Hobbies and Crafts

We have been staying near Bath for a long weekend - got home last night. We saw plenty of wildlife, though not of the domestic variety, as we went to Longleat. We enjoyed the house and the Animal Kingdom area, particularly the meerkats but we were both a bit disappointed with the Safari Drive. Perhaps we were just unlucky. We saw a fair number of the animals but from a distance and they were mostly just lying down in the grass so quiet that I began to wonder if they had been drugged!

Perhaps I expected too much as a couple of years ago we went to Woburn Safari Park and saw a lot of the animals really close up and active.

We saw plenty of red kites on the journey to and from Bath.

Before we went I had made sure feeders were filled but it doesn't look as if the wild bird seed, the Niger seeds or the peanuts have been touched but the big fat cake had completely gone. I put out some fat balls this morning and within seconds the starlings appeared. Looks like they are back with a vengeance. I don't mind them but I wish they weren't quite so greedy. They don't leave much for any of the other birds. :-(

Maybe the big Animals were having a siesta when you were there Vera :-D.Bath is a lovely place isn't it.It is years since I was last there.
My OH said today he heard that the Buick Swans are arriving at Slimbridge....a month earlier than normal !!!!!

About an hour ago I saw loads and loads of Crows(I think they were Crows) all flying up really high in the sky in large groups.I wondered what the noise was !!! What was that all about I wonder??

Ann it must be nice to see some different types of birds where you are.My Window feeder is very busy att he moment .I think they are all coming for supper :-D

This cat of mine has not eaten anything here for 2 days now !!!!.I even cooked some plaice for him and he has just looked at the dish and walked away.He MUST be eating something somewhere.Wildlife no doubt :-S

Yes I saw that the Sean's were arriving early too Jane. Wonder who is feeding Thomas? Walking round by the sea today we saw a young white Egret which stayed very close to people and didn't seem at all bothered by them.
Shame the animals were dopey Vera, must have been siesta time.

Our third grandson got engaged while staying here last week.

Oh that was a nice celbration then Ann :-D.Congratulations to your Grandson and Fiancee .
I can't see that Thomas is being fed by anyone down our road.No-one likes cats :-S,so he must be catching his own grub.He has just gone off again now !!I saw him disappearing into the big Yew hedge.I think there are lots of mice in there :-)

That's exciting news Ann, another wedding to look forward to !!

We had some good new yesterday, daughter went to see the consultant. They are so pleased with the way she is managing her diabetes they are going to leave baby now until his due date and not induce her before then. The only thing is they said it could take up to 48 hours to work..............

Lots of Geese flying over, mornings and evenings, Winter must be on it's way.

M.

Maryanna ,is the pic of beautiful baby the latest arrival? Gorgeous :-D :-D
That is good news for your other daughter.Am I right in thinking that babies with Diabetic Mums tend to be big babies?

Apparently so, but she went to see the Midwife today who has expressed concern that the little man might be a wee bit in the small side.

Having said that she said he will be about the same size as his sister, maybe a bit bigger. Well she was nearly 9 lbs, which was plenty big enough for my size 8 five feet one daughter !! I can't see how they can call that small.

She has actually lost weight due to her very restricted diet. They will keep a very close eye on them both during labour. Babies born to mothers with gestational diabetes tend to have a higher chance of developing diabetes when older and my daughter will have to have check ups regularly.

It's a shame, she was just one point over their limit, nobody else in the family has and they only tested her because she said that she thought my father in law, her grandad had it. He didn't.

Yes the photo is of Son and daughter in Law's baby, one week old tomorrow, having our first cuddle.

M.

A beautiful baby Maryanna and good news that your daughter is being cared for so well.

Congratulations Ann, to your Grandson and his fiance, how lovely to plan this occasion so you all are together.

Vera, it looks like you will need more fat cake for the Starlings. They are indeed very greedy and aggressive birds. They eat everything on the window and ground feeder!

Jane, your Thomas is a real killer cat. Perhaps the cold weather and dark nights will keep him inside more and then he won't be turning his nose up at fish meals.

Nothing any different here, just the usual same type of birds around as always.

Maryanna ,they thought my daughter was going to be a bit on the big side for me to deliver plus she was breech ,so I had a C Section.She was in fact only 7lb 10..But I was really pleased I had the section as I was so scared of giving birth.I had a C Section with my son too. Both by epidural so I was at least awake for the events :-D
My poor Sister had her son who was a whopping 10lb and Breech !!!!OUCH
i'm sure your daughter will be fine and especially with them keeping an eye on her until the time comes.

Kandj Thomas is in much earlier these nights(thank goodness) and is waking later in the mornings.Around 6am.I know when he hasn't caught much as he will eat a couple of pouches of food.I was greeted this morning with a little gift on the patio.I heard him Miaowing and thought he wanted to come in ,but I think he was just calling me so he could show me my pressie .How kind of him (not). :-S

I spotted some kind of Hawk sitting on the Trellis post and rushed to get the camera,but I think it saw me and took flight.I hope it isn't going to hang around here.

Hello All

Lots of usual birds today, hedge sparrows, collard doves, pigeons and starlings........ somebody has left poo on the lounge and kitchen windows..... not a happy bunny!!

Oh Kandj I hate it when they do that .Especially if they have been eating Berries :-| :-|
My window feeder is busy .Mainly Gt Tits and Chaffinch at the moment.
It is a dark old day here and not very nice.It makes me feel like not doing much at all.
So I won't :-D.

