Hobbies and Crafts

We think a pair of robins are feeding a young one down the end of our garden, they have been very busy looking for food.

I am so jealous of you folks with lots of birds. We have a day or so when we get an influx and then they all disappear again. Today all I have seen is 3 fat pigeons and a little dunnock :-(

Vera.I love all my little visitors ,and there are so many.But they are eating me out of house and home..Plus the Squirrel ,who demolishes the whole lot from the window feeder if it gets the chance before I spot it there. :-S
At the moment I can see a Robin,Sparrow and Chaffinch all feeding at the same time and more waiting in the wings :-D

Every time I put any food out one of the great fat pigeons scoffs it all.

They have even started to sit on the little feeders, they can get through a whole tube of seed in about an hour.

Lots of other birds around, some very noisy Chaffinches yesterday, the Magpies are very busy still in their enormous nest. Luckily the Jackdaws have given next doors chimney pots a miss this year so nog so much noise from them. The pigeons are still building their nest, I suppose as they get fatter then the nest has to get bigger.

Have spent the last three weeks getting the garden up to scratch, I must say it looks lovely, even though all the tulips and Daffs are over, there are plenty of other things out. The Aquilegias and Lilacs are gorgeous..with the Bluebells out the garden is all blue and purple.

Hope the weather isn't too awful at the weekend, it's the Big Celebration. Kids that don't live at home are coming back tomorrow. Have had to sort out all the spare rooms too in readiness.

Big family lunch at our daughters on Saturday, then the party on Sunday, lunch for 55 then about half of them coming back here for tea, that's why I hope I can get them out in the garden !!!

Both bumps coming along nicely too !!!!

M.
:-)

Maryanna, I do hope all goes well with your celebrations and that you enjoy it all. Hope too that the weather is kind to you. :-)

Spring gardens are very pretty. Our aquilegia are later this year and there are not so many of them don't know why..

Pigeons are such greedy birds but they do have big bodies to fill. :-D

Maryanna, a busy yet very happy weekend for you and your family. Hope all goes well and the sun shines for you all. Take lots of photographs for when the bumps are researching their family tree and remember to make some time to enjoy yourself too.

Mostly yellow here in our garden. Forsythia, mahonia and euenymous but still have late flowering tulips which are a new variety and are white. The bluebells brighten it up

An early start this morning and I have just cleaned the birdbaths and filled the window feeder and the ground feeder, so all is ready for the hungry birds today on a sunny morning in Yorkshire (so far) but some dark rain clouds are in the sky as well.

Quite bright here this morning so far. Off out later to a garden centre we don't go to regularly. (A Blue Diamond one).

Kandj, yellow is very much a spring colour in the garden but, having said that ours seems to be more pink and purple this year with a touch of yellow from the Mahonia and wallflowers.

Goodness you were up early, I was awake then but not up. Lazy bones me!! :-D

Good idea for Maryanna to get a good family picture for people later researching their family tree.

Quite late yesterday evening, while still light, the baby robin was sitting on the top of one of the cast iron patio chairs outside our lounge window. It seemed quite happy there for a long time. (shall have to wash the chair off now!)

No birds feeding at the moment so I asume they have had breakfast. And now I must go and get mine. :-) :-)

Have a wonderful time at the weekend Maryanna. I hope the weather is dry and warm for you. Another suggestion for you - mark up who is on your photos as soon as you can. OH recently dug out a batch of photos taken at a party for my Dad's 80th birthday in 1993 and they include a couple of ladies and a man that we don't recognise at all, yet I must have invited them. I'd love to know who they are. Perhaps they were gatecrashers :-D :-D

I've only seen two birds this morning.....a blackbird on the grass and a starling at the fat balls. Where have all the others gone?

Walked down the back garden to feed the birds this morning and FROZE as there was a dead pigeon with lots of feathers all over the lawn...... I am a real wuss and came back indoors. The paper lad came at the right moment and he kindly cleared the mess and got rid of the dead pigeon (phewwww -- huge relief), he went away happily munching on a big bag of toffees for his help.

I have a dish which I put milk into each day. This is for the neighbourhood cats and is meant to deter any mice from coming (another pet hate of mine). The cat has obviously killed the pigeon...... isn't nature cruel?

Maryanne, I hope that the weather stays dry and fine for your very special anniversary celebrations this weekend. Have a love time with all your family and friends.

Kandj, you are not the only wuss around. I'm OK with mice etc but I can't cope with dead birds. Just like you I found a dead pigeon in our garden at our old house and OH was away for a few days. I had to phone a neighbour who came and dealt with it. I did feel a fool.

How is it that I get so much pleasure from watching the birds but I can't touch one, alive or dead?

Ooh Maryanna I hadn't realised the big celebration was this Weekend.
Have a Wonderful time with all the family and friends.Bet you will look smashing in your new dress :-D Hope we get to see a pic or two :-D :-D <3

We keep seeing a lone pigeon flying around and we feel sad for this bird. The dead pigeon was obviously one of a pair.

Yesterday was dark, wet and windy. Today (so far at least) we have a dry day with blue sky and white fluffy clouds here. If you had the same wet day yesterday Maryanna, I hope that it didn't dampen your celebration party too much.

Let us know how it went Maryanna, whatever the weather I hope you had a great time. Not sure when your birthday is/was, but many happy returns to you. :-) :-)

Kandj I always think it so sad to see a lonesome bird that has obviously lost its mate :-(
We often see them here,and then see a squished one on the road :-( :-(..Some of the birds at the moment fly so low across the road they just fly straight into on coming cars.I saw a Blackbird bounce of a car bonnet the other day.It did carry on flying so hopefully it was just a glancing blow.

I expect our Maryanna might be recovering from a very hectic and exciting weekend :-D.Maybe all the family are still there.I bet whatever the weather was like she has had a blast :-D :-D

Today is all sun :-D and so warm..The only thing spoiling it is the awful smell from the Rape in the field behind us.It gives me a headache :-S,and sneezes.

Hate that rape, even though it is a pretty colour, it makes my eyes sting and my throat sore.

Ann I wake about 3 each night with an earache and sore throat.I am sure it is to do with the Rape.Trouble is I just can't sleep with every window shut at night.I think we are quite lucky this year as the fields at the front don't seem to have Rape .I think it might be Wheat.But there are still plenty of fields with the Yellow stuff at the moment :-S :-SI will be very happy when it all dies down :-D

I will be away from Thursday until the 13th..Off to Paris :-D

Ooh is it for a special occasion? Have a lovely time. :-) :-)

No Ann, just a little break :-D....If OH gives me the weather forecast once more for Paris I think I will end up throttling him lol.I will go prepared for anything :-D with one big suitcase :-D.Going by Eurostar .So much easier than flying.

I don't like Rape either. The chap who farmed the fields round our last house had a rotation system. I loved the wheat years, didn't mind the bean years but hated the Rape years. It looked lovely but the worst thing was that awful rotten cabbage smell when it died down. It seemed to drift round the whole house.

This afternoon we went for a walk round Arger Fen, not too far from us. The bluebells there are glorious and all the time we were there I could hear the birds singing in the trees. Apparently they have skylarks nesting there as well which is great as skylarks are in decline I think.

I hope you enjoyed your weekend Maryanna - I expect you are still recovering.

Jane, have a great time in Paris. We are also off on Thursday, just for a 4 day mini-cruise. That's not really our type of thing but we are going with a group of friends so went along with what the majority wanted to do. I know we will enjoy it because our friends are good company.

Enjoy your cruise Vera, where are you cruising to?

Well Paris for any readon Jane, I love Paris. Not been by Eurostar though, not easy from here.