Add your "Odds & Sods" here thread ... 2020

Starting with a first for me ... Sparrowhawk in neighbour's garden here in quarry, only ever seen a seemingly lost youngster many years ago!

Grabbed ID vid footage through d/glazed door, then battery died & by time I'd replaced it to go outside for better res a delivery driver stopped next door & frightened the bird off!! grrrrrr

Hope it's a one-off for the sake of my Spadger horde!

2019 thread here ... https://community.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/f/all-creatures/196421/add-your-odds-sods-here-thread/1275306#1275306

 

 2013 photos & vids here

eff37 on Flickr

  • Spot on, Nige. Turnstone & Redshank. :-)

    My bird photos HERE

  • We did a bit of a walk today, mainly for exercise as we live in the middle of very quiet countryside and stuck to the farm estate land and immediate area where we are renting.     Keeping our social distancing Mike and I were hearing and watching the Skylarks above a field which had previously had a corn crop in it.    The Skylarks were far too distant for the camera and zoom but it was beautiful to watch and listen to.     Good for the mental well being and a change of four walls for an hour.  

    the only pics I could manage from afar  

    I waited for 20 mins but found it hard to lock on to them as they soared so high up in the sky when they got lost in a few patchy clouds.    

    dropping to the ground again and mostly hidden by the grass...

    The polo ponies were keeping an eye on rare passer-by's on the farm track  !        He was so close I couldn't get him in frame even at 100mm

      

    The main reason for going out is that one of the farm tractors cut through an overhead power line so we not only had no power but also no water which is also run by electric pump   !!

    All good now  - keep calm and carry on  !

    _________________________________________________________________________

    Regards, Hazel 

  • A couple of days ago I passed this flag outside a house;    It's hard to Keep Calm and Carry on during these worrying times.      We're due to complete on our new build purchase today and may well be living in an empty shell with concrete floors at the end of next month !    Trying to keep a lid on things at the moment  lol

       Stay safe, stay well, stay 2 metres apart  and KEEP TO THE GUIDELINES - no matter how miserable it is.    

    KEEP CALM & CARRY ON listening to the vital advice.  

    _________________________________________________________________________

    Regards, Hazel 

  • Hope all works out well for you Hazel .....eventually!
    Very testing times for us all.
    But as you rightly say we just gotta try keep calm and carry on!

    (Pardon the Scottish Accent)

  • Linda257 said:
    Hope all works out well for you Hazel .....eventually!

    Many thanks Linda,  we collect the key lunchtime tomorrow without an official handover due to keeping distance and isolation (we pick key up off desk in sales suite without getting too close  lol )    All very bizarre and we are now awaiting to hear if fittings can be completed, wardrobes next week,  carpets laid in three weeks time and window blinds shortly after that before we move in very end April/beginning May  -  all so up in the air so fingers crossed.     One good thing we heard from the site manager was that he can hear Tawny Owls in the trees surrounding the apartment and he hears them early morning when on site  -    luverly     LOL            Hope you and yours stay free of this deadly virus.       I've been sitting in the courtyard of our rental trying to get a bit of fresh air without going further than our property;   very windy today despite the sunshine.     I'll try put a photo or two up later but most birds are on a feeder.

    _________________________________________________________________________

    Regards, Hazel 

  • Well if all doesnt go to plan in the time scale set at least you can't be evicted from your rental as there is currently a ban on evictions lol....very stressful time moving home is, but obviously even more so now!
    Tawny Owls you say ....very nice to have them in your view! I wont be jealous...honestly!
    We are all fine thanks Hazel and doing as we are told.
    Been out in the garden most of the day digging and planting. Spent a lot of money on not very much but will hopefully fill out some of the space in years to come.
    Nice you have a little place to escape to and get some fresh air all though it a bit too breezy today lol
    Look forward to seeing your photos soon and I shall post some of my very slow growing garden lol

    (Pardon the Scottish Accent)

  • Unknown said:

    A couple of days ago I passed this flag outside a house;    It's hard to Keep Calm and Carry on during these worrying times.      We're due to complete on our new build purchase today and may well be living in an empty shell with concrete floors at the end of next month !    Trying to keep a lid on things at the moment  lol

       Stay safe, stay well, stay 2 metres apart  and KEEP TO THE GUIDELINES - no matter how miserable it is.    

    KEEP CALM & CARRY ON listening to the vital advice.  

    Our son and his partner were due to complete on Friday, they've been told the office is closed, so no completion for them for a while.

    At least they have somewhere, so no great hardship, just disappointment on moving into their first home together.

  • Michael B said:

    Our son and his partner were due to complete on Friday, they've been told the office is closed, so no completion for them for a while.

    At least they have somewhere, so no great hardship, just disappointment on moving into their first home together.

      Sorry to hear that their completion isn't happening, our solicitor is in the office but his reception and other legal team are working from home with calls diverted to them;    we tried to delay our completion but legally we couldn't as it wasn't classed  (even in these circumstances) as a  force majeure.    

    Will be a very strange handover of keys and new home pack tomorrow at noon as we go into sales office and pick up the keys off the desk as sales staff keep their distance;   we are hoping we can get all the necessary fittings/carpets put in during the next month or we'll be sleeping on the uncarpeted floor with no furniture including beds.     All we can do is take one day at a time and work round the new and ever changing enforcements and restrictions.     But I guess, whatever the nuisance factor is with house completions,  the saddening thing is how many people have been lost to this nasty virus and so what if we have to sleep on a concrete floor !    Far more preferable than the alternative.

    _________________________________________________________________________

    Regards, Hazel 

  • Well we managed our move today, just the nightmare of unpacking and thinking "where did all this shi stuff come from?, And where's it going to go??" Camera's unpacked so I may have a couple of additions for the "I don't know what flower/plant this is " thread from the garden, which appears is going to be less of a "project" than previously thought! Good luck to all those awaiting their own moving updates, and keep safe and well one and all

  • Congratulations on your move, PB, and best wishes getting all settled and enjoying your new garden! Looking forward to your new photos.

    Kind regards, Ann