Hobbies and Crafts

Maybe Mum couldn't manage with the Breast feeding Ann.I had to give up after just a few days .Tried my best ,but then it was the bottle .Both of mine thrived well on the bottle :-D.I never felt guilty.The dreadful stress of unsuccesful breast feeding was awful and then it was happy feeding on the bottle for both baby and me.


Well I think we have a Nightingale again like last year :-D :-D.It has been singing it's head off for ages. :-D.I just wish I could see it !!!

How is Thomas doing now Jane? How lovely to hear the nightingale. I've never heard one for real, just heard recordings.

Not feeling 100% and in an attempt to get away from the referendum analysis I just had a stroll round the garden. The salvias are covered with several types of bee and their humming is so restful. There were also a couple of the blue dragonflies and lots of ladybirds. Then on a viburnum I spotted a lovely looking bug. It was ladybird size and shape but it had iridescent green and purple stripes. Very pretty so I googled it. It turned out to be a Rosemary leaf beetle whose favourite food is new shoots of rosemary and lavender, with a side order of sage and thyme :-| I'm not so keen on it now!

A short while ago I also hung a feeder of chopped peanuts on an overhanging bough from a tree next door. It is in a shady corner and fairly well hidden amongst the leaves. We haven't seen the birds there but the feeder has been emptied. I am now going to hang something else up there in the hope that I can work out whether they are attracted by the peanuts or by the concealed location. I suspect it might be the location that they like.

Vera I hope you are feeling better today.
I am going to go and inspect out Lavender and Rosemary Plants .Don't want any pretty looking bug munching on them .I spotted lots of those Lilly Beetles yesterday so OH was out there quick with the spray.I say I saw lots.I saw 3.But even 3 is too many lol

Thomas ..well what can I say.He had us in panic stations the day before yesterday(or was it yesterday?) .He managed to slip out of his harness and ran and grabbed a mouse !!.He then took it under the hedge so there was no way of reaching him.After much calling and whistling and going around to next door to see if he had got through there,I got a plate of cooked roast chicken and walked up and down the length of the hedge throwing little bits down.A few minutes later a rather Sheepish looking Thomas appeared.PHEW !!.. He was then confined to barracks lol
Today I found him upstairs.So he is well on the mend.But even though he looks good on his leg I still have to restrict movement for several weeks yet.He is actually becoming very bored being cooped up in the house so much and is a bit of a pain in the neck.He keeps attacking my feet when I am sat at the table on the laptop.Not funny :-| :-|.I think it just meant to be playful but he has very sharp claws !!!

I haven't heard the Nightingale today.I hope it hasn't gone on to pastures new.

Jane, it was not that she couldn't manage. She gave her the first feed, credit to her because she said that was important but because Inara didn't settle she decided that she was not going to be ok with the breast and a midwife, instead of suggesting she persevere, told her to put Inara on the bottle. Jess is a bit strange in that she hates being touched and we think she thought she would be self concious feeding in case anyone saw her. Inara does seem ok on the bottle though.

We went for a walk at Barrow Dock museum today along the estuary and saw Oyster Catchers, Small Egrets and a Cormorant. :-) :-) the museum was interesting too

Falling out with starlings and now the window feeder is on the floor.... seed everywhere and needs to be swept up quickly, refilled and I think I might need
a notice "No falling out allowed!"

Baby Inara will thrive on formula Ann, times change and as long as Mum and baby
are happy that's the main thing. Has Luke seen his little baby cousin yet? He will
seem very big now that the two new additions have come along.

I hope your feeling a bit better now Vera and can enjoy sitting in your lovely garden.

Thomas will need watching Jane or he might escape again.... bunnies beware!

Off now to find a sweeping brush.

Yes I am sure Inara will thrive on formula Kandj. No Luke has not seen her yet, he lives in Hampshire and she is in Cumbria. He will be up there in July. Daughter is looking forward to having all her grandchildren tigether. :-D

That will be fun having everyone together in July Ann :-D..I am getting used to the name Inara now :-D.I quite like it.

Kandj,I bet it is easier sweeping up your seeds from the feeder more than my poor windowsill which is thick in soggy bits of suet pellets mixes with Squirrel wee :-S :-S
I will need a scubbing brush and hot water to clear that. We still have no Starlings here.
It has been a bit quiet on the bird front today.I filled the feeder first thing this morning and there is only a little gone.

