Who needs A/C.
By the way how is your father getting on?
Turmoil in the garden
Yes….but now we won’t go out our back door because we don’t want to disturb the babies. They have tiny little feet by the way. Oh….and we won’t be able to mow the lawn for I don’t know how long. We are softhearted and have been throwing asparagus out the back door for the mother but so far she hasn’t eaten any.
I also have a rare breed of squirrels in my small yard. But I haven’t seen any babies in a few years.
But no lions….hehe. Only little furry things.
In Europe, I don’t think there are as many wild animals. Somebody told me that is because during wars…they ate them…but that may be the rantings of a nut.
I think its because the country is so young.
Turmoil in the garden
Oh, my last post was ‘thinker’ again.
Wow you guys do have wildlife….Gazelles….wow!
Re: Turmoil in the garden
One thing I have got to start working on is my dream of producing a wildlife documentary covering the south of the island and its various flora and fauna. I’ve only seen one wildlife documentary on Bahrain on National Geographic, there might have been more but I have not seen them.
We need to do this actually for the whole Middle East as it seems none of us are bothered with the rich wildlife (even in the various deserts) that we have.
I’m sure it’s a relatively simple exercise to get a permit to visit the south of the island, never bothered to find out though.
Re: Turmoil in the garden
As Tony has said above, we do have some sort of wildlife, but unfortunately there seems to be very little in way of documentation or documentaries to tell people all about it.
Re(5): Turmoil in the garden
that should pay for the first couple of days teabags while the production staff peruse the papers! 🙂
joking aside, if I were to do something like this, I would be talking in the tens of thousands to get a proper thing done. sure it could be done on a shoe-string, but I doubt it will have the required quality that would be acceptable to the internationals like NatGeos and Discoveries.
Turmoil in the garden
On my last stroll through Juffair I counted 11 stray dogs in ONE empty lot. Cats are more difficult to count, they are really shy! Now, that’s wild life in the city!
I’m resisting the urge to say something about the unscrupulous owners who leave these animals behind…
P! (feeling the trip home creep closer and closer…. and getting panick attacks regularly now)
Turmoil in the garden
Hi Mahmoud:
I’ve been reading your blog for a long time now, but will finally respond to one of your postings. I live in northern Idaho state in the U.S., on 20 beautiful forested mountainous acres, and we have LOADS of deer around the house; I listen to the coyotes every night (but rarely see them); all of northern Idaho seems to drop off their unwanted cats near us, so I have a very large cat population (about half are still feral and just hang around for the food, the other half now live in the house and consider me their private property–it’s great in the winter when the snow hits, and I wake up with 20 cats laying on top of me–better than any down comforter for warmth–but the food bill is horrendous!). I also have 24 chickens (free-range, but I guess I can’t really count them as wildlife). The assorted chipmunks, very few mice or moles any more (the advantage of a large cat population), and a family of skunks who this past winter discovered the cat door in my back door, so now if I get up in the middle of the night, I must be careful to check that I don’t scare a “striped cat” on the way to the bathroom! Ahhhh, the joys of living in the midst of the great outdoors ;).
Alinna
Re: Turmoil in the garden
Where do I sign up Alinna? I want to emigrate NOW and experience your lovely way of life for myself before its too late! Sounds very idyllic and quaint!
Turmoil in the garden
As I look out of my Study’s window, I see three workers who’ve been here all day (it’s 4.30pm now) trowling the 170 TONNES of sand they brought into the garden so far and I’m beginning to think that the actual count is 100 tonnes of rocks and the remainder sand, judging by the amount of rocks they have taken out so far! If anyone needs to build a house and needs rocks for their foundation, please give me a call in a hurry!
They’ve also finish all the infrastructural work for the irrigation system, we now have about 75 pipes poking out of the ground waiting to be connected to sprinklers, and about the same number on the edges for drip lines all around.
Once they finish both of the above jobs it will be time to mix the compost (truckloads of it as well) with the remainder of the sand, then finally start planting things.
I miss hearing the birds. They have emigrated since we started this whole thing, but as we have some green parrots nesting in the rafters, at least there is something other than dogs barking we can listen to early in the morning.
It’ll be at least another 3 – 5 months before we’re approximately settled with the garden. Maybe then I’ll post some “before and after” shots.
Turmoil in the garden
Those Green Parrots are AWESOME birds to have around. Not sure of the proper name of them but someone told me they are Portuguese in origin.
Turmoil in the garden
I live in a metropolitan area of over 16 million people, Southern California, and I am 10 miles from the nearest wild land bits… and we have coyotes roaming our suburban streets. If you are near the local hills (about 7 – 10 miles east), add mule dear and mountain lions to the count. Black Bears in the local mountains. Bald eagles at the delta of the Santa Ana river.
My friends in urban Los Angeles have squirrels, but I don’t in Orange.
smiles, jen ;o)
Re(1): Turmoil in the garden
I saw a piece on the discovery channel several years ago about the history of the island. I didn’t realize the history of the island went back as far as it did, although I probably should have. I think its a great idea to do a film.
Went to a wedding last weekend in Honolulu and the bachelor party was at a Korean strip club sure was a lot of wild life there. If you cant get a permit I can recomend it as a place to do a film 🙂
billT