This morning I was in the kitchen but facing away from the window and I heard a thud and dreaded to think what type of bird had flown into the glass. A dove was sitting on the wall and I went to look outside (with collywobbles in my stomach). I fully expected to find a dead dove on the drive but there wasn't anything there. The dove flew off the wall when it saw me, and so I think maybe this was the bird that had thudded into the kitchen window and it was sat on the wall getting it's breath back??

I was hugely relieved not to have a dead bird to get rid of this morning!

It has turned much colder and gets dark earlier too. I hope Ann and family are enjoying their family holiday still.......... anyone remember when Ann gets back?

Glad you didn't have any corpses to deal with Kandj. I think you and I are two of a kind when it comes to picking up birds. When OH was away and I found a dead pigeon in the garden I had to get a neighbour to come in.

A really good day for birds here. There seem to be a lot of collared doves around at the moment and they seem to line up to take turns in our bird bath. There are also plenty of starlings and blackbirds around.

But today we have had robins, blue tits, goldfinches and, for the first time since we moved here two years ago, a greenfinch. :-D

OH also saw a small bird that he didn't recognise fly in, have a quick peck at the seeds and fly off again. He said it was an indeterminate colour, about wren size but without the "square" end to the tail and it had a pointed beak. That was 2 hours ago and I keep looking out of the window in the hopes it will come back but I haven't seen it.

Isn't it strange how you get a lot of different birds one day and then the garden is a bird free zone for a few days? Perhaps they will come more regularly as it gets more wintry.

We are home, and already missing the sun and heat.

We had a very turbulent flight home yesterday, it was very windy and the plane was tossed around a bit. We landed at Luton at midnight, the luggage took half an hour to come off and then it took us over 2 hours to drive home. We got home at 3am this morning so you can imagine how we feel now. T did very well driving so late at night when we were tired, we don't drive at night much at all. It was surprising how many cars there were on the road as well as lorries, that time of the morning. We had an owl fly out and only just miss the car, then we just spotted a small deer eating on the verge at the side of the road.

This morning we had to clear up a skeleton and feathers of a collard dove, somebody's cat didn't need a meal that day, and T also found another bird's remains, he wasn't sure if it was a blackbird or a starling. :-(

Hello Ann, glad you're back home safely. No doubt you will be busy washing today?

Vera, I think neither of us like fluttering or dead birds to deal with, but sometimes needs must. I am glad yesterday wasn't necessary, and the dove was just stunned.

Jane, can you direct a few interesting birds towards Yorkshire please, as we don't have anything very different from our usual ones, although Hubby and I both spotted a small robin in the front garden shrubbery yesterday. A real joy for us both to see.

AN EARLY REMINDER FOR EVERYONE
British Summer Time ends this weekend,clocks go backwards 1 hr Saturday night!!

Ann .I am always worried about bumpy flights.I hope yours wasn't too bad even though
it did sound pretty awful.I have only had one really horrible experience with turbulence and that was flying home from Florence.It gives me the shivers now when I think about it.We have been very lucky really with years of flying and only just one bad flight.
So you are back down to earth now :-D
Have just had to dispose of a dead bunny from the mat outside the back door :-S :-S
Thomas is looking like butter doesn't melt :-S

Oh Jane, he is certainly testing your affection, isn't he.

Did some gardening yesterday helped by the Robin with a Wren shouting at us from the tree.

The Wood Pigeons seem to be rebuilding their nest in the Holly so another chick on its way, I assume.

Several Blackbirds are about as well , and the usual Sparrows and Magpies.

Glad you had a good holiday Ann, I hate flying. I hated it, got over it then Himself started to panic so although I don't mind too much these days, it's him that gets me wound up not the plane !!!

M.

Hi, It was pretty rough but I was OK, OH is very calm flying, he flew so much in his working life and worked on aircraft radio/radar in his RN days. I know that if he ever looked worried there would be cause to be so I rely on him. If it bumps a bit he will usually tell me "it is ok, we are over the Bay of Biscay, so won't be long" It bumped a bit on the way out too. I always carry travel pills and used to take just one. I now ear wrist bands and don't take anything, except a large scotch or G&T.

No birds around here now, guess they have been frighytened off by the cat that killed the dove.

My friend always has large Brandy at the airport before flying.No matter what the hour lol.I have nothing before flying except maybe water ,but then once on board will have a couple of wines or a G&T :-D
My Daughter had one horrendous flight (I think coming home from Amsterdam ).Even some of the crew were in tears!She said everything fell out from the overhead lockers too.So that must have been a real rough ride.

Well we are fairly quiet here bird wise.Still plenty on the window feeder.But I don't think I have seen a Wood Pigeon now for a few weeks.I wonder where they have gone.

Yes Maryanna Thomas is still testing LOL.I am wondering what might be outside soon when I call him in.We always have a look out the back door window before opening mjust in case we take a step out and land on something :-S

It was good to have an extra hour this morning, but not good to have to alter all the clocks.Hadn't realized we had so many but they are all done now for another 6 months

A few birds around too this bright dry morning, Hedge Sparrows, Robin, Pigeons, Doves, Starlings PLUS Mr and Mrs regular Blackbirds are back.. hurray. No idea where they have been to but Mr Blackbird looks to have damage to his tail feathers??