Hobbies and Crafts

Vera it sounds like your Frog is a survivor :-D.I bet it wonders what on earth is going on in his peaceful garden lol
It certainly is sweltering .I am sat here with the fan blowing ,watching Murray at Wimbledon.All curtains drawn but some windows open.Kandj it is amazing the sights you see when we get this heat !!!!!!.I honestly think some people just don't give two hoots what they look like .Out comes the Union Jack Shorts and string vests,with often the beer belly,and the women in the most ridiculous get ups with bits of body hanging out all over the place :-S.
Now I might look like that ,but only in my back garden LOL where no-one can see me :-D

I keep sticking my finger in the bird bath to see how hot the water is .It is so hot, so I just top it up with some iced water .The window feeder here too Kandj still has plenty of food I put in this morning..Animals,birds and humans all are wilting .I always feel sorry for cattle and sheep etc in the fields if there is no shelter from the heat.I just hope the farmers make sure there is plenty of water for them.

One of them is probably selling tickets for the baths Kandj!!!

Very hot here too, just been sitting down in the shade eating an ice cream but have now come into the cool after deadheading a few plants.

Hello All
Very hot outside but not that bad indoors. I have opened all windows in the bungalow and closed all the blinds except for one of the lounge windows which has the window feeder and looks out into the road. It's been interesting to sit in a cool room and watch the passing fashions of folk passing by. Some sights for sore eyes ha ha.

I don't think the birds like this heat either as there are no takers for the filled feeders, but the two birdbaths in the back garden are being used a lot..... birds are queuing in a row on the garden wall, so funny to see them there.

A warm day indeed Vera and even warmer weather forecast for the rest of the week.
Hubby and I don't do hot weather very good but we aren't complaining but won't be sitting outside while the sun is so fierce. It's nice to wear light clothing and
no woollies or jackets for a change. Good to hear your resident frog is still around.

We have started to shoo the pigeon away. It wasnt content to just land on top of the window feeder and stare into the lounge window. He has been almost dive-bombing into the glass and making us both jump. It has also managed to get inside the feeder and empty it completely..... don't ask how he has managed it, but I kid you not!!

Now, we shoo the fat pigeon away. There is always food on the ground feeder so he won't go hungry but I don't want him to make himself too comfy inside the feeder, he might get stuck or he will certainly bring this crashing down on the floor.

Wilting a bit in the heat today but I'm trying not to complain as it is so nice to see the sun. Why couldn't it have been like this yesterday when we went to a garden party which was very wet at first, but then drier but quite chilly.

No sign of any birds while the landscaping people are here, except for a solitary blackbird who appears as soon as they leave and pecks around amongst any earth they have piled up or turned over. I hope I can entice the birds back once we get some planting in.

I am pleased to report that the resident frog is still with us. I was very concerned that he might be scooped up in a digger or flattened by a paving stone but when we were out today the men found him, caught him and put him in a nice, safe, shady spot behind a large pile of earth. I hope he is going to be OK.

The cruise does sound an amazing experience Ann. At least you have been there and done that and have the nice memories to remember. The photo's of you and your OH are lovely Ann. You both look so relaxed and happy together.

It's been a day of mixed sunshine and showers here today. The window and ground feeder are almost empty so I need to go and fill them both up now. It is still the usual sparrows, starlings, thrushes and blackbirds, doves and pigeons that we usually have.

No more birds flying into the window or being caught by the neighbours cats thank goodness, I am pleased about that. I am a real wuss and don't handle dead birds very well. Just seeing them freak me out.

Yes it was a big ship, but it didn't feel it when you were on it as each deck was reasonably compact - 14 decks, some of which we didn't go on as they were staterooms only. The staterooms (cabins) were very quiet, once on board there were not too many queues, only maybe going into places like the theatre, normal queues. The queues to eat in the Lido market place were maybe 10 people long because there were so many different food stations. and there were the two large restaurants where a lot of people chose to eat if they were in large parties.

No cash changed hands at all, everyone had a card that you handed over if it was somewhere you had to pay. All the lido market place eateries were free. each day you had a programme and on every programme was a list of beverage places and restaurants. If they had a $ sign next to them theyw ere not free. e.g. we could get mugs of free coffee, just ordinary filter with milk to add. But you could buy good coffees like lattees from one bar. No alcohol was free or anything bought from the bars. But we knew that before sailing, you couldn't really be caught out. You put a total on your credit card at the beginning, which was not taken until after we got home, If you went over the amount they adjusted it. That is normal for hotels in America anyway. We have travelled there a lot in the past.
The worst bit for noise was the constant musak! And the loud Americans and Mexicans, mostly loud because in large groups and all shouting at each other at once. :-D

You have cheeky Sparrows Maryanna !!.Ours seem to just stick around the window feeder and underneath it.The one with the broken foot is still hobling about :-D

Ann I have just read your blog :-D Nice to read all about your experiences onboard .What a huge ship it was.Not sure it would be my kind of cruise,just too big and busy.
Lovely pics of you both :-D

There are 2 Buzzards flying overhead here at the moment calling out.Normally it is the Red Kites,so nice for a change to see the Buzzards.
I haven't seen the Moorhen and Babies again.I'm just hoping that they are safe and that this Killer Cat we have now hasn't has them :-|

The sprinkler is on the lawn.It is so brown and yellow as we have had hardly a drop of rain now for so long.The little we have had has done nothing.The grass is also covered in clover !!!.I don't think I have ever seen quite so much.

