Hobbies and Crafts

He turned up Ann at 9.30 slept all night and all morning today LOL . He is off again now.
I was woken again last night with a Muntjac Deer :-S I think it was next door and I think it needs a lesson in not disturbing my sleep :-S
Lovely day again here but it is now clouding over and looking a bit iffy. My sister said it was pouring with rain in Tewkesbury just now.

Glad he is home Jane (or was)!

Yes it rained here for about an hour from 1.30pm sunny again now though.

Glad Thomas came back OK Jane. He sounds a typical cat - treats you as his slave and the house like a hotel ;-)

Your Muntjac do seem to be particularly noisy. It must be the mating season setting them off. We used to occasionally get them in the garden in our old house but I don't remember ever hearing them. Until OH found the tiny gap that they were getting through they used to come into the garden and nibble his precious actinidia which grew on a trellis round part of the pond. Every time he nursed it back to life they would chew it nearly down to ground level again. Eventually he gave up and dug the plant up.

I am sitting at an open window with a glass of rose wine listening to a blackbird singing away. It's a hard life :-D

Love to hear the blackbirds in the evenings

I think our Thomas might have killed a Woodpigeon :-| OH found it down by the veg patch this morning. I did wonder if it might have been a Hawk but OH said it didn't look like that. I also found the wing feathers of some poor little bird on the back doorstep :-S :-S. He is being a right thug at the moment :-| :-| I just hope it doesn't escalate to a Pheasant !!!. There are plenty of them around at the moment.

Hello All
Kandj has asked me to give you an update . She is still struggling with her grief and finding life very hard right now. She has her 3rd session with the Bereavement Counsellor tomorrow morning . She knows she has to stick with it for the 10 sessions but is finding it hard still .. I know she will do it and that at the end of the 10 sessions she will be able to see a way forward and to begin to enjoy life again . Today she has had a dental appointment . The first one since she lost her Hubby.She was worried about going but says it is another hurdle :-) She knows we are all here for her and is so grateful <3 Kandj

We have the Jay back again :-D :-D It lands on the window feeder a couple of times a day at the moment :-D

Lovely to have a jay visit. They are attractive birds. We used to get them sometimes at our old house but we don’t seem to get anything like that here. I am convinced that I am feeding the world population of sparrows. No sooner do I fill the seed feeder than it is empty again and they move on to the fat balls or peanuts until I top up the seeds again.

Thank you Jane for passing on the update from Kandj.

Kandj, if you are looking in, remember we are all thinking of you. Try and stick with the counselling - I am sure it will help in the long run even though it is hard now. It is still early days so just take baby steps and be kind to yourself. Sending a ((((hug)))) <3

Vera we have no Sparrows here !! . Please dont send yours this way LOL Only occasionally do we get Sparrows when they come in a flock and all roost in the hedge or Conifers for a few days and then they are off again. The Jay is a stunning bird but it doesnt hang around. Any movement it can see (like me trying to creep nearer the window to get a pic) and it is gone in a flash of lovely Blue.

I know Kandj will last the 10 sessions and I am sure it will gradually become easier for her even though she might not think this at the moment. <3 Kandj

Terrible cat fight here at 5am . It was Thomas and the new intruder :-S. It scared the pants off me I can tell you. I dont think Thomas was injured but he did have some tufts of fur loose on the back of his neck :-( I think having his thick fur might help stop claws getting down to the skin.

Thanks for the message from Kandj Jane, sorry to hear she is still struggling, I hope the counselling will help her. Thinking of you Kandj, stick with it and you will get there.

Having been away for six days we are not seeing many birds at all. I suppose they didn’t have enough food when we were away.

Don't worry Jane, I'm hanging on to my sparrows as they are about all I get :-D

A pair of swans annually nest near here. Many local people look forward to them building and apparently they had 6 eggs this year, which Mum was sitting on.

Last Monday we had such torrential rain and wild conditions for much of the whole day, so much that the water level rose and swamped the nest, which meant the eggs were loose. Local people managed to catch some of the reeds and stop 2 more eggs being lost, but there are only 4 left now.
I do hope they manage to rear all of them.

Oh that is sad Gwyn, hope the four left still hatch but what a shame about the lost two. Keep us updated.

Its always so sad when you hear of this happening. I hope the 4 remaining will hatch.

Some years ago now my friend brought me 3, just days old Moorhens that had been washed out of their nest. I have no idea why she thought I knew what to do LOL . But after looking up and trying to contact RSPB etc, I was told to try scambled egg but watery and try and get some down with the aid of a dropper. I had a dropper but had no luck with feeding the poor little things. Eventually I got hold of a bird rescue tel number and the lady said if I could get the birds to her she had an incubator . So off I went with the fragile little things in a box and I drove as fast as I dared to Northampton about 16 miles away where we met in a carpark and I handed them over with graet relief. They were still alive :-D. I never did find out if they survived or not. But I never want to have to do that again !! I was a wreck ! :-S

Bats were out here last night .I sat out while they flew overhead.It was lovely :-D

Not read back but wanted to say "HELLO" to you all. I'm still finding life difficult to say the least but I'm trying to keep busy and still wading through red tape and challenges

This heatwave is too much for me (not grumbling) it is a tonic after a long cold Winter.
Early morning and later when the sun isn't so fierce is fine for me. I sit outside and listen to the birds sing which is beautiful to hear. All busy nest building/interesting.

I am back to digging out the nettles and brambles down at the bottom of the garden which have been neglected and so I am getting stings and scratches right now!
Sorry, perhaps this should be added to the garden thread but I hope it's ok here?

It is fine here Kandj, birds and gardens go together. it is just good to hear from you and to know that you are tackling the nettles etc. Listening to the birds in the evening, especially the blackbird who seems to sing forever is wonderfully soothing and I hope it is helping you a little. It is 35 degrees in our garden according to the garden thermomemeter, it is sheltered so no doubt a bit higher than outside it. We were down Gloucester docks today and spent a lovely 15 minutes sitting by the water, Until a young family arived and proceeded to feed the seagulls. No wonder we can't get rid of them. Anyway we moved off. Do keep in touch we all think of you all the time.

Jane at least they were allive when you got them there. Being given them was probably something with your other half knowing things medical!!! :-) :-)

We’re in Dorset at the moment and have just seen what I think was a Merlin. Looked out of our bedroom window and sitting on the fence below with its back to us was a small bird of prey. By the time OH got his camera it had flown away but I was able to see the colours clearly.

It was definitely not a kestrel so I wondered about a merlin, googled and am sure I was right. I don’t think I have ever seen one before.

that was lucky Vera, what a pity you didn't have your camera in your hand. Maybe you will see him again. Where in dorset are you? We love Dorset and have been every year for about 6 years but so far have no plans for this year. Daughter's wedding is taking an extra week of travel for us. Have a lovely time.

Vera,
That sounds great. I've never seen one.
It's always so interesting when you catch sight of something unusual. I remember the excitement a few years ago, when an osprey visited a nearby town. It was around for days giving photographers and general public a rare chance to see such a bird in the south east corner of the country.

In the garden, there is a feeding frenzy going on. I put out water and another large suet / mealworm block late yesterday evening and it's half gone already. About a dozen starlings were jostling for a place at the block earlier, then each flew off returning after a quick trip away, presumably to feed young nearby.

Lol Gwyn I always have a apicture in my head of the starlings flying off to notify all their friends where to have a good feed. But, yes, they are probably feeding. we don't have so many this year sounds as if they are all at yours!!