Too Much Weather !!!

No sun today in our part of the UK ... which is a shame.

Alas I was only out shopping but the car park does have some lovely blossom tree around the edge.
It also had two pigeons in one of the trees, I passed under it quite quickly! I can still recall a holiday many years back now when my dad was not amused by some pigeons that flew overhead ... in fact on second thoughts they may have been seagulls ... we were near the beach at the time...
Funny what things stick in the mind all these years later ...

All the best Jan

We had a glorious sunny day a while back which I spent sorting out the garden. There's a blackbird nest in a thorn bush, I couldn't see if there were eggs yet as there were more pricks than a Tory party conference. Also some broken eggs, I think Wood Pigeon, on the ground, probably dropped by Rooks or maybe hurled over the fence by a neighbour. Saw my first Tortoiseshell butterfly and a few ladybirds crawling around. 

Since then it's mostly been dull again, I went on some walks with varying amounts of wind.

I am Not Fond of pigeons probably through knowing farmers. Some of the gulls around these parts can be overfriendly if they think you are carrying anything edible. Some of my earliest memories are of Herring Gulls on the roofs when my mother took me on seaside holidays to Hove and Margate nearly sixty years ago, their calls always flash me back.

Rooks are the worst thing to walk underneath, they are now returning to their nests and rebuilding. When they have young you need an umbrella.

A little blue sky today ... but quite chilly!
However,it would appear that typical bank holiday weather is heading our way.
Get your umbrella's out for the Easter Weekend !

As for any bird in a tree, I'm still a little wary when walking underneath - although isn't it meant to be lucky to have bird poo on you? Probably an Old Wives Tale

All the best Jan

Towards the end my mother became very superstitious and would spit whenever she saw magpies. Yes I've heard that bird poop is supposed to be lucky but in volume it's just annoying.

Well it's been dry even if the sun has been going in as soon as I go out. I've been alternating between walking and gardening. Yesterday I walked a couple of miles along the sea wall and back when I went to Orford. There were a mass of siskins singing in some trees - they've been somewhat scarce in their usual haunts this winter/spring so far. Also the first bat I've seen this year, flittering around the village in the middle of the day gobbling up small insects, and a giant bumble bee, and lots of geese albeit common ones like Canadas and greylags, and the usual waders -  the switch between winter and spring populations is happening thick and fast.

I saw a peacock in the garden - the butterfly not the bird, though there are actual peacocks in a nearby village - and a huge flock of fieldfares and redwings in the back field which again have been relatively scarce because of the mild winter.

Today I finished spreading the compost, and refilled the bins from the pile, then mowed most of the lawn, except for the bit that has bulb leaves from the early and autumn crocuses and the February Gold daffs, and hopefully the fritillaries will be emerging. Lots of birdsong.

I'd stopped feeding the birds because of the damn rats which had dug out a mole run and were popping up out of what used to be a molehill under one of my feeders. There was a blackbird rooting about in the leafmould under the shrubbery but when I threw out some birdseed, sultanas and mealworms he flew off with a panic attack. A dunnock came by and polished off the mealworms.

Now I'm ready to batten down the hatches for the rain, this is the longest it's been dry for months.

Chris said " Now I'm ready to batten down the hatches for the rain, this is the longest it's been dry for months."

Well today, Friday, has been a glorious day - so lovely to see so much sun.
It seems gardens everywhere are looking a treat, and people have been out in them making them look even better.

But hang on!
What's this I read?

Storm Katie is set to hit the UK Easter Monday Now isn't that just typical.

All the best Jan

Jan1 wrote:Chris said " Now I'm ready to batten down the hatches for the rain, this is the longest it's been dry for months."

Well today, Friday, has been a glorious day - so lovely to see so much sun.
It seems gardens everywhere are looking a treat, and people have been out in them making them look even better.

But hang on!
What's this I read?

Storm Katie is set to hit the UK Easter Monday Now isn't that just typical.

All the best Jan

Yep the calm before the storm 


Suppose we should be used to it, still plenty of work to do indoors 

I think everyone was making the most of today, it was almost midsummer. Dunwich resembled Brighton beach, although I suspect Brighton is a lot more crowded than it used to was. I walked most of the way to Walberswick and back, saw the Great White Egret and a Spoonbill, probably waiting for someone to make it a pudding, and a whole bunch of common stuff. Talked to numerous people and petted numerous dogs. Masses of primroses, celandines and coltsfoots out on the roadsides and field ditches, and the first few dandelions. I was almost deaf from walking along the shingle ridge. Polished off the smoked haddock when I got home, and crashed out for a bit. 

Now waiting for the rains to begin. So far so good, masses of stars and a full moon, and Little Owls calling over the back field. Ah well, I have some housework to do and bills to pay, and by the time the rain stops the lawn will be a foot high again. It's the kids I feel sorry for - but then probably they'll be quite happy staying in on their phones and laptops.

YUCK seems a good word to describe the weather today ...
You should hear it beating against our windows!!!

