Watch the Birdie

The end of January already - where has the month gone?
This weekend is the weekend of the Big Garden Birdwatch - an annual event that has been going for the last 31 years. Last year was the first time I involved myself. The task is to spend one hour watching for bird visitors - they have to land in the garden and you enter the greatest number that you see on any one occasion during that hour. Having a bird friendly garden I was very disappointed to find that not a single bird landed in my garden during the hour.
This year I got up earlier and during the hour seven different types of birds visited. Now all I have to do is send in my results online. In March the results are presented, UK garden-bird trends having been analysed from the data. With half a million partipants it is advertised as the 'world's largest garden-bird survey'
PS - the snow has returned!

How does your garden grow?

This afternoon the sun came out and the weather was milder than it has been for the last few weeks so I decided to tidy round the garden. Lots of jobs that should have been done in the late autumn were left as I was very busy making sure that I completed the work I had to do for the OU. Then when I had that work out of the way the weather turned bitterly cold and the garden was not at all appealing. So, I looked after the birds instead, making sure that bird feeders were topped up and water was checked each day.
Today, I've cut down dead foliage and raked leaves from off part of the borders. It is incredible that in spite of the very cold spell the leaf buds are swelling on the flowering currant and the honeysuckle. I just hope that the next cold spell, forecast to start this weekend, does not kill them off!

Busy, busy

Life in retirement is both casual and busy - I can usually choose when I do the things I want to do and rearrange plans as apart from the OU there are very few deadlines that I have to meet. Frank understands if his tea is not ready when he gets home from work and since he finishes work at different times each day - no set pattern - it depends on what has happened during the working day - we often eat in the middle of the evening.
Well today I had an appointment at the local library and I had to get out of bed early to get ready just as if it was a working day. Becoming a volunteer at the local library necessitates a criminal record check because of coming into contact with children and vulnerable adults. I needed to take my passport and driving licence for personal identification, and a utility bill to verify my current address. Bank details are required in case I submit expenses. I also had to provide the names of two referees who have known me for at least two years and who are not related to me.
If I am given clearance then I will have to submit my car details - a current MOT Certificate to show that the vehicle reached government stipulated standards on the day of the test and a current insurance certificate showing that I have the cover needed, in case I am involved in an accident. I also have to inform my car insurance company that I will be using my car in my voluntary activities with the library.
Within the next to months I am expecting to be given clearance and then I shall be able to help deliver books to housebound adults - It will take about an hour of my time, once a month.

The library staff did say that it is difficult to get volunteers - I wonder why?

Winter Returns

While most of the UK seems to have been brought to a standstill by snowfall and bitterly cold temperatures, Stafford and suburbs have remained relatively snow free - just bitterly cold. This morning all that changed. There was a good layer of snow on the ground with snow still falling.
Today is the day Frank goes to Bournemouth, a south-coast seaside resort, to attend a conference. Fortunately he decided to travel by rail. The railway station is a mere ten minutes drive away from home, if you travel steadily. It took forty minutes to get to the station and Frank had visions of missing the train he had booked - if the train was running on time! He arrived at the station with about three minutes to spare. Then I had the same slow journey to get back home.
Now, checking the progress of rail travel, it seems that journeys via London are running well behind schedule. Hopefully, he will get to his hotel sometime today. I don't think he'll be taking any walks long the sea front.

Happy New Year

Well - Christmas came and went and we had a lovely family time taking the festive fare to Beth's and staying for a few days. There was much eating of traditional food on Christmas Day. Beth was on duty and having managed to finish the workload a couple of hours earlier than usual she shared Christmas dinner, but a few hours later she was on night duty so she had to go out for another two hours to make sure the animals had their Christmas treats and were tucked in for the night.
On Boxing Day we went to the Sales and joined in the crush for bargains. Frank had the sense to stay at Beth's but Clive was persuaded to join the shopping party.
Now, the winter weather has come with a vengeance - I jest - and the snow has at last reached Stafford.


The garden birds are being fed but they need water each day. The temperature is so low that the water freezes over very quickly. The birds even scratched away at the snow covering the ice that filled their usual water source.


The blocks of ice are tipped out and the containers replenished with fresh water. The next day the ice has to be tipped out again and fresh water put into the containers. We are getting a collection of ice blocks as it is so cold that the ice is not melting from one day to the next.


Yesterday was Twelfth Night - traditionally all Christmas festivities cease and the decorations are taken down and put away until next year. Our neighbours have the brightest outdoor display in the street - in the best possible taste!


PS Did you know that warm water freezes more quickly than cold water - It is known as the Mpemba effect. I wonder why that is? It doesn't seem logical to me.

Long time - no post

I thought that when I retired I would be able to fit in all the things I wanted to do but life has turned out to be even busier than when I was working full-time. Since I last communicated on the blog I've completed the work I have to do for the first part of my studying with the Open University -OU - and I even managed to beat the deadline by a couple of days.

Sunday was very special - Beth and Clive announced their engagement a little while ago and so we had a celebration lunch with the happy couple and Clive's Mum and Dad. Because it was special we went to Weston Hall, the venue for A and RM's wedding blessing meal. We obviously had made an impression - we were remembered - and enquiries were made about A and RM.

The wanderer returns

It seems ages since I posted anything but I've been away from home pet sitting at Beth's home in the Wirral and I didn't have access to a computer.
The week before Beth's holiday with Clive the weather was very pleasant for the Autumn - quite warm and sunny - so we took advantage and gave the holly hedge a severe trim and now our garden is at least 5 feet wider than it was. Frank did the heavy work and I supervised. In a couple of years the hedge should be compact and provide a good home for the local bird life as long as I remember to feed and water the hedge regularly next Spring and Summer.

We came across several blackbird nests - its incredible to think that they are able to build the structure when they only have a beak to manoeuvre the materials.

Last year a neighbour wanted to get rid of a clump of Pampas grass so she burnt it to a stubble and then dug out clumps of root. She presented us with one such clump so I planted it in a large stoneware pot and this year for the first time it has produced its iconic plumes - except they are about a quarter of the size they will be when the plant matures. It's a wise move to keep this plant confined or it takes over the garden!

Now I am back home for a few days I will be busy catching up with my OU work - having met the deadlines for the first two pieces of work (they have to sent by computer so you can't blame the postal service for late delivery)I want to make sure that I continue this good habit.