Chatback #8 .....

[Nicos]

Mornin all!

Bit of a late start for me today...just had breakfast !....nice bowl of porridge and prunes...mmmm...

[Sheneval]

I've fed the birds, though - they are fighting over the birdfood - magpies vs pigeons at the mo. Not too of my favourites, but you can't discriminate, can you?

Hazel = I'm afraid I do to a certain extent - In order to keep the larger birds at bay I have constructed a small wire cage which sits under the tree hanging feeders so that only the small birds can access the fallen seeds from above.

Doesn't prevent the starlings from taking their share off the feeders but pigeon and magpie numbers have decreased substantially - they now go to a garden in the next cul de sac to feed and perch on the roof there instead of mine.

[Florence Fennel]

Oh my friends, I can't tell you how happy I am right now. My youngest lad has finally got a job after years of being unemployed

[Bren In Pots]

Really pleased for him Flo

[Hazel at the Hill]

Happy dance for Flo! That's great news!

[Hazel at the Hill]

In order to keep the larger birds at bay I have constructed a small wire cage which sits under the tree hanging feeders so that only the small birds can access the fallen seeds from above.

My bird feeding station is a small tray on the wall in the courtyard which I can see from the desk, so not very discriminatory.

It's interesting to see the pecking order (haha!) when I've put the food out - Mrs Blackbird first, then pigeons, magpies (occasionally rooks), then the robin, and back to the blackbirds and (sometimes) dunnocks.

The blackbird picks out the suet pellets, and the pigeons the seeds - the magpies chuck everything round, I don't know what they are looking for. The robin goes for the mealworms. Not sure who has the chopped up peanuts. I might get some raisins to add in the mix - blackbirds like them, don't they?

[Glutton4...]

Aaaaaaaarternooooooooon Peeps! Lovely and sunny out there today, I don't really notice the cold when it's like this.

My Folks have one of those 'feed-station' things in their front garden, so they can bird-watch from the kitchen. It costs them a fortune to keep all the containers filled. They put out mixed seeds in one, peanuts in another, niger seeds in a third, and they have a wire container for suet/fat balls too. They also sometimes hang out fruit.

Their visitors include Blue Tits, Great Tits and I think Coal Tits, too. Robins, Blackbirds, Starlings, Bullfinches, Chaffinches, Sparrows, Dunnocks, Lesser- and Greater-Spotted and Green Woodpeckers, Collared Doves and Wood Pigeons. On the floor they get Pheasants clearing up what has been dropped.

No wonder it costs them so much!

Coffee?

[Martin H]

Afternoon all.

It's been a lovely sunny day here after a very cold night. The ground's too hard to do much gardening so I've spent a happy couple of hours rounding up all the various magazines that have accumulated around the house the last few years and deciding which ones need to go into the recycling.

There's more than I expected. I suppose when three of them come through the door each month they mount up:

[Aberdeenplotter]

yeaaaaaaaaaaaah here as well. . Loads of shiney, with a light breeze. Towels washed and out on line. Still not warm but just looking better is cheering.

[Sheneval]

yeaaaaaaaaaaaah here as well. . Loads of shiney, with a light breeze. Towels washed and out on line. Still not warm but just looking better is cheering.

AP - shiney with a light breeze? I've just driven through flooded roads in squalling rain and freezing strong winds - swap?

[Aberdeenplotter]

No way matey, we've had that for weeks. Forecast for next week is alternate days with very cold followed by rain and very windy. Gets monotonous

[WendyC]

Managed to get a bit of digging done with my new spade but was hard work so only did an hour. might have another go tomorrow.

[Hazel at the Hill]

Prevening folks - has anyone said it's FRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDAY yet??

Just time for a cup of tea before picking mum up to go to the supermarket. She's had hearing aids fitted today, so is a new woman - they cost squillions, but she says they are nothing short of miraculous. Money well spent, I reckon. She's going to make me take lots of pics of her lug 'oles just so that she can see that no-one else can see them....

[Sheneval]

Forecast for next week is alternate days with very cold followed by rain and very windy. Gets monotonous

AP - Yes I think tomorrow might be a full day at the allotment and Monday looks good as well :-)

I have a little bit of tidying up to do on both plots plus some repair work to bed edges - removal of a large raised bed and the creation of a couple of smaller ones - I'm pretty sure I can pass the time

[Jeanied]

Well the ground stayed frosted in my garden most of today. All except one bed that the dogs tested out and found to be diggable They have excavated most of my camellia bush and trashed two lavenders, some michaelmas daisies, bulbs and a fennel. Petal needed a bath as she was filthy.