Phew! That's that for another year. Now off to check recent posts.
Thanks Joan!
and hello & Good Morning to you all, from me!
What wonderful pics you have all put on here, and a great bright & cheerful card from Chloe. Thank you.
(What are you trying to do to us, Gary, with the puppies - I'm running out of "Aaaaaws")
Had a bit of a stuttering start to our evening out yesterday, as I didn't feel too good in the afternoon. Don't know if its something I ate or what, but decidedly strange and rumbly in the stomach department, so had to go to our hosts saying that I hoped they wouldnt mind if I just picked at their wonderful food. We had home made tomato & rosemary soup, followed by a smoked salmon course, and then rib-eye steak in whisky and mushroom sauce, then nectarine mousse to finish with, & of course, cheese & biscuits & chocs! I did manage a little of each, although had a tiny amount of the fish course & passed about a third of my steak to my OH: it was all to die for, as Friend is a great cook. We had a wonderful evening rounded off by watching the London fireworks on the TV at the magic hour, and hearing the next doors church bells ringing out as we drank our contribution to the feast, champagne. I drove home (20 minute journey) as I had had little alcohol & so Husband was able to enjoy the wine.
Needless to say, we got up later than usual this morning! & I still feel a little delicate :-( Hope you all have an enjoyable weekend.
YES YES YES YES YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.
Just saw my first waxwings. Only 3 and the pic is a bit grainy due to poor light but here it is:
Oooh Alan!! What a great start to the year for you!!! And they look just wonderful! I was hoping that they wouldn't all fly away before you got the chance... hooray!
Alan, how lucky you are. Where abouts are you?
Gary those pups are so wonderful. How old are they now? Have they all got homes to go to?
A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL.
Now it's really not long until EJ and Odin hopefully fly back in to our lives.
Alan Congratulations! What a great start to the new year. Hope you see lots more unusual birds in 2011 - and that goes for everyone.
Just spent a very chilly hour cleaning bird feeders (and drains - ugh). Have had a restorative coffee and will shortly refill the feeders.
Happy New Year everyone! I don't get time to post much at the moment but I read as much as I can!
Hi Valc! & thanks for your good wishes! We don't see you much, but you are very welcome - Have a Good Year, yourself!
Trish 2 : This is the sighting I got on Birdguides this morning which led me to them. There were a few other people there with binos when I got there but the birds are pretty mobile:
01/01 10:30 CAMBRIDGESHIRE : Waxwing, Yaxley [S]30+ at London Road/Brunel Drive junction mid-morning (10:00)
Alan – so pleased for you that you saw them - and thanks for sharing the photo.
Everyone – thanks for all New Year greetings and wishes. I should get back to normal postings after Son sets off Sunday. He has been up in the loft today and selected just one extra box of his belongings to take away with him!
Tired today after fireworks – I don’t mind them going off at midnight itself, but the louder ones were all much later. Just as I was falling asleep there was one huge bang which shook everything, and later still a series of what sounded like shots from an air pistol – not nice. Weather a bit dull, but pretty sky right now, reflecting sun as it starts to go down. Birds – all the usual visitors.
Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!
Hhmm Cambridgeshire, not going to be my lucky day then!
Original goldfinch - the fireworks last night really upset our dog, a border collie. She hates them and doesn't know what to do with herself though last night thankfully she wasn't as bad as usual. In November we went on holiday to avoid bonfire night - it was a great excuse to escape for a week around Loch Garten!
Our birds are definitely fewer in numbers at the moment. The sunflower hearts are lasting much longer. It can't all be down to the sparrowhawk. Has anyone else noticed a drop in numbers? I wonder if the cold weather made them move on.
Much milder now though. Today's the first time in ages I've had to bath the dog after a run (her, not me running) round the fields. That's one good thing about snow and frost, the dog stays clean.