Hobbies and Crafts

Oh Ann that will be lovely :-D.Lets hope that cold runs it's course speedily and drys up in time.
We have a completely cloud free sky here .A cold night maybe.It is is weird having such hot radiators now.I keep turning everything down.It just shows how bad it was before (for the last 20 odd years :-S.I bet our gas bill will go down a bit now :-D :-D
Now that will be a bonus.It is so nice not to have any workmen here.Plumber came back at lunchtime to check the shower.He made a bit of adjustment to one of the feet under the tray again,and reckons it should all be hunky dory now.I hope he is right :-D

Hope your cold improves quickly Ann so that you can really enjoy your time away. Glad to hear you are finally leak free Jane.

Nothing new bird-wise today. The blue tit is now coming regularly to the suet cake and the robin still pops in and out of the ground feeder. Otherwise it has just been a couple of starlings and a couple of pigeons. It's strange that none of the birds seems to be going for the fat balls.

I may not be on here much over the next few days as son and his three daughters and his partner are coming tomorrow to stay for a few days. As I haven't seen the girls for 6 months I will be making the most of my time with them. But I will still be topping up the feeders and keeping an eye on what's coming in to the garden.

Hope your cough and cold soon clears up Ann. Your sunny break will do you good.

Glad that you are sorted out with a new tank and the heating is on for you now Jane.

Enjoy special time with your family Vera, three granddaughters will keep you amused.

Lesley,I am going to google the ingredients and method to make a birdseed cake because the birds here don't like the shop bought ones. Too fussy by far lol.

plenty of starlings in today eating bread and the coconut and also the giant fat ball I got half price at the garden centre last week. We also had a black cao on the coconut and a blue tit flying in and out plus the large wood pigeon hanging off the seed feeder. Might have been others but we were out from just after 0930 until 1pm.

Mr Blackbird has been watching his wife all these weeks on the feeder and now he is visiting my window many times a day :-D :-D.See us girls can teach the men a few things :-D.He is pretty big and takes up the whole feeder just like Mrs.(or Big Girl )as I call her.
We have a resident Vole(i think it's a Vole and I think it lives under the Summerhouse.It has spent a lot of time this afternoon running back and forth picking up the bits of Peanuts that fall when the Blue Tits are feeding on the ball.It is quite amusing to watch it.
Kandj, you would hate it lol.But is sooooo sweet :-D

Noooo, The thought of the vole makes me cringe and shudder Jane, keep it in your garden please because you are right I would hate to have it here.

It has been a cold windy day with rain this afternoon too. I went into the village to buy some lard to make the bird seedcake but they don't have it. I will have to buy some in town at the weekend. I must put it on my shopping list or I will forget all about it.
The fat ball is still untouched so I will see if my fussy birds can be tempted to eat mine.

Sorry to hear you are feeling unwell Ann, I hope you soon feel much better.

kandj perhaps the fussy Yorkshire birds will prefer home cooking :-D you must let us know how you get on if you make your own fat balls/cakes...I didn't see what was on the prowl the other evening, we don't have any street lights so unless what ever set the security light of froze with fear where the light shines I wouldn't be able to see anything, unless there was a full moon.

Jane I'll swap your vole for my moles.

I hope you are enjoying having your family to stay Vera.

Sadly tomorrow I am going to the funeral of my dear cousin Colin :-( <3 I haven't been to a funeral here before http://greenacreswoodlandburials.co.uk/park/colney/ but by looking at the pictures I am sure this is the perfect place for Colin to be laid to rest.<3

Lesley x

Still feeling rough and at the stage of thinking this cough will never go. I only feel rough because the coughing and sneezing wears me out, otherwise I am ok.

I think Jude, who pops in here sometimes, used to make her own fat balls/cake.

I hope the funeral goes as well as these things can Lesley, sad to lose family members but that sounds a good place for a last rest.

Around here cats set off the security lights, and foxes.

Morning All

Lesley what a sad day for you today.But I have to say it does look a lovely setting with all the trees and wild flowers.I hope the rain holds off for you <3

Ann your cold is dragging on :-S Fingers crossed that by the end of the weekend you will have shaken it off and will be fighting fit and ready for your holiday. :-D
I'm just off to the garden centre now.(There is a very chunky Robin peering at me through the middle of the feeder lol)

Lesley, several years ago I went to what was termed as a Green Funeral service for my son in laws elderly Grandmother. We all agreed the peace and tranquility in the woodland area was comforting and one where Grandma would Rest In Peace.
I hope that you and your family will experience the same feelings today.

We have had FOG here first thing this morning! I have put some washing on the clothes line but I will be very surprised if they dry today.... ever the eternal optimist me.

Mainly starlings and pigeons here today, they don't seem to mind the rain. the starlings seem to be very fond of the giant fat ball.

Oh and Mum blackbird was gathering nesting material this morning.

