Hobbies and Crafts

Strangely we have a cloudy cool day today after almost a week of heat.

It sounds wonderful where you are Ann.
I just bought a new fat cake to go in the holder and it was melting in this heat.I really should have popped it in the fridge for a while.It is the wild berry one and it will be gone in a jiffy lol

We have been watching a blackbird here in Tenerife collecting nesting material, it is tearing apart a liner in a trough which is sort of made of coir. There are a lot of blackbirds here, if the door is open up at the bungalow and the fruit bowl has avocados in it they fly indoors to get at the avocados, as do bluetits. From our patio we sit and watch the resident hawk and in the evneings we see four or five parrots as they fly back to their home, they are all 'chatting' away to each other like a group of women, so funny.

Such a lovely day yesterday, and looks set to be similar today too. We were able to spend a good bit of time just relaxing in the garden - not often the opportunity and the good weather coincide. As we sat down by the river we spotted a pair of robins making more robins in the willows on the other side of the river. Also whilst sitting in the shade of our own weeping willow it was just full of long tailed tits. They made me laugh as they hung sideways off the long weeping branches and they sounded just like squeaky toys. Our mummy duck showed us her 7 ducklings too, I hope they all make it.

l reckon it is getting warmer:o) we've been in the garden this past 4 - 5 days ish,it was too bloomin hot this morning at first.

Mosaics....l have just ordered some tiles from usa, beauuutiful purples and white, need yellows, pinks and more whites:o)

We've had a few greenfinches too, but then we do everynow and then.
Madoc is still the chief rat/mouse chaser, he's having a ball.....my poor plants are suffering though:o(
Sweetpeas are in, or atleast one lot are, 2 big yellow dahlias also in and neighbours runner beans, loads of em....for us:o)). My greenhouse is full of neighbours plantings, bless her:o)
Can't sleep, strange noises outside. We think new neighbours moving in, they've been cleaning the house all day,but making a racket at 1am.....grrrr
Just downed a cuppa and 3 digestives:o)
jude

Glad your grandson enjoyed his birthday. What a lovely idea to give a handmade wedding gift.

Migraine has gone, but it was a bit of a fight this time. I woke up with a headache again yesterday but managed to stop it developing any further and only had to use proprietary medication thank goodness. I only get 6 of my bombers prescribed at a time so I'm happier that I haven't had to whizz through them.

Yesterday I had a pair of greenfinches on the niger seed which was lovely. They were there quite a while, and I may even have got a distant picture but since having new laptops we don't have the camera software on either of them. Waiting for OH to have time so we can sit together and work it out as we have the gubbins but can't find the instructions.

Haven't seen greenfinches at all since last year so I'm pleased to see them again. We've seen goldfinches a little more recently too, but still not what you'd call regularly.

At last maybe we can say the weather's getting warmer now?... What d'you reckon?

Hope your migranis better now, nasty things to have:o((

Just been out n the garden again was really enjoying myself and its started raining:o(( Madoc was doing his usual, trying to catch the mouse or rat:o))

Delivered the pressie yesterday, he loved it especially his Ben10 bag:o))
Jane .... got your photo, will get it on blog, asap, have put a couple more up
Off now to do some mosaicing, making large sort of table mats for friends daughters wedding pressie....with butterflies pictures:o)

jude

Had a migraine yesterday so I missed this - OH says he had the patio doors open and a magpie hopped up right onto the sill to have a nose in. He says if he hadn't moved it might have come right in, but it didn't rush straight away when he turned to look.

Jean.....you'll be surprised at how many cuppa's l can drink ...lol

Its been a nice normal quiet day to day...Madoc has been running all over the garden, sat on a number of plants but they'll survive. Been into next door to chat to their dog (owner away and about 3 lots of neighbours are looking after him), played silly devils and let him out.
Watched the birds dive onto the lawn as soon as l walked indoors, they also swooped to a spot where Madoc had been digging.
Must go and put the batteries in and wrap the little mans pressie now:o))

Have a god weekend everyone:o)
B.i.l is fine today, although his leg is still swallen, it will be for a few more days l should think. We all keep thinking of what could have happened, too scarry!!

jude x

Jude is such a busy lady she hardly has time to sit for a cuppa! Much in demand by her family. She has had a lot to worry about lately, Lets hope things settle down soon.