I make sure the harness is tightly on now .I think Thomas is getting more used to it,although still not impressed with not having his freedom.We are 3 weeks now since his op.It does seem a lot longer to me :-S :-S.So still maybe another 4-5 weeks to go before he is allowed to be let loose!!!

Goodess I had not realised thit was 3 weeks since his op Jane. Hope he continues to improve. Of course, as he feels better it will be harder to keep him constrained.

Yes the name Inara grows on you. If you google it, besdies being a name from some fantasy tale it is also a mythological name and a Muslem name meaning into light or something. :-)

Ann,everything externally has healed really well.I hope the internal healing is doing the same.He does lose his balance sometimes as the femur that was operated on is still unstable .Once all the muscles and tendons strengthen he should be fine .Maybe a bit of a limp or a sexy kind of wiggle when he walks lol.One more check up on the 12th and then he should be signed off.

I will google Inara
:-D

Not many birds of any kind about today as we have had a lot of rain.

Jane, maybe we have the Starlings here, you can have some if you wish?
Soggy suet pellets and Squirrel wee???? YUK!!!

Inara, definitely grows on you. A beautiful name, obviously well thought about.
July will soon be here Ann. Luke will have two babies to get away from lol.

Hope Vera is feeling better .

Oh dear I have had 2 kamikaze birds in a week.A Blackbird flew into the glass greenhouse and a little Chaffinch into the Patio doors :-( Both instant death :-( :-(
On a happier note I could see and hear a Skylark this morning :-D :-D.What a lovely sound and from so far high up in the sky !!!

Poor birds Jane.

Not many birds rounf here at all, I could see a buzzard from the lounge window this morning and we have had a couple of Goldfinches feeding, a blackbird or two on the lawn but not much else. There was a loud thump on the conservatory roof yesterday when we were out there, we thought it was a wood pigeon, but when it flew off, it was a seagull. We couldn't see it because of the blinds.

We spent a couple of hours this morning fitting new pendant lights in the lounge. Our lounge is long and has two light fittings. OH does this himself, he is well trained in electrical 'things'. I was electrician's mate. He did a good job and I am really pleased with them.

It is the garden of love tonight here.The Wood pigeons have no shame, they are all at it like rabbits !!!!!!!!!!!.Must be something in the air lol

:-D :-D :-D

Jane, I can sometimes hear pigeons "at it" somewhere near my chimney. I have a fire place in my bedroom, and the sounds coming down the chimney are quite embarrassing.!!
Have been trying to out my garden to rights in the last few weeks. Hoping to encourage the birds and the bees.

Put out dome fat balls about a week ago, had seen that the highest one had a few nibbles out of it.
Today saw some sparrows having a feast. They have finished the top fat ball and have made a good start on the next one.
Also put dome water out. Must remember to change it daily.

Used to see tits of all descriptions but they vanished when the magpies arrived in great numbers.

Magpies are a menace Tess. Maybe the small birds will return now you have put out fat balls.

I hope you have more luck than me with the birds Tess. We have been here nearly 3 years now and I am still struggling to get them to come in the garden. I have put out wild bird seed, niger seeds, suet pellets, peanuts and fat balls and the only things going down at all are the fat balls and it is sparrows eating those here as well. Nice to see the sparrows but I do miss the variety of birds we used to get in our old garden.

Our planting seems to be working well as we are getting plenty of bees and other insects and a few dragonflies. Haven't seen Humphrey the frog for a while but I think he is probably still around.

There must be a lot of foxes around here at the moment.Sadly I have seen two young ones dead on the road in the last couple of weeks :-(.My neighbour two doors down said that yesterday there were 2 foxes playing in her garden.Plus 12 rabbits !!.She wanted to know how long it will be before Thomas is out and about again as he keeps the number of rabbits down.I had to say it is still going to be many weeks !! She was gutted LOL
The food in the window feeder has gone down a lot slower today which is very unusual.I still haven't seen the Jay for a few days either.

Still hardly any birds around here, just the occasional goldfinch, and a couple of collard doves not even many sparrows or starlings

We have had the wood pigeons lining up on the garden wall waiting for a late breakfast this morning!