I haven't noticed any nest gathering going on yet Ann ,but I imagine they will be doing that now.
It is quite late and the window feeder is still really busy.It looks like it is almost empty once more.
The little Vole has been haring about on the patio.It looks so funny as you can't see its feet.It's almost as if it is on hidden wheels lol
Also OH spotted a Rat :-S :-S.It came out from under the Summerhouse.I'm not too happy about that as it is a bit too near the house for my liking .

Is your cough and sneezes any better this evening Ann? I am sneezing my head off at he moment ,but I don't think it is a cold.It's more likely the dusty stuff that blows off the Pines.Time to get the Antihistamines in . :-|.I never used to need them but over the last few years I find I can't be without them.Even certain flowers and smells affect me now :-S :-S,and yet my Sister who used to suffer from Hayfever really badly and even had to have inhalers seems to have grown out of it.

Lesley I hope today went off ok .It sounded like you were very fond of your cousin and will miss him :-(

Now I am trying to think of what to have to eat tonight with my son.OH was out for lunch so needs nothing.It will be something quick and very easy :-D
Since I started typing this the birds have vanished ....BUT my son says as he was stood on the back doorstep having a ciggie he saw Ratty 3 times criss crossing the Patio ! Oh dear :-| :-|

Oh goodness Jane. I would be leaving home if we had a rat, uugghh

I don't like mice and keep putting peppermint oil inside our garage as I was told mice don't like the smell. I think that we must have the best smelling garage around lol..

Kandj,I hate rats, but we have been used to seeing the odd few over the years living here.I used to blame next door having chickens .But just living surrounded with very long gardens and fields I suppose they are inevitable .I might have to move the peanut ball and coconut further down the garden if ratty still visits,Then if it gets really bad I would have to get rid of my window feeder :-S :-S (Now that is something I really would not want to do) But we will just wait and see :-D

Talking of Starlings??? did anyone read about the flock causing chaos somewhere in a Uk village road...they settle to roost in the hedges and by day do the their flying stunts....BUT the neighbours are fed up cause everywhere is covered in poo, people in the street get it in their hair, the amount of people coming to see them has caused a stir too....l'm telling you from memory..vic told me about it earlier, it was in paper or the news.
l'm in bed with a nasty bug been here since LAST THURSDAY, yep LAST THURSDAY, so thought l'd have alook at blog....can't log in its all changed so thought l'd find you lot.

AnnG ....l do hope your cold goes pdq...enjoy your hols and say hi to Uzzi:))
Hello everyone:)
back to sleep for me xx

jude xx

I think it is somewhere in Gloucester Jude. Sorry you are poorly, goodness that is over. Week.have you seen a doctor? I hope that you will feel better soon.

Hello Jude, nice to have you here. Hope you will have a much better day today.
I haven't read about the starlings and thought that we had them all visiting us
x2 daily in Yorkshire.

Is your cough getting better Ann? Hope it settles itself down before you go away.

Jane I am still shuddering with the thought of the rat (and vole) so near to your home!
Do you have to inform the Council and get them to get rid of the rat?

I think Vera might be having a good time with her family, the grandchildren will keep her busy no doubt.

Lesley, I hope all went as well as it could be for your cousin Colin's funeral yesterday.

It is a really hard white frost here this morning, all covering the lawns and roof tops.
I have put fresh water in the bird baths and put food on the ground feeders, already the pigeons and starlings are having breakfast!
Window feeder filled but no sign of young blackbird as yet.
here were loads of gulls yesterday so it must be cold on the East coast. We generally have 4-5 but there were more like 20+. Like the Hitchcock film The Birds, alright to view from indoors but I wouldn't have liked to be out amongst them........ wuss that I am ha ha.

Hi Kandj, hard frost here too this morning but the sun is now shining so it is warmimg up a bit and I am about to put washing out on the line. Still coughing unfortunately although it may well be a bit better today, will tell you later. Only had 3 bad coughing fits in the night so thatw as an improvement. still sleeping sitting up though.

Lesley, hope all went well. :-)

Thank you everyone for your kindness, although it was very sad to say goodbye to my cousin the Humanist service and burial were very tranquil, I had to drive a 3 hour round trip in pouring rain, but not one drop fell from the sky while I was on the outskirts of Norwich.

Hello Jude long time no speak, I too am sorry to hear you are unwell and I too hope you have seen a doctor:-| When I get my act together I will be knocking on your door asking for advice/help with my first ever attempt at mosaic.

kandj Jude is the lady that maybe able to help with fat balls/cake recipes.

Ann I'm glad you are feeling much better today, I that your cough doesn't linger.

I hope you don't have to stop feeding the birds because of ratty Jane.

MOG and I have just got back from taking M for a walk, I took my camera just in case...but all we saw was pigeons feeding on the oil seed rape...not worth taking a picture of that :-(

Lesley x

Wasn't a pink one there was there Lesley? I didn't read the article yesterday but there was a photo of a pink pigeon.