The tree branches were bending in the wind and quite worryingly so was the traffic light I was next to waiting for it to go green. I've never seen it wobble in the wind ! So pleased when I went past it

All set now for a good Saturday night in ...

Hope you all have a good evening  

All the best Jan

Snowing on the tops again today and wind chill not the best for walking.
Great match last night!
D.
.

Just replenished the feeders and got caught in one of the many squalls today. Never mind, I won't shrink!
D.

we have had squalls today . saw the neighbour on his bike . poor thing he was very wet .

Had the lot today woke up to a sunny but chilly morning then the clouds rolled in   the wind picked up and down came the rain but the worst was to come, by mid afternoon we had a thunderstorm followed by a heavy hailstorm 

Yup, April has come early. Heavy showers, blasting wind, five minutes later blazing sun, rinse and repeat.

To use a youngsters terminology

OMG the wind and rain last night and we got off light so to speak ... as parts of the UK experienced winds of over 100mph

No damage for us but did any others experience any problems  

All the best Jan

My daughter sailed from Southampton to Cadiz yesterday at 1800 but these big ships are very stable it will be interesting to hear what she says.
D.

Seems we got off lightly here, some buckets and things were blown about the garden and some daffs and a shrub are leaning to the left a bit. I was expecting far worse from the noise last night.

Up the road Bungay and Beccles lost power. Some of our wind turbines were stopped, and restarted this morning. Haven't been out to see if many trees were blown down, a lot of the forestry was just about reaching maturity when the original 1987 hurricane struck and caused havoc, much of the rest has been harvested between then and now but there are not a few farmland trees and small woods which may have been hit. 

Looks like the worst of it was along the south coast again.

Better day here a few heavy showers and still a cold wind but at least we had some dry spells, the gardening has taken a backseat for now need a week of decent weather for it to dry out

Well things took a turn for the worse today, woke up to rain followed by a heavy snowstorm which despite the earlier rain settled leaving a thick layer on the ground thankfully it cleared pretty quickly after it turned back to rain

Well you just never know ... visiting family, I had a 'whale of a time' making all sorts of art and craft pictures, cards, crackers - you name it - we made it BUT Uncle Eddie had an even more important job !

He was pleased to help two little girls, and their dad, retrieve their trampoline which had been blown right over the fence and landed upside down in a neighbours garden

When we left the trampoline was back where it should be - however, we declined the offer to try it out - said we'd wait for the slightly warmer summer months ...  

All the best Jan

Finally it was warm enough and still enough to smell the violets in the garden. They grow like weeds here, many of us have them in the lawns and road verges as well as the flowerbeds.

Tomorrow I'll probably go somewhere where there is gorse, it's been in flower but so far no scent. Spring migrants are now arriving and adders are coming out of hibernation. More bees, butterflies and ladybirds around too.

I thought it was nice to read this today ...

"Smaller birds surviving thanks to warmer winter"


Smaller birds surviving thanks to warmer winter
There has been a 44% increase in long-tailed tit sightings
If you think you've spotted a few more birds in your garden than usual recently then you'd be right.

The warm winter has led to an increase in numbers of small birds visiting gardens around the UK this year.

According to the Guardian there has been a 44% increase in long-tailed tit sightings in comparison to figures from 2015.

But it's not just the tit that has been seen hanging around our greenery more this year, plenty of other small birds are also thought to have made the most of the warmer weather.

Other birds that have been seen in our gardens more frequently include goldfinches, coal tits, greenfinches and woodpigeons.

The results come from the 2016 Big Garden Birdwatch which is conducted by the RSPB.

See more here
http://travel.aol.co.uk/2016/03/31/smaller-birds-surviving-thanks-to-warmer-winter/

All the best Jan

today we have very nice sunny day . some birds are singing don't know what they are . that is a very good picture of that bird .

We've had some spectacular spring days and I've been out for a few walks, and mowed the lawn again. Long tailed its seem to be nesting already - mother used to call them bum-barrels, an old country name. Masses of chiffchaffs now in and singing, I saw a couple of wheatears and there are reports of a load of black redstarts and firecrests, plus a few things that usually arrive later like swallows, whitethroats and a nightingale. Finally a decent flock of siskins dancing acrobatically through the tops of the birches and alders and singing but no dartford warblers, another small bird whose population was decimated back in the sixties and has since spread into this area.

Loads of flowers now emerging, and the gorse is finally beginning to smell. Also I spot masses of weeds in the garden, cleavers, nettles and a speedwell which I'll probably leave until they get big enough to make a decent quantity of compost.

Had a long walk on one of the beaches yesterday and was surprised it started to rain as I was coming home - with my laundry still out, dammit!

Tonight we had a massive thunderstorm come up from the south west but although it rained the main storm didn't come close.

You guys should be so lucky the daffs have only just come out up here in the northland's. No show yet with the narcissi.
Winter still hangs on probably into May this year. :-((
D.