Hobbies and Crafts

Well, I answered Ann earlier about being a comfortable place and it's not here, where's it gone? Strange.
I said Ann that no it's not, it is the laundry, two washers, two dryers, sink and spin dryer and two chairs.
Outside is a little enclosed area that the old man whose window overlooks it on the next floor up, has made it into a nice little garden. He's planted a few bushes and flowers and put a bird box up and feeders in the tree. I have a seat on my walker,( couldn't carry a chair ) and sit on it in the doorway, nice and cool and I enjoyed watching a coal tit and blue tit coming for a feed.
We have a massive garden out front but it means going down to the comunity room and the doors are at the far end, if you read about my escapade on Thursday you would understand it was too far for me to go on my own, couldn't manage it.
When we bought our house the garden was just like a big field with trees all round the edges, different sorts. I made it into different gardens by useing bushes and trees as a divider, all berry bearing, and lots of different types of buddlia. Hubby made me a pond and behind that at the very bottom I left it wild for the wildlife, loads of nettles for the butterflies. Oh I do miss it living here, but I had no choice did I.
Lets see if this goes now.
OH I meant to say DizzieLizzie, your garden sounds perfect, I would love it.

Caz

Thanks for your help everyone. I got your pm Jane. See I'm getting it. Sorry I've taken ages replying - been out enjoying the sunshine. Got to make the best of it at the moment.

Dizzie
If you click on somebody's name you can send them a message, if they send you a message you should get an e mail notifying you, then you can either click where it says on your e mail or follow Jane's advice.

Jane/Helen Oh that Jane, thanks!!!

Lizzie.Look at the bit that says messages .There should be an envelope showing.Click on there I have PM'd you.

Oh Sorry Ann.I was Helen.

I'm in Wiltshire. Definitely not your previous DizzieLizzie. I only started finding my way round the community pages about a week ago. Since the ID that came up for me was Elizabeth, and on other boards it was getting confusing who was who, I found out how to change it to something more recognisable.

I'm learning fairly fast but one question regarding the messages. Sometimes someone says they pm'd someone else. Anyone know what that means please? I either knew from texting or have worked out the other shorthands I've seen.

Loads of cabbage whites out there at the moment by the way.

Welcome DizzieLizzie (we used to have someone of that name but she left, I assume you are not she? I don't envy you your steps and slopes but your garden sounds wonderful, we will look forward to9 hearing more about what you have seen in and around it. What part of the country are you in, did you say and I missed it? If so, sorry.

Jane, changed name??? Who were you before??

Not seen many birds since we came back from our break, just one goldfinch, our little robin and a few sparrows and starlings, also, although we filled the feeders before we went on Monday, they haven't eaten half of it, the starlings have eaten all the suet though.

Caz, at least you now know where you can find some birds, is it a comfortable place for you to go and sit in the winter to watch the birds?

Since we moved here last October we have really begun to love watching the birds and other wildlife that wanders through the garden. Whoever first planted it did very well with plants that attract a wide variety. Our house is on a sloping site so there are steps down to our lounge which has huge windows out onto the patio. That then goes down more steps to the main part of the garden which has a massive weeping willow - we've put boxes in there but nothing so far. We've heard it takes quite a while for birds to use them. We didn't put them there till it was pretty much nesting time so they probably looked too suspicious at that stage. But we hope they'll use them for shelter at least and get used to them that way. Then the willow is by the river at the end of the garden so we get ducks, swans, moorhen, coots, brown trout too. Over the other side it's open farmland with a wooded border down to the river so quite a little haven though of course we hear owls and there are other birds of prey to be seen too. Over that side we see also pheasant and deer regularly - sometimes they stray over our side into the gardens. I was over the moon one day not long after we came as I looked out of the utility window to see a cock pheasant looking straight in at me. I texted all my friends back in London. They were so jealous.

And out of my kitchen window to the front there is a raised planting (as we have to go up even more steps and a slope to the front) with lilac and cotoneaster (in the spring it was full of bulbs too) so a robin and a blackbird often chat to me while I'm playing with the Aga which has been a new experience to me too.

