Hobbies and Crafts

Vera, an early start for you, lovely sun here so far although a bit nippy, we have been round to the charity shop with two boxes of kitchen stuff surplus to our needs, including some of my Mum's china, we are now just off to Chepstow for lunch with friends, slumming it with my car today.

Garage is 90% certain that it is the starter motor althought can't be absolutely sure until the get the cover off. It will be £450 including the recovery and VAT. Not too bad we thought.

Glad you like the photos Kandj, we were taking some B&W photos for the project for our U3A photography group this month. I liked the trees too, they look spooky.

Just popping in now to say I will be away for a few days now. Off to Hay on Wye.
Stocked up on Bird food today and instructions for Son to make sure he keeps the feeder topped up :-D :-D.I am sure I will be sending him texts just to remind him LOL

Have a lovely break Jane. Don't think we will be going far, OH now has a cold and cough, that is three since Christmas goodness knows where he has caught this one.

If you are looking in Jane I hope you are enjoying Hay on Wye and that you are getting better weather than we have here.

It is so cold and we have had a day of heavy showers of sleet and hail. I had to go into town today to get a birthday present and the heavens opened when I was at the furthest point from the car. By the time I had got my umbrella out of my shopping bag and got it opened up I was soaked. Feels more like January than the end of April.

I hope your poor OH doesn't feel too bad Ann. With luck he won't pass his cough and cold on to you.

Not much happening bird-wise. I expect they are sensibly trying to keep warm and dry. I think the blackbirds must be feeding young ones as they keep throwing all the earth out of the beds onto the path as they hunt for food. I sweep it up and they throw it out again, I sweep up again, they toss it out again, I sweep........

Hi folk
Back already. We did have a lovely couple of days in Hay.Even managed to sit out at pavement cafe and the Hotel Garden in sunshine ! No coat on at all today it was so mild.
So we get home to find the Squirrel has turfed out a load of bark chippings from both my Olive tree pots. You should have seen the mess on the patio :-S.. The window feeder had not a crumb in it..Guessing my Son did NOT keep his promise to keep it filled. The birds are happy now and filling their tummies :-D
We were lucky to get home when we did as the BH traffic was beginning to get crazy.Thankfully most going in the opposite direction to us. :-)

Glad you both enjoyed your few days in Hay Jane, the birds will be pleased that you have returned if your son forgot to top up the feeders.

Ann, my hubby has had reoccurring chest infections and coughs since January.
Hopefully a little warmer weather will make them both feel so much better.

Vera, the birds throwing the soil about are keeping you busy and out of mischief lol.

The Magpie has come back again, just the one like before. Very strange. I keep thinking of the rhyme "One for sorrow" and I'm desperately seeking another one.

Have a good Bank Holiday Monday tomorrow everyone.

You can have our Vera. :-D

Just spoke to my sister and she told me that gypsy/travellers arrived on the Nature Reserve that her OH runs in Tewkesbury. They arrived at 7 last night and cut through the chain fencing to get all the vans ,horses etc in. All signs have already been destroyed .Horses and carts have been racing around the reserve. My BIL was down there an hour or so ago to have a word and was told to f**k off !!!! .He has heard nothing back yet from the police.Children have been catapulting stones at people. I dread to think what will happen to the wild birds :-(
It makes me so angry when these people say everyone is against them and they get a bad name.But what do they expect when they behave like this!!! Blood boiling right now.All the hard work my BIL and others have put into making this Nature reserve a lovely place for local people and children to go .Now no-one will be able to go.

Who owns the reserve Jane? I am not sure I know where it is. But how despicable. I hope the police can do something if they have caused damage.

I don't know who owns the land there Ann. I just know that there was funding of about £250,000 from somewhere to set up the reserve.I must ask my BIL.So much hard work has gone into the place ,including over 200 trees being planted ,mainly fruit trees.

Well usually the police excuse no action with the fact there is no damage done. Surely they can't be allowed to get away with this. It is often around bank holidays when they move in.

It is going through the court now Ann.Hopefully they will be turfed off the Nature Reserve very soon.

Oh Jane, that is terrible the gypsies have broken fencing and settled there.
Your Brother in law will be devastated after all his hard work over the months.
I do hope that none of the wildlife will be harmed. Some gypsy folk are a law
unto themselves and have no respect for anyone. Sadly, they give the other
decent travellers a bad name. I hope thy can be made to move on very soon.

I spotted what I initially thought was a small young Robin on the garden wall,
but it was slimmer than a Robin but it had a pink breast and cheeks but a long
tail...... I think it was a Chaffinch, but I could be wrong.

Are you sure that was not a long tailed tit Kandj?

Any news re the travellers Jane? There has been nothing in our local paper about it.

Not seen the little coloured bird again. I looked up Long Tail Tit Ann, but this isn't
the one I saw. It was more pinky coloured and the tail wasn't as long as a Long
Tail Tit. Very strange. I bet it won't come here again.


Here's hoping that the court have sorted out the papers to move these travellers on.
It must be a huge worry for your Brother ln Law Jane. I'm sure there will be lots of work
for him to do when they have finally left.

Travellers have been moved on now BUT they have left behind a young Pony :-(
So now my BIL has the job of getting Horse rescue people.The Vet has been involved .
My Sister says it is a clear up job on the reserve tomorrow :-S :-S. I expect the travellers will now be on someone elses land and causing more havoc :-S :-S

The Pony has been taken now ,so is somewhere safe and cared for :-D..Travellers have moved on not far) and are camped on some Army land on the Pershore road.
The clear up on the reserve was not too bad ,but bad enough.

Hi Everyone :-)

I am back from my Tenby holiday!

When we were packing up the car to come home, I had the boot open and a robin flew in the car! Poor thing was trying to get out of the windows that were closed.
I had to go around the car, opening all the doors, because every time I would open one, it would fly to the next shut door! Eventually he flew out!

OH said that perhaps it had heard that birds are well fed in my garden and decided to move! :-D :-D :-D

LOL I reckon little Robbie had his bags packed to come to yours Jem :-D :-D.Is the pic of you at Tenby? Looks great weather.
I have had Bees,Wasps,and all sorts of flying creatures in my car but never a bird !!!!

Ann. If you look up Gloucestershire Live ' Pony ' and scroll down to Selfish People leaving pet you will see about the travellers on the Nature Reserve....Lovely photo of my BIL

I haven't been around for a few days so am just catching up.

I am glad the travellers were moved on quickly Jane but what a horrid thing to happen when so much work had been put in to the reserve.

Jem, I am glad the robin didn't fly into my car. I love watching the birds but am not good if they flutter around me. I'd have the screaming habdabs if one tried to travel home with me

Nothing to report on the bird/animal front here, just the usual collection of sparrows and pigeons. However we saw OH's sister at the weekend and she had been to Africa and taken some good photos which she had printed on to mugs as presents. Mine was a lovely picture of a purple crested roller which is a lot more exotic than a sparrow or a pigeon :-D