Very early to bed

Today’s picture shows Maisie enjoying a zucchini and spinach soup.  She is an example to us all in the matter of eating our greens.

A reasonable night’s sleep had done nothing to make me less tired and I had to turn down an opportunity to go cycling with Dropscone as I wasn’t fit to face near zero temperatures even though the day was fine and sunny.  In the end, I gave up the unequal struggle of trying to do anything useful and retired back to bed where I slept fitfully and enjoyed some vivid dreams.

One of these, involving among other wonders, door handles turning to robins as I went to open them and dustbins hurtling through the air towards the house when I looked out of the window, gave me all the thrill of hallucinogenic drugs without having to go to the expense and inconvenience of obtaining them on the open market.  It was not something that I hope to repeat though.

When I finally got up to have lunch, there were real birds and no flying dustbins when I looked through the window.

A greenfinch dares a chaffinch to come any closer. It didn’t.

After yesterday’s lull, we were back to business as normal today.

Competition for a seat was keen.

A bowl of nourishing soup helped to provide a little get and go so after lunch, with the temperature now up to a mellow seven degrees, I got out the slower bike and pedalled five miles up the Wauchope road and back.  I went very slowly and stopped to admire one of our large puddles.  This one has been there for so long now, it almost qualifies as a pond.

Further along the road, I leant the bike against the fence and walked across a surprisingly dry and firm field to get a closer look at a ruined cottage.

As is often the case, the sun, which was shining quite strongly as I was pedalling, faded away as soon as I walked across the field.  Such is life.

I returned home, took two quick but arty pictures in the garden (well, everyone else is doing it.)….

The warm weather of the last two days has brought the snowdrops fully into bloom.

The last of the snow on the lawn.

…and then acquired the company of Mrs Tootlepedal for a second gently sedate trip up the road, this time as far as Wauchope Schoolhouse.   We were able to speed up a bit on the return journey with a friendly light breeze behind us.

I just had time for a momentary sit down before Sandy arrived to take me up to the Moorland bird feeders.  He is feeling various aches and pains too so we shared some mutual sympathy as we drove out to Broomholmshiels.  Once there, we got prepared and sat and waited for some action.

Sandy had set up a remote camera and I had taken my longest zoom lens with me and was switching between that and my usual zoom.  I was using these hand held for the most part.

Members of the tit family are few and far between in my garden but there were lots of blue, great and coal tits on the feeders here.

Coal on the left and blue on the right.

I like blue tits a lot so I gave this one a solo portrait with added vignette.

There were other old friends about.

A survivor of the shooting parties scuttled across in front of me.

As usual, we were hoping that the woodpeckers would make an appearance and we got our wish as they flew in from every side.  When I first started watching them here, they only came to the nut feeders but now they seem to like the seeds just as much, though it is a bit awkward for them to use the feeders.

There were up to five woodpeckers at one time or another on various trees and feeders.

My long lens (500mm) let me catch this one on top of a distant tree.

I didn’t need it but I still used it for this one which was only a few yards away from me.

It was getting ready to hop onto a peanut feeder.  You can see that it

is one of those which Cat has ringed.

The woodpeckers were chasing each other about but I managed to catch two here.

It started to turn a bit chilly even though the sun had come out, so I took a turn along the road to stretch my legs and admire the winter light.

Even the electricity poles looked attractive.

Varied but muted colours on the moor.

Tussocky grass glinting in the late sunlight.

Three shades of green.

And that was my day.

Apart from the time spent with the pictures in the photo editor and then writing the blog, I practised resting again.  I had thought of going to a concert at the Buccleuch Centre but it seemed too much like hard work so I didn’t.  I am hoping that a bath and an early night will help me back to the world of perkiness at the earliest opportunity.

A flying chaffinch was available.