We even saw an egret one morning right on top of one of the apple trees that overhangs the river.

When we wake up in the mornings and open the curtains we love to spend 10 minutes just looking whatever the weather. So glad we came here. And I think I'll enjoy this thread too. Only just recently started using the community boards and I know OH never has - I'll have to tell him about this one.

My garden is full of butterflies.It is lovely to see them.We have a young woodpecker that was very close to the house yesterday morning.It was on the Patio and bounced so high it looked like it was on springs lol.
(Am not new to thread,have just changed name)

Hi all and welcome to DizzieLizzie. Well I have something to report at last. I was in the laundry downstairs when I saw a bird land on the wall quite near by, it was a song thrush. We have heard them from our flat but never seen them, the laundry is on the bottom floor bordering the gardens. I might have to go and sit down there, there is a tree which someone has put some feeders on and a little coal tit arrived, then a blue tit. Quite an interesting hour and a half.
Still not much to be seen from our flat though.

When we had the house I planted a lot of different buddlia bushes and always had masses of butterflies, we have no garden now but I do miss mine.

Caz xx

Hello I'm new to this thread, just noticed it on the board.

We've got quite a bit of buddleia either side of our patio and when the sun's out but we're not the patio is filled with butterflies flittering back and forth. When we go out there of course they go all shy. Himself being a great looker up discovered that it's a bumper year for tortoiseshells, painted ladies and of course cabbage whites. My poor old brussels sprouts. Won't be many for Christmas at this rate. I know it's a bit early to be thinking about that but the summery weather lately hasn't exactly distracted us has it?

Von until last year I lived in an area of London which had a lot of parakeets.

Maggie
I've noticed lots of butterflies this year. Sadly a lot seem to be cabbage whites and I still keep having to chase them away from my vegetables despite having them covered.
I live next to a school which has lots of large trees in the grounds and yesterday and today the parakeets seem to have moved in.
I do hope this is not a permanent arrangement as beautiful as they are they are so noisy.
It will be interesting to see how the Magpies react as they nested in one of the trees this year and the young ones are still around.
Von

Hi all, has anyone got a buddlia in their garden ?? The butterflies have been amazing today, probably because we have sun at long last ! But I have never seen as many, at least 30 or 40, nearly all white, but the odd coloured one. They are beautiful to watch. My little robin has shown his face again today too...

Maggie

Ann ...........Maybe she has gone on safari again with the animals?

Regards
Tec.

Where has Jude gone? maybe still looking for her photos!!!

Hi Folks,
Garden seems to be a little busier. Today the robin re-appeared, and we had a bluetit - just the one - lots of sparrows, some still being fed by their mothers. a few chaffinches, and two doves invaded the conservatory again, causing chaos.

Helen......Strange that your magpies have disappeared, so have the two families that were here - and as I don't like them, I hope they don't return, although I am still plaqued by hoardes of jackdaws that chase off the small birds.

Y/Caz........Lovely to see you here.....don't be a stranger.

Regards
Tec.

I haven't seen our Robins for a while.I don't know why.We normally have 3 or 4 .Any ideas why?
Next door have a family of Coots or Moorhens.Mum Dad and 4 babies.
We seem to have very few birds at the moment ,and the Magpies thankfully seem to have disappeared.

Hi all, thanks for the link Jude, it is a great site.
OH seems to think it may have been a juvenile sparrowhawk that hasn't got all it's markings yet. I can't seem to find a photo of one, but it is a theory.
Same here Yorkshire Caz, our garden isn't as busy as it was, maybe a Yorkshire thing ??? lol

Maggie

Jude, Picasa shouldn't make any difference. Your photos should still be in Pictures or my pictures in Documents. You can also upload photos from picasa to the web. Not actually sure what you mean by not being able to find your photos though.

Ann xx

Hello all, I haven't been on for ages because all our birds seem to have disappeared. We still have the Rooks and Jackdaws making a racket and the owls at night, but even the Collared Doves are few and far between.

Maggie it was interesting reading your post, I remember seeing my first Sparrowhawk in our garden, I was so upset and I know it's nature but not nice. I have looked in my books but not seen anything like you describe.

Caz xx