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Life's Little Pleasures

(17 posts)
  • Started 9 years ago by brenda midgley
  • Latest reply from Jean Strange

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  1. brenda midgley
    Member

    Well, what a nice surprise in the back garden this morning - two Mallards decided to fly in and spend an hour with us. Both beautifully sleek and glossy - drakes - and as mentioned in other threads on the Forum - gorgeously coloured plumage just 'cos they're men!!

    Geoff and I had been to the bathroom place in Crewe to finalise on bits and bobs for The New Bathroom and came away from there cross-eyed and all bathroom'd out with the discussions and choices of stuff we'd decided on and as we drew the car up on the drive he jokingly said "Out woman, into the kitchen and put the kettle on". I walked indoors laughing and up to the kitchen sink and casually looked out of the window - and there they sat! It was just delightful and the last thing I'd been expecting!

    The New Bathroom - ah well, that came about because we had a blocked up washhand basin. My dear husband decided to have a poke at it and - as I've said to him on numerous occasions - he does one job and creates two more in its wake ... - and so we ended up with a busted pipe that went down behind a unit, under the floorboards and shed all water down through the floor/ceiling of the garage below. Big groans. We had intended to give the bathroom a makeover towards the end of the year, but this has now brought those plans a lot closer.

    So, now all the odds and ends have been sorted, sanitary ware/cupboards/wall tiles and flooring agreed upon we now have a start date of lst June....... Not looking forward to the mess that's going to be created and the constant up and down stairs of workmen - as well as the endless tea and coffee making.....

    Thank God I can at least run away to the railway at the weekends - at least I can have a shower there and scrub myself clean; washing oneself in bits and pieces in the sink in the downstairs loo is not going to be the same.......... Grubby of Crewe..... XX

    Posted 9 years ago #

  2. Jean Strange
    Member

    Hi Brenda
    As had Nan and Grandad duties this week ducks at local arts centre/park have had lots of visits!! As you are not to feed them bread anymore Jeff got a lot of grain from the farm at the end of the pheasant shooting season. There are far more male mallards than female so lots of arguing and fighting!! There was a heron there the other day standing in the lake looking hopeful!!

    Posted 9 years ago #

  3. Ginny McCoy
    Member

    Hi Brenda.

    Aren't the ducks just lovely? We have a couple of mallards who visit us every Spring - we call them Mr and Mrs Drake. True to form, they're back this year, and we really enjoy them.

    But, I do have one serious worry. "Our" cuckoo hasn't turned up yet, and is very late. He's usually here around 18th April, but no sign to date, and I'm very concerned he hasn't made it this time.

    Heck, good luck with the bathroom. Last year we moved mum downstairs, into a new bedroom and wet room. You're certainly right about the endless tea, and biccies too. Don't know where they put it all. But, it will be lovely when it's done ....

    Speak soon.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  4. Jane N
    Member

    I've had a lovely surprise this morning: sitting up in bed, I noticed the ivy shaking more than usual & saw a large thrush tucking in to the fruits! It's the first thrush I've ever seen since I left Mum & Dad's about 42 years ago (they lived much further away from London than I currently do). Because of all my treatment over the last year, the ivy on the pergola has gone absolutely rampant & I was just contemplating getting someone in to cut it back but I'm glad I haven't done it yet :-) I'll now wait a bit longer as I suspect there may be some smaller birds looking to nest in there but then it definitely needs a severe haircut!! Xxxx

    Posted 9 years ago #

  5. Jean Strange
    Member

    Blue Tits had not abandoned nesting box as I thought but might have now! Filling kettle this morning there was a huge magpie perched on the bird table/nesting box with his beak through the hole!!! Don't think there are any chicks yet as not enough activity for them to be feeding babies. Did see a magpie take a chick out of the box last year. We sometimes get a thrush in our garden less frequently the last couple of years.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  6. brenda midgley
    Member

    Hello Jane - How'y'r doing? Hope all is going well......

    Lovely to see from you and Jean, reports of Thrushes making an appearance, even if it is less frequent than it used to be. We too had a Thrush years ago on a regular basis, but rarely do we see one nowadays. As for seeing a Magpie poking his beak into a nesting box!! - oh Jean!! -I'd've been out there poking a brush up his bum to get rid of him!! I know it's all part of the food circle of survival for these creatures, but it can be hard to watch sometimes.

    Well, don't know about the rest of you but it's jolly chilly and grey here in Crewe this morning. Got some washing to go out, but rain looks imminent so it'll probably end up being put into the tumble dryer instead - towels - wouldn't dry quickly outside today anyway I don't think.

    Hope to get some time this afternoon to sit with my Newbury project - yes, I'm still ploughing my way through that - currently doing the Tin lid section. I'm always so much slower than everybody else, dunno why.

    Having a nice quiet day to myself. Geoff went off to the railway last night and will be home about tea-time today, but it gave me last night to catch up on some television programmes and today to do some domestic catch up. However, it's coming up to lunchtime and I need to go and eat to recharge my batteries.

