Today’s picture, from my sister Susan who is visiting Cyprus, shows the sunset in Limassol. She only sent it to annoy us, as we have not seen any sun for days here.
Another grey day, with cloud shrouding the tops of our hills, proved an adequate incentive not to go rushing out on the bike after my busy day yesterday. I felt quite tired and I am going to behave myself for the moment at least. I cycled up to Arthur’s to give him some help with his new e-mail account and enjoyed watching a collared dove giving a jackdaw a really hard time in his garden. If the jackdaw settled in the garden, even for a moment, the dove chased it out furiously. I would not have thought that that was the way that things would go at all, reckoning the jackdaw to be the likely aggressor.
Mrs Tootlepedal was at work again so when I got home, I filled the morning with little tasks (including the crossword and coffee) until she came home for lunch.
There were birds to be seen of course.
The dunnocks usually scurry about on the ground so this sighting was rare.
There was a good selection of birds for watching today.
We had more bramblings and goldfinches than we have been having recently …
Goldfinch aerobatics
…and there were a lot of blackbirds about today too.
Both male (above) and female (below).
I was very pleased to see a couple of blue tits as we live in hope that the new nesting box will find a tenant.
Although I know from the bird ringing that these little birds are savage rascals when it comes to pecking people, I still find them very charming and a welcome sight at the feeders.
The chaffinches were a bit outnumbered today and had to try really hard to get at the seeds.
The sunflower hearts are the favoured food but there is still enough allure in the nyger seed to see some action there too.
This is the place for goldfinches and siskins
I wandered out into the garden to check on the arrival of the main crop of daffodils and things are looking promising.
We should have a really good show by next week.
The feeders stayed busy all morning so I had plenty to entertain me as I waited for the return of the worker.
A sparrow even decided to join in the fun, though not for long.
After lunch, in spite of the gloomy weather, we decided to go on a short pedal to check on the new road which has been built at the Kerr. After 4 miles uphill and into the wind and with the drizzle getting heavier, Mrs Tootlepedal decided that time could be better spent in the garden and turned for home. I went on and cycled three quarters of a mile down the new road. It was bumpy but ride-able on the slow bike which has front suspension. The view was nothing to write home about.
Compared to the green lane which was there before, it is a massive construction and I still cannot work out why it has been made. I will come back when the weather is better and see just how far it goes.
When I got home, Mrs Tootlepedal was pruning the gooseberry bush.
Near the gooseberry bush can be found Mrs Tootlepedal’s current pride and joy…
It is purple sprouting broccoli and she is very pleased with it because it has sprouted and it’s purple (and mainly because it has come safely through the winter.) We had some for tea together with some parsnips which she took out of the ground today. They were particularly delicious, I thought.
In the evening, I went to to the Archive Centre with Sandy and Jean and, as usual, we worked hard, exchanged medical notes, had a drink and went home again. It’s a grand night out.
Tonight’s chaffinch is a brambling.
Where is the sun. I want to take some nice clean shots.
I haven’t seen the sun much either, only becasue I’ve been housebound. I will try to teach my class tomorrow with appropriate grimaces. We have snow on the weekend–a last hurrah for winter perhaps.
I like your road to nowhere.
I can lend you some very superior quality moans and groans if you would like. Good luck with the class.
I just have so much fun listening to you grouse about your day that I forget to do any grousing myself. That was a fine movie today, The Doves of War on the Road to Nowhere, with the part of the chaffinch played by a brambling. Very nice supporting cast, too.
The doves of war were the high point. Alison T tells me that they nest very early so that might have been the cause of the belligerence.
Sorry about the lack of sun. We are expecting rain today as we go into the Trodos mountains looking at ancient copper mines!
A very fine male blackbird, keeping its beady or birdy eye on you.
No sun here either, but no rain either.
Glad you managed a pedal. We await further details of the new road.
Reblogged this on sucamxxx and commented:
I love photo’s of birds even though i am never fast enough myself to photograph many. I have tried before but i never really seem to be able to get the right angle or shot. I will go for a walk in the woods with my family and take the camera and try to capture some of the nature in the wild but it never really comes out how i want it to, thats why i am always happy to see someone who can actually take good photos
Clear sunny day, or no, I always enjoy your shots! ~ Lynda
You are very polite, thank you.