Bird Wars

It began when we discovered a huge nest in one of our trees in the backyard built by a long-tailed grackle, which is in essence a big blackbird. The nest must have been a foot and a half in diameter, nestled 20 feet up in the tree.

Their squawking was annoying but that was not the worst of it. 

A young sparrow ventured too close to the nest and was brutally attacked by a female grackle,  while its mother watched helplessly. The blackbird viciously pecked the small bird's eyes out, and then five or six of them went for its face. My husband's righteous indignation grew to the point that he was ready to go to Walmart and buy a shotgun to blast the venomous creatures. He tried shooing the grackles away, but it was too late. The poor little sparrow just sat there on the ground with no face.

If that wasn't bad enough, the female blackbird was now empowered to call a bunch of her  group to settle in our trees to form a community.

After the vicious attack, we weren't going to let that happen.

We wanted our robin and mockingbird families back with their sweet songs, and so the Bird Wars began.

Whenever the blackbirds attempted to land in our trees, I'd run outside shooing them away by waving a dish towel, and yelling, "Go away, get out of here. Shoo!" I'd yell and scream at them until they would finally take the hint and fly into a different yard.

My husband took a different tactic by attaching an extension handle onto the hose creating a powerful water canon to discourage them away. 

That worked well until the hose sprung a leak and the water turned to a trickle.

Finally, when we asked our gardener to remove the nest, he scurried up the tree and knocked it down.

The birds were not discouraged. Not wanting to give up the place they'd chosen to nest, their numbers increased.

We keep chasing them away whenever they fly into our trees.

My husband will buy a new hose, and keep spraying them.

For now, the blackbirds seem to understand the message that they're  unwanted, and other birds are returning to our yard.

We'll see if we won the war now that we've been gone a few days.

Who knows? Maybe they will only have moved to the front yard.

Do any of you have tips for getting rid of unwanted blackbirds? We'd love to say, "Quoth the grackles, never more."

Cheers! 

~Nancy Jill

Tea Party Launch of "Murder at the Empress Hotel"

O Happy Day! Book 10 is out this summer! Thanks for joining me today. Please have some treats - zero calories online. We'll also need a nice cup of tea. 

I'd like to share with you a few notes on why I wrote the story of "Murder at the Empress Hotel." 

The main reason I used Victoria, British Columbia for the setting was in remembrance of a family trip in 1986.  That was when my husband and I started our second family together, unbeknownst to us. We were on a road trip up the Pacific Coast with our two older children at the time and both sets of grandparents. What a wonderful vacation we had visiting many attractions along the way. In Victoria, we strolled the docks of  the inner harbor and fisherman's wharf, and took a day to see the Butchart Gardens. 

Some things have changed since our visit, like moving the Ann Hathaway Cottage as it was called to a nearby island, and the addition of Blue Heron House at Royal Roads University. But one thing remains the same. Afternoon tea at the Empress Hotel still serves their famed spread every afternoon. 

In doing research for "Murder at the Empress Hotel," I learned about the First Nations people who were the first inhabitants of Vancouver Island. It wouldn't be an authentic setting without a few of their stories, even though they're from my imagination. The book is dedicated to them.

"Set in the beautiful city of Victoria on Vancouver Island, a bitter conflict over fishing rights and the love of one woman turns deadly with the murder of a young attorney, drawing Jillian and Teddy into yet another intriguing adventure."

Well, that sums up the story all right, but there's a little more to it. Like the characters for instance: 

Jillian Bradley, garden columnist and amateur sleuth
Teddy, Jillian's Yorkie companion and fellow sleuth
Arthur Wingate, fellow collaborator and good friend
Diana Wingate, wife of Arthur and newly appointed hotel reviewer
Father Goodman, priest and university professor of aboriginal relationships 
Rainbow Knight, sister of Badger and grad assistant to Father Goodman
Gerald Dawson, associate professor of aboriginal studies
Leo Hunter, Director of Canadian Oceans and Fisheries
David Blackwolf, lawyer for Canadian Oceans and Fisheries
Badger Knight, opposing lawyer for First Nations
Kelly Morrison, administrative assistant to David Blackwolf and Leo Hunter
Sergeant Nick Stone, head of Victoria homicide division

Mix all together and somewhere you'll discover a victim and a motive for murder! 