    Oh to be in a Hilton and someone coming into the stitching room to say 'Your lunch is ready ladies' - what bliss - never mind, it's only about - what 6 weeks or so to the next one...! Hope to be seeing you all there.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  7. Jean Strange
    Member

    Didn't need to rush out to poke magpie up the bum Brenda. Bird table/nesting box is only a few feet outside kitchen window he heard me rattling things and scarpered anyway!! Will be keeping close eye on box from now on. We have a bird table with a nesting box in the roof and as I said it is on the patio outside my kitchen window.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  8. Jane N
    Member

    More fun & games in my little back garden: 2 male blackbirds using oodles of energy playing chase backwards & forwards as they carry on arguing over territory. Didn't know my garden was such a desirable place to fight over :-) xxxx

    Posted 9 years ago #

  9. Jean Strange
    Member

    Blue tits not moved out!! Still flying in and out with nesting material!! So glad. Other interesting garden points my pink flowered strawberries have masses of flowers on hoping for an early crop pulled enough rhubarb for a crumble for the 2 of us today!

    Posted 9 years ago #

  10. Barbara Stone
    Member

    We've got jackdaws in the garden who have decided that Bob is being very nice putting food out, so that they can eat it, to the detriment of our blackbirds who need to get the food to feed their babies. Haven't seen a thrush in the garden yet, but we did see one out in the tree opposite our garden, but they are very few and far between. I believe that they are now on the red list, which is a bit upsetting.
    We've been pulling rhubarb for the last five weeks, and the strawberries are actually set, so we are hoping for a good crop this year.
    Haven't managed to get on with my Newbury project for ages - I think I've managed to do one afternoons work on it, since we came back. I'll get on with it when I've finished wielding a paintbrush as we are decorating!

    Posted 9 years ago #

  11. Jane N
    Member

    Good start to today: last week, I put up a new bird feeder on the fence just outside my kitchen window. It's a very sheltered position & I wasn't sure how long it would take the birds to find it or if it was in the wrong place. Nothing happened to the shredded fat levels, then I spotted a robin taking advantage - goodee :-). Then, first thing this am I noticed that suddenly, the feeder was almost empty. Had mice/rats discovered it? Well no (hurrah!), just heard loads of noise & enjoyed watching about 8 starlings squabbling over it! Even better, I was lucky enough to see an adult grab some fat & feed it to a juvenile sitting in the foliage around the top of the fence :-). I know there isn't anything particularly special about starlings for some areas of the country but, like sparrows, the numbers of both birds has plumeted over recent years in London so it's great to see them making a come-back!

    Posted 9 years ago #

  12. Ann S
    Member

    Jane

    I like starlings!! At the moment we have a large flock feeding themselves and their chicks at the bird table; as they move in and out so much it's difficult to count them but I would guess that there are about 30.

    Even more exciting are the house martins which have had two nests under the eaves of the house opposite for some years now: they arrived very early this year, both nests occupied AND they are building a third at the moment; it is really fascinating to watch them flying in and out with their little pieces of mud and positioning it. Much progress made today.

    We are off on the first of our sojourns in Cornwall next week - for three weeks - so I'll miss a lot of avian activity here but will compensate by watching the sand martins on the beach at Poldhu (we stay in a cottage on the northern cliff of the bay) and also hope to see the chough chicks at Lizard Point fledge.

    Hope you are doing well and that the chemo hasn't affected you as badly this time.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  13. Jean Strange
    Member

    Hi everyone
    Unfortunately the blue tits built their nest but didn't have any babies. Such a shame I love watching them from the kitchen window. For several years we also had a blue tit who absolutely convinced that the place he should be was my kitchen!!! He would flap at the window that is the top half of the door then perch on the door handle and tap on the glass. Still have lots of bird activity though robins, wood pigeons, magpies, black birds all regular visitors. A pair of jays a few sparrows and starlings less regular.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  14. Janet Nicholl
    Member

    Ann - Poldhu sounds like one of Nicola's cottages?? I am very envious. We need to decide and book for a break there but remember early enough as they book up so quickly.
    On the topic of starlings - we now how quite a large flock and like Jane see the adults busy stuffing suet pellets into whichever youngster is shouting loudest, and boy can they shout! Disadvantage is that we now have a white splotty line across the patio paving where the washing line is over it - suet converted to poo!!!!
    Dora hides under a bush to try and ambush but they are too quick for her thank goodness, she is a little minx. Off to order some more suet now. :-)

    Posted 9 years ago #

  15. Ann S
    Member

    Yes, Janet, it is one of Nicola's.one which was only made available last year. You do need to book very early if you want to visit at a time of your choice: we have a provisional booking for 2016 and, last time we enquired, we were advised to put our names down on a very provisional list for 2017!!!

    Posted 9 years ago #

  16. Barbara Stone
    Member

    Spent a week on St. Marys, the largest island in the Scillies, and saw more thrushes in that week, than I've seen in the last four years! They are extremely tame over there, and in fact, I had to push one away from me, cos he was trying to remove a piece of toast from my plate, before I had a chance to eat it myself. Don't know why they should have taken up residence on the Scillies, but it was nice to see them.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  17. Jean Strange
    Member

    Lovely sight in my garden yesterday morning. Walked into the kitchen and there on my bird feeder was an entire family of blue tits!! Adults and babies!!! I have one of those squirrel proof ones with the nuts/seeds in the middle and a "cage" affair around it. The adults were on the cage and the babies were inside feeding. The adults then hovered about and flew backwards and forwards to the large shrubs in neighbours garden. Never seen that before. Good to know even if pair in my nest box didn't produce young another pair near by did.

    Posted 9 years ago #

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