Hobbies and Crafts

Just stroll along Ann. You will be on holiday so I am sure your OH and daughter won't feel slowed down. No-one seems to be in much of a rush there.

We drove up to Yorkshire today and it was OK. We had a bit of heavy rain on the way and one nasty sleet shower but it wasn't too bad. Apparently it snowed for a couple of hours this morning and there is still snow on the hills and the roadside verges. I think the roads will get icy tonight. The warmth of Madeira already seems a long way away.

I cleaned and refilled the feeders before leaving home but I don't suppose much of the bird food will be gone when we get back, though I did see a couple of starlings in the garden this morning.

Jane, that was so sad about your friend's dog Henry. They are a lovely breed but, like you say, a bit inclined to slobber. I walk around with bits of kitchen roll in my pocket to mop him up. Son's neighbour has just knocked to take Buster out for a quick walk with his dog. Apparently he does it most evenings around 8 pm which is kind of him. All we need to do at night is let him out into the yard just before we go to bed. That suits OH just fine as it would be him going out in the evenings.

Now to make sure granddaughter is doing her homework......

Coincidence Vera good to know somebody has been there. Thanks for the bus tips, and restaurants. I am a bit concerned with slowing OH and daughter down as I have sciatica in one leg which does play up some days. I won't give in though.

Snap,Ann, that is where we stay. It's a smallish hotel compared to many along there but the rooms are fine and the staff are lovely. We also do B&B but had 2 evening meals in the hotel this time. First evening we had a keyboard player entertaining us while we ate and the second time we had a violinist.

Buses stop near the hotel and are easy to use. First time you get on one you buy a ticket for 1.95euros but keep your ticket and take it to one of the kiosks and you can top it up with extra journeys. Up to 9 journeys the price comes down to 1.35 euros, 10 or more and it comes down to 1.25 a journey. The ticket can only be used on the yellow buses but some of them go quite a distance.

Goya is a good restaurant that was recommended to us. It is a bit on the pricey side but we thought it was good value for money. Another one recommended to us was Leeno's but we didn't get to try it out.

I am sure you will have a good time and there will be lots for you to photograph. Just make sure you take your hill-walking legs......coming from flat old East Anglia I find the hills and endless steps a bit of a slog sometimes. ;-)

Oh what a nightmare for you Vera being stuck on the tarmac for that long.I did see about the hold ups on the news because of the oil spillage.
Funfairs ,nightlife and beaches are not my cup of tea.Well I wouldn't mind a bit of nightlife :-)
I hope the weather is ok for you tomorrow going up to Yorkshire and you don't get the snow forecast ...I love the English Bull Mastiffs ..Just a bit slobbery though I think sometimes.Our friend had one called Harry and he was a dear.But sadly had to be put to sleep at he age of about 18months because of some dreadful stomach problem :-(

I am happy to say that my one legged Sparrow is still around :-D.It must be well over a year since I first saw it :-D :-D

What a shame vera to end your holiday sitting on the aircraft for three hours, hate it when that happens. Still pleased that you enjoyed it. We all three (daughter will be with us) look for the same as you with holidays. This is where we are staying B&B 4 star Saga hotel. room has balcony and sea view.

Hotel Madeira Regency Cliff
Travessa da Quinta Calaca 6
Funchal
Funchal
Madeira :-)

Yes I am back. Got back late last night. Should have been a lot earlier but the oil spillage and runway closure at Gatwick held up planes all over Europe. Unfortunately we had boarded before the captain was told he couldn't have his slot to take off so we had to sit on the tarmac for three hours.

We usually fly budget airline but this time we were with British Airways and thank goodness we were. It meant we had reasonably comfortable seats with a bit more leg room. The crew kept the cabin as cool as they could and brought round water for us and the captain kept us informed of what was happening. We also knew that once underway we would get some food - the cheaper airlines don't usually provide food.

Anyway we eventually got home. Today is busy, then early tomorrow we are driving to son's house in Yorkshire where we will be looking after a granddaughter for 10 days while son is away. She is 15 so doesn't take a lot of looking after, she just needs feeding at regular intervals. Oh, we are also in charge of the dog, a real gentle giant. He is a 9 stone English bull mastiff.

I filled all the feeders before we went to Madeira but they have only gone down a bit so there can't have been many birds around and today I have only seen 2 pigeons. Whereabouts in Madeira are you staying Ann? The couple of times we have been we have stayed at the same hotel on the outskirts of Funchal, about 3 km from the centre.

Whether you enjoy it or not depends on what you want from a holiday. If you want a beach holiday with funfairs and discos and lots of nightlife, then it probably isn't for you. We like to use local transport to get to a place on the island we haven't been and just stroll around, take in the local sights, visit the public gardens etc. In the evenings we like to find a nice restaurant and have a meal, drop of wine etc. The Madeiran people nearly all speak good English and we have always found them courteous and friendly. The climate there suits me as well, it's seldom too cold or too hot. I'll be interested to hear what you think of the island Ann.

