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Kandj two steps forward and six back. Sorry to hear that, at least he is under supervision but so worrying, that sounded like Angina. And no doubt he worries about the pain which doesn't help (well you would wouldn't you?)

Vera you get more birds than we do these days. I think there are several people feeding 'our' birds at the moment so they are spreading themselves thinly.

Jane I have only twice seen a woodpecker although OH says there are loads on the golf course. So lucky you.

OH's car is in for service, getting a bit antsy for it to be ready for collection, if it is after dark I won'e be driving him to pick it up and he will go on the bus. But it looks like rain and I can't see him walking out in the rain. I never drive in the dark. never did all the time I was driving more often, my eyes react badly to the lights of oncoming cars. Also I am hoping they don't say they have to keep it over noght as we are off to Hampshire tomorrow with the pressies. :-D :-D

Hope OH got to get the car ok Ann. I am like you and find that driving in the dark is something I am not at all comfortable with these days. I never used to be like this but find I now get blinded with the lights from on coming traffic.

The Green Woodpecker has been about again today and does get really close to the edge of the lawn by the patio. But if it sees any movement from me in the window it is gone in a flash with the screeching . For quite small birds that don't half make a racket.

Thomas has been a good boy lately Vera. Still catching and eating mice on the patio ,but there are no rabbits around now (thank goodness).So he is not going too far and is coming in at a reasonable time in the evenings. In fact I am surprised he is not in now .I wonder what he would think of your Frogs :-D :-D. My Sisters cat used to catch Frogs and bring them into the house !!!.

I hope Kandj has had a good day today with Hubby and that he has had no more chest pains. Such a worrying time for her and exhausting with all the travelling back and forth to the hospital each day. Lots of love Kandj <3

I had to give up driving at night a couple of years ago. Luckily I have a good friend who always acts as chauffeur if we go out after dark. Mind you she is a 71 year old "boy racer" type and it can be a bit of a white knuckle ride when you go out with J.

Hoping Kandj's hubby is more comfortable now. Thinking of you both <3

Hi Everyone :-) :-)

Just been catching up with your bird watching .
I had to google your green Woodpecker Jane. I've not seen one before!

I really miss my birds!
If you remember- I had to stop feeding them because we started having rats coming in after the bird seed.

So the only "wild life" I have to tell you about now is Rhodri :-D

Rhodri is sort of settling in quite well. At least in the house he has.
The problem is that he's a scaredy cat.

His difficult time when he had no home has made him a little wary, and I think he's had a bit of a problem here. We have quite a lot of cats here. Quite a few of them had taken to using our garden as a short cut.
We have caught two of them attacking him in his own garden, and he came in with a bleeding ear the other night.

Also, I think someone has scared him. He does not like going out much now.

He's very funny in the house!
He is doing something very strange!
If I go into my bathroom and he's upstairs, he will race into the bathroom and immediately jump into the bath. Then he turns around to look at me as if to say "Look at me I'm in the bath" and refuses to come out. If I turn around and go out of the bathroom, he jumps out and chases after me. If not, he refuses to come out of the bath .... Unless I put the tap on of course!:-D :-D :-D

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Thinking of our dear friend Kandj and her hubby ... hoping that he's improving <3 <3 <3

Not a lot of progress with hubby. He is still in hospital and in pain and confused with increased medication. We seem to have a decent day and then back to square one.
Thanks everyone for you kind thoughts and good wishes, they mean a lot just now.

Jem, your cats antics in the bath made me smile. We have Rhodri's twin here. I put cat milk out daily by the side garage door and have a couple of neighbour's cats visit and it helps to keep mice away...... I DON'T LIKE MICE!!!!

Oh what a pic of Rhodri in the bath. It must be a safe place for him. Nasty other pusses attacking him :-( :-(. I suppose he is a new comer to the local territory. I hope his ear is ok Jem. Tell him to stand up to the Bullies :-D

Sending lots of love to Kandj <3

Rhodri is a lovely looking cat and he sounds as though he is fun to have around.

