Hobbies and Crafts

I am feeling quite jealous now .Ann and Vera in lovely warm climes .
Not a lot of damage in the winds Vera. You might just find a few pots blown over.
Yes where are you in America Ann?

I think after a dry day here the rain might just be arriving again. I can see it on the window. At least Thomas won't be wanting to go out again tonight :-D
It is one year ago today since we found him badly injured and having to have a major op on his hip/femur.

Kandj we are so lucky here to have so many different birds in the garden.I think it is because we are surrounded by big hedges ,big garden and fields.

Lol well don't think we are in America, although my geography is a bit iffy. We are in Mercia in Spain. In Alcazores just up from the beach along the Mar Menor. (You might need to google that). :-D

Oops, America seems to have moved a bit :-D

Hope you are enjoying your holiday as much as we are. We are with 10 friends. We usually have breakfast together, do our own thing all day and meet up for our evening meal and drinks. It works very well and we have been going away for a week together for several years now.

Lovely day today. Very warm but with a pleasant breeze.

I've been surprised at the lack of wildlife here. I am sure it is there but we are not seeing it. The only birds around seem to be sparrows and pigeons and just a few gulls. I did watch what I think was a moth putting out a long proboscis (is that the right word?) and taking the nectar from the flowers on our hotel balcony. Its wings were going so fast they were just a blur and it was moving from flower to flower at a rate of knots. It was interesting to watch.

Just going to shower and change before meeting our friends on the terrace for a pre-dinner drink. It's a hard life

:-D

I think that is the best idea Vera .Doing your own thing during the day and just meeting up with your friends for Brekkie and Dinner. Not everyone will want to do /see the same things during day. I too saw a Moth here getting the nectar from one of our plants in the window box. I did get a pic (must send it to Ann)

So not America then Ann :-D :-D :-D.. I have to say I was quite surprised when it came up as America !!!.I thought you were spreading your wings LOL

All a bit quiet here bird wise. Just the usual gang.

We no longer fancy the long haul journey to America Jane but we have been to so many places there probably had ten trips to USA and Canada maybe more. Stay neare home these days. :-)

Enjoy your holidays everyone. UK is wild and windy, although it hasn't been wet here today after a deluge during the night.

Very little bird activity during the gusty weather, but I think we had a jay yesterday feeding on the block of solid food in the tree in the corner of the garden. I didn't get a completely clear view, as it was partly hidden by leaves, but the parts I could see suggest a jay is the most likely match. I'll watch out to see if it's back tomorrow to feed on the new block I put out this evening.

I think ( she says hopefully ! ) that our roof may have been rejected this year by the nesting seagulls. It will be the 1st year for ages, if that is so and a welcome relief.

We have a Jay that visits the window feeder. But if it sees any movement through the window it is off.It is so big that it hardly fits on the feeder !!

Ann and Vera, carry on having a good time on your holidays. We have had sunshine and showers here and just the usual birds as always. All seem to be very hungry too.

I don't ever think we have had a Jay in our garden. I'm sure I would remember such a distinctive bird. Gwyn and Ann, you are lucky to have the Jay come to visit.
I hope the seagulls have found somewhere else to go Gwyn, they must have been a real nuisance for you.

No, we have never had a Jay either, it is Jane not me, she has a virtual aviary in her garden lol!

Still enjoying it, about 33 degrees here, still warm last night when eating outside in a restaurant at 10.30pm.

The Jay has been a few times today.I just don't know how it manages ot balance itself on the window feeder as it has to be twice the length of it !

33 degs is too hot for me Ann.But how nice to still be able to sit out late at night enjoying a meal and not having to pop a cardi on .I think 23 degs is just the right temp for me.Even then I might feel too hot.

Ooops, a Senior Moment earlier Ann. Of course it was Gwyn and Jane and not you with the Jay bird. Jane does get lots of variety while I get the same day in and out.

We would also find it far too hot being with Ann and OH right now. We have a mini
heatwave forecast for this week and we will be looking for cooler shaded areas.

When are Ann and Vera back home, I have lost track of time to be honest.

I got back Monday afternoon Kandj. The temperature for us was between 25 and 28 degrees which was OK as long as we wore hats and slathered on the sun cream. I don't like extreme heat but I have managed in much higher temperatures overseas. I think it is more to do with the humidity. It often seems more of a dry heat abroad.

When we got back the bird bath was completely dried out and the little "pond" was only half full. I filled all the feeders but they have hardly been touched. I think the birds decided I had given up feeding them and have moved to another hotel. I am sure they will be back before long.

The pond is in desperate need of a good clean but it still has lots of tadpoles in the process of turning into frogs so I will have to leave it a while longer.

We fly back Sunday but get home Monday. Between 27 and 30 degrees at the moment, so we wear hats and sun cream and walk in the shade. There was a slight breeze by the sea. :-D

It is going to be the same kind of temp here when you get back home Ann. Don't put your sunhat and cream away just yet !! :-D

Are the birds back yet Vera?. It normally doesn't take long . I am not surprised the bird bath dried out.We have had little or no rain at all for a while. We have just hosed and topped up the birdbath .I think a lot of the water gets splashed out over the sides when it is Bathtime lol.
Lots of watering the garden now as is it so dry ,and it looks like no rain on the forecast for a while .Might get the sprinker out again tomorrow on the lawn.

The Magpies are soooo noisy from about 5am ! :-S

Ann I agree with Jane and think you will need to keep your sun cream out for the
mini heatwave we are having here right now.

Yesterday was unbearable and the heat wore hubby and me out but today is cooler and much more pleasant...... tomorrow is meant to be high temps again though.

Even the birds are keeping in the shade of the shrubs. I'm keeping the two bird baths filled up as they are drying out in the hot weather. It funny to see the birds lining up on the wall to have a bath and cool themselves down.

We came home yesterday and yes it was very hot, not nice last night and no Air con to keep us cool. Very hot again today so even OH has been persuaded not to go out gardening. Our bird feeders need filling.

Welcome back Ann. I must admit I am finding the heat a bit trying - it's hard to find the energy to do much.

The birds ignored us for a few days but are now back, though it is mostly sparrows and squabbling starlings. We did have a couple of long tailed tits yesterday but I haven't seen anything else.

I don't think any of us has any energy to do anything at the moment other than to water the garden later . You must miss the aircon Ann

It doesn't take long for the birds to come back does it Vera once they spot the feeders full again. But I do think it is even too hot for them at the moment.The feeder has been fairly quiet all day but it now is looking busy.

I bought 2 hot water bottles today and have filled them and put them in the freezer ready to put in the bed to cool the sheet.The lady behind me at the till thought I was barking mad LOL but I explained the reason and she said what a good idea .She was going to dig out her Hot Water Bottle and do the same :-D

I was up at 4 this morning to let Thomas out .I then got an icelolly out of the freezer :-D
It was lovely :-D :-D

Lol Jane, I expect the saleslady will pass on your tip to other people too.

My adult daughter has a rabbit.
Each day during this hot spell, she gives him a plastic bottle of water, which she'd frozen.
She came home to see him draped over the length of it today, trying to keep cool.

A few minutes ago, I went outside to cool down in the slight breeze which has got up.
In the darkness, I made out the shape of 3 slugs on the concrete driveway.
I was amazed to then see, a few feet away, that a frog was sitting nearby.
I haven't seen one around here for ages and certainly didn't expect that on one of the hottest days of the year.

I hope he enjoys his supper !

Did the cold hot water bottles work Jane?

Not many birds here, a couple of sparrows a collard dove, a blackbird, one goldfinch and the smallest skinniest robin I have ever seen are all we have had in the garden today.