To order copies of "Murder at the Empress Hotel" and Books 1-9, please follow the links:

AMAZON

BARNES & NOBLE

KOBO

SMASHWORDS

Enjoy!

~Nancy Jill 

NANCY JILL THAMES

Nancy Jill Thames was born to write mysteries. From her early days as the neighborhood story-teller to the Amazon Author Watch Bestseller List, she has always had a vivid imagination and loves to solve problems – perfect for plotting whodunits. In 2010, Nancy Jill published her first mystery Murder in Half Moon Bay, introducing her well-loved protagonist Jillian Bradley, and clue-sniffing Yorkie, “Teddy.”

When she isn’t plotting Jillian’s next perilous adventure, Nancy Jill travels between Texas and California finding new ways to spoil her grandchildren, playing classical favorites on her baby grand or having afternoon tea with friends.

She is a member of Leander Writers’ Guild, American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW CenTex Chapter), and Central Texas Authors.

To learn more about Nancy Jill, visit:

http://www.nancyjillthames.com

In Loving Memory

Today, I pause to reflect on the passing only this morning of my sweet mother-in-law, known to most everyone as Meemaw. She was 92.

When I think of her, it comes to mind that in the South, the practice of afternoon tea is uncommon due mostly to the heat! Instead, sweet tea reigns.

Whenever we visited from California, Meemaw always served sweet tea at meals. Granted it was instant tea, sweetened with the addition of liquid sweet and low, but it was delicious along side brisket, ribs, and whatever wonderful soul food they made. 

And it was not as if afternoon tea did not have a place. Quite the contrary, for you see, my mother-in-law and her mother collected teacups.

The most famous one was a teacup with Queen Elizabeth's picture in the bottom. Once, my mother-in-law even saw fit to give me a pick of her collection, as long as it was not the Queen Elizabeth. I chose the one you see in the photo above. 

Interestingly enough, my mother-in-law's mom and aunt did go in together and buy a tea cart and a silver tea service. Living out-of-state I never joined them if they did actually use these things. Now the cart and service sit in the corner unused. Quite sad, I think.

When a loved one passes, it's nice to have something to remember them by. For my mother-in-law, it will be the beautiful yellow teacup and saucer.

~Nancy Jill

What Do British Royals and Queen of Afternoon Tea Have in Common?

When I saw the news of Prince George viewing his first Trouping of the Colors last week, I was transported back to my visit to see Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. 

At the time, Prince Charles was still a bachelor with no apparent heirs to the throne. 

What a thrill to see Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip step from their limousine, wave to the crowds, and tour Sutter's Fort in downtown Sacramento, California, where we lived.

I took my two children out of school for the event, and bought them British flags to wave. I wore a navy hat in honor of the occasion.

Back then, we used Polaroid cameras to take photos instead of our iPhones. Alas, the hard copies faded. Here is what's left of that memorable day.

If it hadn't been for a professional photographer next to me in the crowd offering to sell me one of his images, the picture of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip would have faded, too.

Perhaps seeing the British Royals in person and inheriting the last name of Thames, it was inevitable that I would come to love afternoon tea and include it in all of my books. 

Free on Amazon Kindle!

And now, you may ask, what do the British Royals and Queen of Afternoon Tea have in common? Well, today, the Queen Mum is a Queen Great Grandmum, Prince Philip is a Prince Great Granddad, and my two children have made me a Queen of Afternoon Tea Grandma six times. I think that qualifies us having something in common, don't you?

Have you seen any members of the Royal Family in person? I'd love to hear about it.

Cheers!

~Nancy Jill

Tea Party Bridal Shower

The Tea Table

What could be better than a tea party for your daughter's bridal shower? In the first photo, our daughter Wendy (far left) flew in from California for the occasion to honor her little sister Holly (second from left). Daughter-in-law Jen (far right) was also on hand to help with the festivities.
It was such fun to serve dainty tea sandwiches, pasta salad, and desserts. And we mustn't forget the sherry. Some had never tasted the quintessential English drink.

For the Guest of Honor

Dessert Bar~French Macarons,  Chocolate Mousse in Demi-tasse cups, Fruit Tartlets, Madeleines, and Cupcakes-Champagne and Chocolate-Chip

Opening Gifts~The Best Part!

I hope you enjoy the photos and will read more about afternoon tea in all of the Jillian Bradley books. See you next time!

Cheers! 

~Nancy Jill