Weekly Chat, Sunday August 22, 2010

Good afternoon  BrendaH, steak and kidney pie that sound lovely on a day like today.  Pouring with rain here in Poole and has been for most of the day  now with even heavier rain forecast overnight. You can have some of my starlings they have kept me busy today filling the bath up as they have been in and out all day despite the rain.

I shall keep trying Alan as I have friends who live a couple of roads away and they have lots in their garden.  The most common birds in my garden are starlings, sparrows and dunnocks.

Hello margobird - GD is running around big style this week, and when we saw her at the weekend she would only admit to the arm being 'just a little bit sore'. I have never seen such awful bruising on a child - but it is multicoloured now, fading to yellow. Its a good job she fell on the beach, albeit on hard sand, because I think her injuries would have been much worse.

Alan - I too am sorry about your petunias. We often feel that we are fighting the elements all the time.

Margo, I am watching right now, 2 great tit, 3 LT tits, numerous blue tits and goldfinch, 5 greenfinch and the bullfinch has just visited. We do get a large selection of different birds as we have a small wood to the side of the house and it is mostly farmland around. We have just filled the sunflower hearts again, which were all filled this morning.

Heather, so good to hear about your GD. As you say, it could have been so much worse, but it still sounds painful. Thank you for your message of your thoughts.

Alan, Petunias should be showing at their best now, so I am sorry about the wind damage to your's. If I remember, I try to to take our hanging baskets down if there is wind forecast but the gales have been stronger than forecast.

The rain is getting heavier here.

Went for blood test after lunch – golly, is it really four whole weeks since last time?  Been dead-heading in garden since, but too hot to stay out any longer – maybe do a bit more after dinner.  Think I’ve been naughty and left the sweet peas too long – I don’t think they will manage to open many more flowers, but they have been lovely.  OH’s Hollyhock has just opened late – was a young plant, so maybe will be more normal next year!  Spikes of Liatris spread about and doing well this year – Bumble Bees love them.  Just noticed Pieris is drowning in its huge plastic pot – wondered why it was looking so sick – think we need to repot, in same pot but with gritty compost for drainage, and make sure we don’t compact it too much.

Brenda – pleased OH has his correct glasses at last.  I hope the storms are not too severe today – we have good weather forecast for at least three days!  Pleased you enjoyed your garden centre lunch – my OH would eat S&K pie, but I don’t. 

Margo – fingers crossed for your toilet!  Pleased you had a good garden bird-watching day to occupy yourself.

Heather – hope you enjoyed your walk and feel a bit more lively.  Pleased your brave wee GD is doing so well.

Alan – pleased you are keeping your Goldies happy.  Good tip re cheaper Nyger seed, but don’t have a Wilkinsons around here – only the camera shop and I don’t think they stock it – perhaps they should - bird food and wild-life photography!  Sorry, being silly!! 

Re Bird Numbers - Still plenty of Goldies here – plus flocks of Starlings and House Sparrows (flock of 35 yesterday!).  We don’t get many Tits of any kind – Great Tits come one at a time in winter, and up to three Coal Tits flitting in and out (“what’s that?  Oh it’s gone – must have been Coal Tit”!).  Blue Tits hardly ever come, although we know there are plenty down by the river.

Good Evening all - Yes, OG, thankyou, I enjoyed the walk and hope to be back to normal bouncy self tomorrow!

Weather here is pretty dull, dry all day but a wee shower as I type.We saw the dark cloud coming up the glen as we were eating. Our garden birds come and go, we are pretty sure that there is a sparrowhawk in the vicinity sometimes,  Normally we don't get a huge variety here,   mostly sparrows, starlings, blackbirds, occasional greenfinch and the odd tit. On one exciting day we heard a siskin!  We had a pair of  visiting collared doves but sadly, one died - we found the evidence. I am not the bird expert, OH keeps binos to hand and attempts to educate me----

Evening original goldfinch and I feel as though I am living on the edge at the moment.  Torrential rain most of the day, when OH came home bottom of our drive was flooded and toilet had started to gurgle.  It has eased off slightly now but not expected to stop overnight.  All the garden birds disappeared early today but I did manage to put something out for them again before they left.  We do get bluetits but usually in the Spring.  I saw two blackbirds late this afternoon really enjoying the rain and at last they probably have  a chance of pulling up some worms.  Just after 7.30 here but nearly dark already, more like October than August.  Have a good evening.

Good evening all.  First time I've had a chance to read the weekly chat this week.

George So sorry to learn of your brother in law's passing.  I'm glad it was peaceful My thoughts and prayers are with you all.

Thanks to all who have posted lovely pics - you're all very talented.

Margobird Can empathise with your trauma about the drains.  We had an extension put on our house a few yearas ago.  One day there was much knocking down of walls, both interieo and exterior - the noise and vibration was incredible.At about 2.30am I was wakened by the sound of dripping (well, running really) water.  The joint where the inlet pipe joined the toilet cistern had been loosened by the vibration and water was pouring through the bathroom floor/hall ceiling and flowing round the hall.  It was coming through at the hall ceiling light and, as I watched, it turned blue and died.  Ever tried to get a plumber at 2.30am?