The Sparrows are getting far too big for their boots.

Not only have they demolished the Swiss Chard, they like the red stemmed one best, I found one earlier helping himself to my one and only tomato straight off the stem.

One nearly came in the conservatory earlier when I was eating my breakfast, I usually throw them the crusts from my toast if I am sitting in the garden and they all shout at me until I do so.

Only seven Magpies on the lawn earlier, seven for a secret never to be told.

M.

Have just ready your blog Ann, it was certainly an experience.

So many people and such a big boat !!!! So glad you enjoyed it.

I don't think it would be our type of thing, Himself would never cope with the crowds and queues and would be terrified the whole time he was going to be charged for something he wasn't expecting to pay for, although we do love Disney World, he also hates flying, whenever we fly I always end up a nervous wreck, just from watching and listening to him gasp and jump or hold his breath !!

I went on a educational cruise of The Med when I was still at school, it was on the SS Nevassa,, we had a whale of a time.

Another lovely day here today.

M.

Glad you enjoyed it Kandj, took a gamble that it could be done with the narrative and photos inserted. Actually it was not too difficult.

I have written several non fiction stories, the length of a small book, for the writers' thread when it was going but couldn't be bothered with the hassle of getting things published/sorting out tax etc.

I have always enjoyed writing things and the holiday diaries, which I have written for many years, are one of the things I enjoy doing. For 50 years I have been a member of various correspondence magazines which really fostered the love of writing holiday diaries as they were often included. Well those and penfriends of course. I am a scribbler :-D :-D

Yes Ann, your holiday blog did work. I have just browsed through your cruise days and enjoyed reading all about your experience, so "Thank You" for sharing it.
Have you ever considered writing a book, because I think it would be a best seller as you have an interesting way of writing which is really very easy to read.

Nothing any different here today, so just filled up the window and ground feeders and washed out and then filled up the two bird baths. Same old type of birds though.

You can read about the cruise on the photo blog if you are interested. :-) :-)

Aww, nice one Bob. Hope the baby bird was found by Mum or Dad and not by Jane's cat Thomas!!

We have had the nosy pigeon here again this afternoon. It is very odd how he just peers into the lounge, turning his head this way and that. I did say to hubby that the pigeon didn't ever eat anything from the window feeder but today he proved me to be wrong. He had a good old feast and seemed intent on emptying the feeder, so I shooed him away. He isn't ever with any other pigeon and so I'm wondering if his other half was the one that a neighbours cat killed (and our paper boy disposed of!)
I will have to be more observant tomorrow if he shows up again.

Hopefully little baby Sparrow was found by one of the parents Bob :-D.At least you saved it from being squished . :-D :-D
I have often had to 'straddle'a bird when driving and then taking a big breath before looking through the rear view mirror.It is amazing how many times they survive.The same as the ones that fly out of the undergrowth right as you are driving past,and you think OMG .But they are somehow just quick enough to get to the other side of the road :-D

Aaw that was sweet Bob. :-)

driving through to Deeping this afternoon, I spotted a bird in the road ahead......He'll move in a minute.........yeah in a minute he'll...............no he wont, and I managed to straddle him? looking in the rear view mirror saw he was ok, as it was safe enough, I stopped and walked back. T'was a baby sparrow, probably thinking what am I doing here? where am I?

so I picked him up, no struggles, just sat in my hand, noticed he had a broken feather on the left wing and a couple of straggly ones on the right, but otherwise content to stay in my hand..........so after couple of little strokes put him safely on the verge, where hopefully mum or dad could find him.....

Bob

I hate to see roadkill........

Kandj...no i am getting rather fed up being woken at 4.40 each morning :-S.But if I just ignore him he just pads around the bed ,across the pillow ,purring ,so I just get up and put him outside.
He has been in bad books again after bringing one dead and beheaded rabbit ,and a live one into the house !!!!!! :-| :-| :-..We are having to make sure we keep the back door shut now when he is out and about and Iwill be adding another bell to his collar.(not that I am sure it will make much difference)

This morning the Moorhen was in the garden with 2 babies :-D.I was so worried as to where Thomas was I can tell you !!!.It was lovely to see though.I just hope that they stay away really next door where the little lake is and know they will be much safer there.
Also this morning the Green Woodpecker was having drink from the birdbath :-D :-D I tried to get a pic from my bedroom window but it was all fuzzy.Same with the Moorhen and babies.

Kandj it took a bit of getting around and even on the last day we were seeing places we had not been to. We were helped by the'maps' that were by each set of lifts (3 sets on each deck, we did seem to walk a lot but as we tended to go to the same bar, the eating places other than the designated restaurants were all in the same area in the stern, we also sunbathed in the same two places and the theatre was very close to our stateroom it wasn't too bad. I think everyone went to the same areas all week. The plus was, being big it was also very stable.

I might put my holiday diary on the blog later although it is a bit long. :-D

Wow Ann, have had a "nosey" around the Carnival Breeze it is enormous. Big enough to get lost in....... did you or OH get lost, or did you soon get your bearings.

Jane, the lady with the 122 cats was married with children. Photographs of her home showed beautiful furniture, furnishings and expensive decor. A pity there were jus so many cats everywhere. Are you still enjoying having Thomas waking you up early?

Vera, are the men working hard and are you kept busy making the tea/coffee?

Maryanna, still no sign of the lone Magpie so I'm guessing he has joined all yours.
I had to refit the window feeder as it was a little loose...... I'm blaming the pigeons!