Wow. You've had a bit of a time of it. Sounds like you all need a sit down and a cuppa. Hope everyone's ok.

Morning all:o)
Its a beautiful day here, will try and do some gardening in a mo.
Its been abit hectic here t say the least, we were away last Fri til Mon, thenyesterday Vic took b i l out on a canoe for his birthday pressie.....they capsized on the rapids and b i l ended up in A & E...we got home last night about 10pm. He is ok this morning, shock had set in yesterday and he was quite poorly for abit and his knee was badly hurt, no breaks though. Vic is bruised too but fine if abit stiff!!
Vic lost his glasses and his mobile is now useless, l also left my charger in Taunton, so off in a mo to try and get another on or an adaptor, ,obile is about to run out, can't be without me mobie!!
The A & E at Abbergavenny (sp) was so busy, a constant in and out of people, as one or 2 seats became empty they were filled instantly, even if the previous occupier had only gone to the loo!!!!
l could'nt sleep last night, my arthrytus played up, so popped on here whilst the paracetamols kicked in!
We are off again Sat to celebrate grandsons 3rd birthday party:o)

So won't be on here for a few days properly, l will get the blog sorted again soon. As well as the above going on we have had 4 other family trauma's going on, fortunately things are settling down abit now.....phewww

The robin and blackbirds were following my everymove yesterday morning whilst gardening and Madoc was chasing the mouse, l took some photo's of him, he was so funny:o)

jude :o) x

Yes Jane it probably is. Years ago in London we had blackbirds nesting in our front hedge and a magpie was terrorising them. I used to chse it away like you but it forced the hen off her eggs while I was taking the kids to school. I felt so useless. We'd had blackbirds in that hedge for a few years, but that was the last time.

A group of birds suddenly whizzed over head today .They were so fast I couldn't see what they were.I have never seen that before.
Lizzie.we have one very scary Magpie here .I think it is looking after getting into nests!!.It is getting too cheeky now lol.As soon as i see it I rush outside to chase it off.

It was funny. They stayed by the windows for quite a while and with my two feisty girly cats watching them from the other side, wasn't even softy old Buster. Maybe they knew the girls couldn't get at them

By the way it's 10.15pm and there's a LOT of crow/magpie noise in the trees outside. I've put the outside light on and been outside and can't detect a reason why. They haven't stopped and they haven't gone away. I know we have birds of prey around so maybe they've noticed some of them around nests. All my moggies are innocently indoors so not down to them upsetting the applecart.

Hi Jane

We had a burst of increased bluetit activity on our feeder around this time last year. My guess was that they had young in a nearby tree so probably spent most of the time catching insects for the babies and nipping over to our feeder as a convenient top up for themselves. Generally we just get the odd one or two.

Lizzie, I love the thought of ducks watching Bloddie through the window lol

On Wednesday, before it got cold again, I was home with a migraine and in the afternoon when it was easing I took a comfy chair out into the garden by the river and willow tree. It was so therapeutic to watch and listen to the bird activity and gently doze off for a short while. Because I was quiet and still there was quite a lot going on around me and just on the other side of the river which is a wild area.

I wish a had a tape recorder(that sounds so old fashioned ) lol,The Bird song in my garden tonight was beautiful.I sat for ages out on the patio and listened to it.

Thats strange, because we were nearly eaten out of house and home in the winter, but the birds here are not feeding or coming to the pond for water. Phil has not put any bread out for some time. Wonder if thats the reason.

I hung one of those flat fat cake things up a few days ago.It has just about gone!!!!.Are the birds feeding more because of having youngsters.My hanging seed holder needs to be filled up every day too.They just all seem to be eating more than they did when we had the snow .