In our old house I used to buy peanuts in 20kg sacks and the birds got through them really quickly. When we moved here I bought a smallish bag but the birds didn't touch them. I kept throwing them away when they got old and putting out fresh ones but in the end I stopped putting them out.

Yesterday I thought I would have another go and put just a few into a feeder and today I have seen a bluetit having a go at them and also a robin which surprised me a bit as they usually seem to be ground feeders.

Thinking of Kandj and her OH <3 <3

If Rhodri is like our Thomas it may take him a year or two to settle properly. Thomas has his moments when he is a scaredy cat if he hears an unexpected noise. We had seen him around for at least a year but he would come nowhere near.It was just one day when I was sitting out on the patio having lunch wth a friend and the smell of cold meats must have just been too tempting for a hungry puss. He came out from under our big hedge and launched himself onto the table for the meat. . I gave him a little and he has been here ever since :-D :-D.He was so skinny :-( and had fleas :-(. Now he is a healthy flea and worm free puss.I just wish he would realise he has no need to hunt now.
I haven't seen the Woodpecker for a couple of days.Maybe it has moved on to next door :-)

Hopefully we will hear from Kandj again soon. Lots of love to her and her Hubby <3 <3

Not a good day today. Hubby has been transferred to a Rehabilitation Unit for intense Physio treatment meant to get him back onto his feet, strengthen his legs so that his is safe and not at risk from falling over again.

The pneumonia and heart attack have taken their toll and he is so very weak and weary just now. I asked a nurse to help him into bed early as the move had worn him out and then he began having chest pain like he did a week ago..... just what neither of us had expected. The new staff are very sympathetic towards the two of us and allowed me to stay after visiting at his bedside, holding his hand and I left after 40 mins when he was calm and settled poor love.

Helen went home yesterday after spending the weekend here with the two of us. Our Grandson Jack with be here tomorrow for a couple of nights so that he can be "Nana's Taxi"...... bless him. We are truly blessed with a caring family.
Hopefully after a decent night's sleep hubby and I will feel a lot better ourselves.

Vey many thanks to you all for thinking about us both....... it can only get better!!

Kandj I hope you and OH have both had a restful night and are feeling a bit better today. You are having such a stressful time. Stay strong. Keeping you in my thoughts <3

When I got up this morning I looked out of the kitchen window and could see something on the path. Went to investigate and found a largish lump of meat mixture - it looked like the middle of a large pork pie. It had been nibbled all round the edges. I can only think that an animal has got it from someone’s rubbish during the night and brought it into our garden.

Then a short while ago there was such a racket outside that I went to have a look and this time it was a flock of gulls circling over the garden. Goodness where they came from but they flew around screeching loudly for about 10 minutes then just disappeared again.

It all happens in this neck of the woods lol :-D

Midnight Feast for something then in your garden Vera LOL I wonder why it wasnt all eaten!. We only seem to get a lot of Gulls here when the fields are being ploughed .

Poor Kandj and OH are having such a terrible time.At least her OH is now at the Rehab Unit which is a step forward. It will be much more peaceful there for him rather than on the busy ward at the hospital . My heart goes out to both of them .It is not an easy time <3 <3. Family support which thankfully Kandj has will be such a comfort right now.

Thomas has been sick a couple of times.In the house(why don't they head for the back door when they feel like throwing up) The Patio would be a much better place rather than my lounge carpet!!!.I reckon he must have eaten something a bit dodgy :-S :-S

Not as much activity on the window feeder today. Maybe because it is so dark.It has felt like dusk all day :-S

Vera sounds like those gulls were looking for the pork pie they dropped!!

Hope Thomas soon recovers Jane, yuk, not nice clearing up after them, one thing I don't miss not having a cat. Sounds like one of the mice was a bit off!! (sorry Kandj).