I think Vera is back in UK today Jane. Yes we are going to Madeira end of March, never been so looking forward to it.

Nice to see you are getting plenty of visitors Ann.Like here too.It has been a busy day today.Just now there was a right old racket going on.Some were Blackbirds but there was one bird that I just didn't recognise the sound of,and it was louder than all the other birds put together !!

I do like the sound of Madeira .Do you have a holiday there planned Ann?
Vera how long are you there for?

You are whetting my appetite for our holiday there later on Vera.

Lots of birds here today. Feeding on the feeders and on the ground today were the Goldfinches (of course), two greenfinches, I was so pleased to see two as there has only been one until today and we used to get loads before theyw ere wiped out by a disease, hopefully our two are a male and a female! then we had a wren and a robin, three very large male blackbirds, one starling several blue tits and Great tits and a few sparrows. We also had a jackdaw land and fly off with a piece of bread.

Just googled the penduline tit to see a picture. It looks quite a pretty bird.

Today we visited some gardens on Madeira where there were a few birds, some quite large lizards and also large frogs. Some pretty dragonflies too. While we were waiting at the stop for a bus back we could hear a mewing sound, looked up and there was a buzzard overhead. Perhaps he was looking for a tasty lizard :-D

EDIT. Thank you all for your birthday wishes.

The penduline tits live in Eurasia and Africa and North America. The genus Remiz is almost exclusively Eurasian, ranging discontinuously from Portugal and the tip of northern Morocco through to Siberia and Japan. The largest genus, Anthoscopus, is found in sub-Saharan Africa from the Sahel through to South Africa.

Several species of penduline tit are migratory, although this behaviour is only shown in species found in Asia and Europe; African species and the verdin are apparently sedentary. The Eurasian penduline tit is migratory over parts of its range, with birds in northern Europe moving south in the winter but birds in southern Europe remaining close to their breeding areas. In contrast the Chinese penduline tit is fully migratory and undertake long distance migrations.

Most live in open country with trees or bushes, ranging from desert to marsh to woodland, but the forest penduline tit lives in rain forest. They spend most of the year in small flocks

The usual four goldfinches seem to be feeding non stop at the moment, every time I look out of the window theya re there. This morning the blackbirds have been hoovering up the bit of peanuts again and a black cap and a greenfinch have been on the black sunflower seeds, plus a couple of sparrows. On the peanuts we have had great and blue tits, no sign of the coal tit for a few days.

We passed the wet meadow this morning where the Penduline tits are. There are apparently two of them there, both males, and there were absolutely loads of twitchers/bird watchers all lined up with their tripods and cameras. these birds are way out of their comfort zone as they don't usually visit UK at all.

.Belated Happy Birthday wishes Vera, you are really being pampered. I hope you feel a lot better today and enjoy the rest of your time in Madeira.

The usual birds have been out today, enjoying the bright sunshine for a change.
I even managed to dry bedding and towels out on the clothes line, for a change today.

Jane they are obviously sending the word out! :-D

Vera.I hadn't realised you were in Madeira and your Birthday too.....Belated Birthday Wishes to you <3
Sounds like you are having a wonderful time :-D.Madeira is a place I have never visited but have always fancied.Must put it on the list of places to go :-D

2 Long Tailed Tits today on the feeder :-D :-D..So I am now hoping for 3 :-D

Oh, happy birthday for yesterday Vera and hope tum recovers. What a lovely gesture from the hotel too :-)

Thank you Ann, we are having a lovely time. We last came 7 years ago but OH is talking about trying to get back later this year. Don't know if it will happen.

I have been very spoilt. Yesterday we got back to our hotel after a day out to find a beautiful birthday cake and a basket of fruit in our room from the management. I hadn't told anyone it was my birthday but an eagle eyed receptionist noticed the date in my passport. That was a real surprise.

In the evening we went out for an upmarket meal. OH must have mentioned my birthday when he booked the table as when our deserts came, mine had Happy Birthday piped on the plate and a lighted candle. All the staff gathered round our table and sang Happy Birthday to me. I felt a right idiot with everyone looking but it was a lovely gesture. :-D

I think I over-indulged a bit and my poor tum has been paying for it today :-(. Just a main course and a lemonade tonight I think. :-D

Hope you are having a lovely time Vera. We go to Madeira in April. Ghekos and lizards like banana and strangely, lettuce. Wonder if they were long tailed tits then?

Strange you should mention long tailed tits as OH and I saw a flock of something outside our hotel in Madeira this morning and have been discussing whether they were long tailed tits or something else. There was a flock of about a dozen. They had the long tails but looked a little taller and slimmer than the ones we see at home.

Apart from these and a couple of wagtails we have only seen pigeons and gulls. Lots of lizards everywhere and we were fascinated to see a little girl offering them tiny bits of banana which they seemed to love. :-)

They are usually in a flock so fingers crossed Jane :-D