Hobbies and Crafts

no snow here, lovely and sunny and you are not so far away as the crow flies Jane. Stay in and keep warm.

Thinking of you Kandj, tears will help and people normally don't mind a few tears from a hug as hugs are good too. Things will get easier as time goes on Kandj, it is early days yet, just let yourself grieve for as long as you want to. Maybe when the weather gets warmer just go out for short times.

Birds are hungry here but seem to have disappeared for a couple of hours. The robin was brave this morning he/she was up on the patio table right outside the window eating the mealy worms put out for the blackbird.

Like Jane, we have lots of snow. When it isn't actually snowing, there is a bitter wind blowing the snow around. The only bird I've seen all day is a poor pigeon sitting on the fence looking frozen. I filled the feeders just before dark last night and they have hardly gone down at all. I think the birds have more sense than to venture out in this.

I haven't attempted to defrost the bird bath today as it is frozen solid with about 6" of snow sitting on top of the ice.

Thinking of you Kandj <3 You have to learn a whole new way of life and it is bound to be hard to adjust but take your time and only do things when you are ready. <3

We've got a fair amount of snow but it has brought some Redwings and Fieldfares with it. There are twice as many blackbirds as usual in the garden. Have only seen one goldfinch today, usually there are four or more around the feeder at their feeding time.

We have quite a few birds but our snow is only a couple of centimetres (more 'promised' later I think). We have mainlly had the usual 2 male blackbirds and one female, starlings (plenty), sparrows, wood pigeon, wren, and a couple of goldfinches. Not been watching closely all morning but not actually seen any of the blue or great tits.

This afternoon we had a Fieldfare in the garden.

Ooh and this morning we had two fieldfares, one quite docile with the other birds and the other a bully, they don't appear to be a pair but I think one must be a male and one a female.

we have also had the usual starlings en mass, dunnocks, sparrows, great tits, robin, wood pigeon, magpie, blackbirds

Well I'm blowed Ann I have just come onto the thread to say I had 2 fieldfares on the holly tree this morning. This is a first for this garden :-D

:-D LG, we had one a couple of years ago when it snowed but don't usually get them. they love the old apples we throw out for them and the blackbirds.

Hope you are all keeping warm and safe and not venturing out unless absolutely necessary <3 <3 <3

Rhodri is hating what little snow we have btw :-0 :-D

Hi Jem

this morning when I measured it we had 2 inches of snow but it has been snowing heavily the last hour so no doubt it will be deeper now. We stocked up on Wednesday and haven't been out since. Had to cancel a trip to Hampshire though to see the Great grandsons which was a shame.

Lots of feeding going on earlier with great tits even going to the ground feeder and one of the fieldfares re-visiting to look for apples, they managed to clear two large apples yesterday.

Earlier OH was up a ladder cutting and sealing off the outside pipe to the garden tap. Inside tap that controls the water to there wouldn't shut off so a burst pipe when it started to thaw this morning. Plumber has been left a message to ring re the tap, hoping he will like an inside job but not holding our breath, he will no doubt be inundated. (OH is 80 this year, I do wish he would remember that!) Anyway he managed a temporary job on it so we could put the water back on and run the washing machine. Might switch the water off over night or if we go out if we are unsure about it.

I am so pleased I have an OH that can do these things thanks to his training as an artificer in the RN. It may not have taught him plumbing but it gave him some knowledge of these things and a 'can do' attitude.
:-) :-)

I hope your burst pipe is all good now that OH has sorted it Ann. I can imagine Plumbers will be very hard to get hold of at the moment :-S We were a bit worried about our 2 showers the other day as neither would work. But yesterday afternoon things started to trickle through and all is well now :-D (PHEW)
Things are gradually thawing now although we still have a fair bit of snow in the garden.The Birds don't seem to have been so desperate today on the feeder and there hasn't been quite so many fierce battles :-D A Big Rat turned up yesterday :-S :-S.It was quite a whopper.
Lets hope all this awful bad weather is behind us now and that Spring can be sprung :-D

Poor Kandj has a sick bug :-( and is feeling rotten. Hope it won't last for too long Kandj <3 <3

Oh goodness Kandj, how did you pick that up? I hope it will clear quickly and you soon feel better.

Jane the pipe is holding, it is dripping but it was only an inch collected in almost three hours and, as that is all outside it is not a problem. Once we can get the internal tap changed we will be fine as OH is going to completely change the set up when the weather improves. the snow is almost completely gone now from the garden and today has been sunny and spring like.

No sun to speak of here Ann, I did think it would break through though as it was trying very hard :-D But we had such thick Fog/Mist this morning it has taken most of the day to clear.
Glad your pipe is holding fine :-D
We have had a couple of Moorhens in the garden today ,probably from next door (who have a little lake).
I think Kandj being so low has easily picked up this bug easily ,maybe from just shopping. I am surprised really that she hasn't down down with one of these horrible nasty bugs before now.I think they are tailing off around here at last. A couple of weeks ago everyone and their Mother had something :-S I can't believe how lucky we have been this winter .The only sickly one was my Son and that lasted for a couple of weeks. Maybe I am made of stern stuff LOL
Roll on Spring .We are waiting :-D :-D

~~~~~~~~~ to Everyone :-) :-) :-) <3

((((((( Kandj))))))) <3 <3 <3

Thanks to Jane for keeping you updated. As Jane posted earlier I have managed to pick up a horrible sicky stomach bug. I could well do without it, just feel drained and no energy. It began last Tuesday and I'm hoping that I may be getting a little better soon.
Hubby wouldn't have been able to do anything but I miss the kind words and cuddle he would have given to me. Thank you for all your ongoing support. Much appreciated.

Fed the hungry birds this morning, must go into the village and restock before long

Something you could have done without Kandj, especially coping without moral support. I wonder where you caught that? A week is a long time to have a tummy bug but I expect you were run down before you caught it. Hopefully if you can get out into the fresh air a bit you will soon start to feel better. Hope the snow has gone from where you are and, like here, outside it looks more like spring. :-) :-) <3 <3

I think I spotted a lot of Fieldfare in the big tree in the neighbours garden today.
The window feeder is still half full from topping up this morning. That is unusual.The little birds can't be desperate any more now the snow has gone :-D

I hope Kandj is feeling better today <3

Field fares usually go in flocks but we had either one or two at a time, identified by their yellow/orange pointed beaks.

Not so many birds feeding now in the garden.

It's the same in our garden Ann, just half a dozen blackbirds rooting around.

Last week the hanging feeder had to be refilled every day, yesterday I topped it up and this morning the level has gone down by less than a centimetre. However, I can still rely on the starlings appearing from nowhere and emptying the bird table when I put stuff out.