Yes, let us hope that Kandj's hubby will be able to relax and rest now he is in the rehab centre.

Kandj, hope you have managed to get some rest, you must be feeling worn out yourself. Pneumonia will have zapped all your OH's energy, then the heart attack obviously didn't help. Have they said what the chest pains actually are? Could it be sore muscles when he is tense. Hope he can improve now he is in rehab anyway. What a lovely family you have looking our for you. <3 <3

Another pain filled/confused day and now to cap it all hubby has contracted the MRSA hospital bug........ you just couldn't make it up, could you??? He was tested on admission at the previous hospital and all clear..... he was tested a 2nd and 3rd time an all clear again...... now just 2 days into this Rehab Unit we are told he has the MRSA bug......just unbelievable and the very last thing that he need right now!!!!
When Grandson Jack and I arrived for visiting he was sleeping in his bed and clearly very unwell, my heart dropped like a brick, seeing him like this, it can only get better??

Thanks everyone for your kind thoughts and good wishes. It is helping right now xx

Oh Kandj that is terrible, something wrong somewhere with their infection control, that just should not have happened. Thinking of your poor other half who must be wondering what is going to be thrown at him next

<3 <3 <3 to you Kandj .After all Hubby has gone through and now to get MRSA is just
awful and so cruel. Stay strong .We are all thinking of you xxxx

A good couple of days for birds. Yesterday there was a solitary goldfinch fluttering about on a blueberry shrub in a pot right by the back door and today there was not one, but two, jays :-D I'm not sure if they were a "pair" or not but I was really pleased to see them.

How much more can life throw at you Kandj? It must be dreadful for your poor hubby and very stressful for you and your family. We are all thinking of you. Sending you an extra gentle (((((((hug))))))) <3

Vera, birds are in very short supply here, although we have heard that a sparrow hawk has been seen around, maybe that is the answer. We have had two male blackbirds in the garden the last couple of days, a few blue tits and a pair of coal tits and the robin was following OH around when he was out there a couple of days ago.

Afternoon all. A very frosty start this morning, however, we went out to Sainsbury's on the Cheltenham outskirts for coffee, newspapers and, wow that was lucky, all their clothes at 25% off. So a pair of corded tracksuit style trousers for indoor use and a polo sweater in an orange/rust colour which goes with other things I already have. then a quick visit and a few bits in Hobbycraft and a visit and a rumage around in Home Sense, managed to find two small Christmas tree presents for Grandchildren, very inexpensive. Was tempted by all the pretty glittery glass type tree ornaments but didn't succomb.

Next stop was the Beef eater pub, we had a 40% off mains voucher so had a very nice lunch off their festive menu. We shared a duck pate to start, then both had fillet steak, bacon, mushroom sauce, triple cooked chips and crispy onion bits, then shared a Christmas pudding and custard. It was beautifully cooked, we had two small (175) glasses of red wine. The only problem was it is a large area and it was a bit chilly in the restaurant. But the service was excellent and, with the wine the whole bill only came to £26 (The wine came to £8.) A really nice way to spend a couple of hours on a cold Saturday.

Came back to our letters re the Fuel payment on the door mat!! :-) :-)

Kandj <3 <3 <3 <3

Morning all, the Hawk was here yesterday and we have pigeon feathers and bits all over the place. We saw it swoop late yesterday afternoon and it caught it's prey just above our roof before bringing it down. What a brilliant hunter they are. The damn squirrel has broken through the mesh inside my so called squirrel proof feeder even though I thought I had moved it far enough from the fence to stop it jumping on. :-| :-| :-| :-|

Pity the hawk can't catch the squirrel LG and solve that problem. Yes hawks are wonderful hunters, Just wish they wouldn't scare all the little birds off. However, that is nature and they have to eat.

There are plenty of pigeons around here and they seem to find them easier to catch or meatier LOL it seems to be them they mainly go for. My cat stalks the squirrel but has not caught the damn thing yet
:-D