Hobbies and Crafts

Funny you should mention that Ann :-D.I bought another Nyger feeder today and have hung that on an empty hanging basket bracket on the back wall of the house.
I know for sure now that the Goldfinch are using the one down the garden so am hoping they might venture a bit closer :-D
I bet OH will moan though as the new feeder is just over a nice bench and he will be thinking about the white splatters LOL

The rain has just arrived :-S

Can you move it closer to the house Jane? Goldfinches don't seem bothered by us and they are fairly close to the house.

I have just seen Goldfinches on the Niger Seed feeder :-D :-D..just getting the last few bits. So at least I know now :-D :-D

My Niger Seed feeder is empty !!!!.But I still haven't managed to see which birds have been feeding :-S..I will have to go and get more seeds tomorrow :-D and keep the binoculars handy so I can look and see what birds go there.The feeder is hanging on a branch down the garden but because there are so many leaves around it ,it makes it hard to see the birds.

I keep avoiding big bumble bees. They are huge!
No lady birds here though.

BUMBLE BEES are everywhere here.I agree,how do they get in???.My OH was sitting at his desk in the study the other night about 8.30 and felt a tickle on his hand.He went to scratch and it was a Bumble Bee sitting there !!!.He put it out onto the new herb bed on the patio.It was still there the next morning,so he put a little sugar water on a bit of stone and a mini Daff head.The Bee had a drink and a walk inside the trumpet and then flew off :-D
Lots of Ladybirds here also.I keep finding them on hte inside of my windows :-S

It has been a lovely day here today and I sat outside with a friend for lunch :-D.

We get big bumble bees in the conservatory all the time. They seem to mange to get in even when door and windows are shut, then, as you say Vera, they can't get out again silly things.

We've had a few of those bug furry bees as well Gwyn. I've had to guide a couple out of the conservatory. They fly in through the open door but can't seem to find their way out again.

I'm amazed at the number of ladybirds in the garden. They are everywhere - even my not very observant OH has remarked on them. I wondered if it is because of the mild winter we have had here.

signs that summer may not be far away then Gwyn :-) :-) :-)

Saw my first peacock butterfly of the season this week.
It was resting on a grass verge in the sunshine, when I walked to the bus stop.

I've seen quite a few bees this week too. Not sure what type, but big and furry.

He is a hunter your cat isn't he, no doubt learnt while living wild.

We have Tenerife in September to look forward to.

I love Paris.

Avignon and Paris Ann. Avignon for 4 nights and then Paris for 3 nights.We are going by Eurostar to and from Paris and the French fast train(can't think of the name) to Avignon and back to Paris....Looking at Vienna for September.

There was a huge raucous earlier..It was a load of Magpies !!!.I do hope we are not going to get the same numbers of them as we did a couple of years ago :-S

Thomas has just come home with tale tale signs of having a big feast..His white bib looks a bit pink :-| :-|

I have only ever seen goldfinches on the niger seed Jane but there might be other birds that can eat them. Where are you going for your holiday?

Will have a look Ann :-D
The Niger Seeds have gone down a bit in the hanging feeder .But I can't say I have actually seen any Goldfinch on it.Can any other little birds get their beaks into the tiny slots?
Bet you are really looking forward to your holiday in Madeira now Ann :-D.I feel ready for a holiday.But have to wait until middle of May.I know it is just a few weeks,but I would love to go tomorrow :-D
I am wondering if there might be baby Pigeons in one of the trees as I can here that wheezy kind of noise that they make when the parents are away from the nest.
I haven't seen any Ducks in the garden today and Thomas isn't Quacking so I don't think he has had them :-D..He has had more Bunnies though :-|
Just starting to rain here now for the first time today.

I have put some of my Dorset photos on the photo blog for anyone interested. :-) :-)

Monday week Jane for 2 weeks.

You will have to make loud noises to shoo the ducks off if theya re nesting. For their own good!!

When do you go Ann?..I must say we do miss facilities for making a cuppa in many European Hotels. I do like a nice cup of tea first thing.That is usually the first thing we do when we get home from a holiday abroad..Just make a decent cuppa :-D

I spotted the female Duck wandering down along the side of the big hedge this morning and then she disappeared into it..I just hope there is no nesting business going on in there lol other wise Thomas will have a field day :-S.It is bad enough seeing come up the garden with a Rabbit in his mouth ..I dread to think should it be a Duck !!..Hopefully they might QUACK very loud and scare him off :-D

Thanks Vera that is great, do like a cuppa when we wake up. And the fridge will be useful too. Thanks for that

You'll be fine at this hotel Ann. We had tea/coffee making facilities and a little fridge that was useful for bottles of water. There's free wifi and I had no trouble using it in our bedroom though another lady told us she had to go to the lobby to use it. There's also a safe in the room but you do have to pay for the key - a small amount per day plus a refundable deposit that you get back when you hand the key in.

The way the weather has been here for the last couple of days I wish I was coming with you.

We stopped for lunch on the way home at a NT car park called waldon Hill, don't ask me where it is, on the road from Street to the M5 is the closest I can get. It was a lovely view out over the valley anyway and we sat and watched two Byzzards, so graceful as they glided across the sky in front of us.

Vera at a risk of becoming boring about Madeira in the hotel room is there a facility for making tea etc? Or is it like a lot of hotels no kettle etc available. If the latter do they frown on travel kettles. We had one hotel that banned them. :-)