Hobbies and Crafts

Today I have disposed of old food, cleaned and refilled the bird feeders and cleaned the bird bath.

Kandj, your bird is a real puzzle. I've had a look in a couple of bird books but nothing really fits the description. Have you thought of asking the RSPB?

How is Thomas today Jane? I hope the vet is managing the pain for him and hope all goes well tomorrow.

Hoping the vet is keeping Thomas as pain free and comfortable as possible just now.
Thinking about you Jane. Hope all is straightforward for Thomas' operation tomorrow.

We had a strange bird in the garden on the ground feeder a couple of weeks ago.
It was there just the once and disappeared. It came back this morning. Hubby shouted to me and we agreed that it was the same bird. I needed to get my glasses
and when I got back it had flown away but not before we both had a good look at it.

It looks like a sparrow as same colourings but much smaller so perhaps a finch/tit?
The head was black streaks and it had red eyes, and I kid you not. I have googled
but can't find anything similar. It's a puzzle..... any thoughts please?

Oh dear Jane, that is so sad. It certainly sounds like he has been hit by a car. Poor Thomas. I hope the vet can keep him comfortable until his op. and that he makes a quick recovery from it. The good thing in a horrid situation is that he has you to take care of him now - he chose wisely when he adopted you.

Thinking of you and Thomas <3 <3

Oh poor Thomas, do you think he was hit by a car?

I hope the op can make him more comfortable and that he soon recovers. At least you have found him. I can imagine how he cried at the vets, like Lucas did when he was found, it is heart wrending to listen to.

Just to let you know Thomas has been found injured in a neighbours garden.He is at the Vets and I have to take him to Northampton on Wednesday for an op on his badly dislocated hip.I can bring him home this evening but have to keep him confined to a crate.Back to vet tomorrow for another painkilling and antibiotic injections.

I feel like I have been through the wringer today so goodness how poor Thomas feels.He was in so much pain when the vet tried to look at his legs ,I had to leave the room.I expect I will sleep downstairs with him tonight.Hope the new settee cushions are good on the floor !!

We are going to go and buy a better designed cat carrier in a minute .One that we can easily get him into (if that is possible)

Both bird baths were completely dry and now they are cleaned and filled up again.

It's forecast to be hotter than yesterday, so the birds may be keeping cool in the
shrubs like yesterday.

Fingers crossed that he has just gone hunting jane. Is he microchipped? He is neutered I think isn't he? Only I did read that (something to do with the late spring I think), females are in season now so male cats will be looking for them if not neutered. Although maybe even if they are and they have good memories.

I do know how worrying it is for his humans.

It was 29 degrees in our garden earlier and very humid (68% at one point). I did sit down under a tree ealier listening to two blackbirds singing to each other. And a baby bird landed on the trellis near me. It looked very much like a baby thrush but could also have been a sparrow I suppose. :-D

A real worry for you Jane, but I agree with Vera. Thomas is a hunter and loves to roam. I hope he will have his fill of mice (uggghhh) and bunnies and be back soon.

Very hot here and not many birds about today. I think it's too hot for their liking.

Fingers crossed Jane that he will turn up. He seems a pretty canny cat and I am sure he can look after himself. He's probably found a rabbit warren and is having far too much fun to think about coming home. I hope for the sake of your nerves that he is back home soon.

I let him out at 3am Friday morning Ann.He would have normally been home by the time we got up.I just have a horrible gut feeling that something bad has happened,but on the other hand he is such a hunter and before arriving on our doorstep a year ago he had been living rough.So he may have just taken a hunting holiday.There are so many rabbits around at the moment. I'll just have to wait and see.If he does come home he will get a right ear bashing from me !OH had a 2 hour search yesterday over the back fields and all my neighbours are aware and have checked sheds etc.Can't do any more now other than to wait and see.

oh dear Jane, when was the last time you saw him?

Our lovely Thomas is missing :-( :-(

Elton Hall is not that far from us Vera.But we have never been :-S..We drive through Elton when we go to Peterborough (not that we go there that often.) Love the Cockey-ocky name for the bird :-D..You just need good weather when visiting places like this.But with our tpical British weather we just never know :-S It is always pot luck here :-S

Ann, we rarely see gulls inland and so they were quite a novelty. We hadn't realized that they were so white or their wingspan so big. Never ever have Herons flying
around here. We will leave them to Jane's garden.

No problem having senior moment Vera, I think we all have those from time to time.
What a shame that the rain came at the wrong time, hope it didn't spoil the day for
you and OH too much. I'm off now to google Elton Hall and have a guided tour without leaving the bungalow. We used to enjoy NT houses, but our membership has lapsed several years ago, but we did used to have many interesting visits to lots of very different historical buildings and gardens.

Sounds like a good trip Vera but what a shame it rained, I love looking at gardens as I know you do. Maybe you can go again some time. Love the Ostrich name as well. Don't worry about it being on the 'wrong' thread though, it is the same people who mainly read both threads. :-D :-D

Oops, senior moment there. I thought I was putting the post above/below on the garden thread!

However, on the subject of birds.......the coat of arms relating to the family at Elton Hall features an ostrich with a key in its mouth. Apparently it was known as the cocky-ocky bird. Isn't that a lovely name :-D

Meal sounds yummy Jane. Glad you enjoyed the day.

Yesterday we went on an organised trip to Elton Hall near Peterborough and the weather was appalling. Cold, windy and very, very wet. In the morning we had a good 2 hour guided tour of the house before it opened to the general public in the afternoon. We planned to do the gardens in the afternoon but the weather put paid to that. Thank goodness for the tea room. OH and I did brave the rain for a quick walk round the garden centre bit and bought 3 pots of a very pretty geranium, called lotusland. It has variegated gold and bronze leaves and a pretty pink flower. The prices of their plants were very reasonable.

Your garden photos are lovely Ann. Thank you for letting us see them.

Weather not too bad this weekend in this area Jane, chance of some rain though.

Your meal sounds Mmmm :-D I would have eaten the sweetbreads though.

Just seen a White Heron fly over ! :-D.I haven't seen one of those around here before.

Ann I was a pig.I had 3 courses and some wine.1st course was Brie,Avocado and Bacon Salad.
2nd couse 3 way Lamb (didn't eat the Sweetbreads though) a layered sliced potato thing.Bit like a Dauphinoise but it didn't have the sauce and some lovely veg
3rd course..Strawberries and Clotted Cream :-D It was all very delicious.It was a in lovely old Village Pubcalled The Falcon in Fotheringhay .

We are going down to Tewkesbury on Saturday for the opening day of Tewkesbury Nature Reserve.My BIL has been involved in this for the last 2 years.Not sure I will be doing the Pond Dipping lol,but it will be nice to see the place and all the hard work that has gone into it.

I think you are the first person I have seen Kandj that welcomes the sight of gulls landing in their garden. :-Dey will be hungry, probably feeding young.

Jane so pleased you enjoyed your lunch, did you go to a posh restaurant? What did you have to eat? go on make us jealous. :-D :-D