Today’s guest picture comes from my Newcastle correspondent who visited a LEGO exhibition where she saw this magnificent if highly coloured model of St Pancras. Rather strangely, it was in the Woodhorn colliery museum.
We started the day off here with a visit to the Moorland Feeders as I am a relief feeder filler for Gavin, the usual volunteer who is swanning around California at present.
It was chilly but bright….
…and I was hoping for a constant stream of interesting small birds. Mrs Tootlepedal remained in the car and scanned the skies for interesting raptors. We were both somewhat disappointed. I saw a great many chaffinches in the middle distance….
…and one great tit close up…
…while the best that Mrs Tootlepedal could do was a buzzard in the far distance.
The trip wasn’t a total write off as we combined it with some shopping and refuelling the Kangoo on the way home.
There were more chaffinches when we got home. They were lining up at the feeder.
….sometimes mob handed.
We were having a refreshing cup of coffee when Sandy arrived from a walk just in time to have a companionable sip with us.
It turned out later that Mrs Tootlepedal had had an appointment which she missed by going up to the feeders and it has had to be re-arranged. Forgetting to check the wall diary before going out is one of the perils of old age.
I had a wander round the garden to seek out new buds but once again the only colour was a crocus.
One of the pleasures of a sunny day in the winter in our garden is the pale bark of the walnut tree when it catches the sunlight.
I took a couple of pictures to show the progress on the wall as the workers are having a well deserved rest over the weekend.
After lunch, Mrs Tootlepedal did a bit of cycling on her bike to nowhere and then went out to continue preparing the garden for the new season and Sandy and I went off for a short walk.
My ankle tendonitis has been greatly improved by my calf stretching and I was happy to give it a test. We walked thought the town and then up the hill behind the High Street on a track that I have never used before. It was well looked after and had a fine wall along it.
As we climbed the hill, we looked back over the town to the hills beyond.
The reason why I had never walked along it before became apparent when the track stopped abruptly after only a few hundred yards. We went forward by crossing a small field to a gate that led onto the golf course.
Fortunately there were no golfers on the course and we were able to walk along to the clubhouse without getting on anyone’s way.
We went into the clubhouse where we discovered Dropscone and two other golfers who had just completed their round in the winter competition. They told us that the fine weather hadn’t been mirrored in their performance.
We left the golfers to their sorrows and walked on down the road to the Kilngreen. There were the usual gulls in attendance…
…but we were excited to see the first oyster catcher of spring zip by us.
We continued along the new path to the Jubilee Bridge and so home. It was a walk short on photo opportunities but very pleasant as a winter walk on a sunny day. Just for the sake of it, I stopped to survey some moss.
Sandy went straight home and I did some pro resting after the walk. I am happy to say that my ankle stood up to the test of the short walk very well so I will have to make sure that I don’t slack off on the calf stretching.
In the evening, we walked along to the Buccleuch Centre to listen to the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Tommy Smith play a program of the compositions of Billy Strayhorn.
They were on a brief three stop tour. As the other two venues were The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh and the Royal Conservatoire, Glasgow, we felt particularly blessed to have them in our modest small town venue.
The fifteen strong band provided music right up my street. Their sound was sumptuous and the blend was smooth. They were able to play with great tenderness and well as with plenty of fire and gave us a very varied programme of pieces with arrangements of Greig and Gershwin mixed in with more typical Ellingtonian numbers. The playing was crisp and rhythmic throughout and the sound levels and balance could not have been bettered. And all this only a few hundred yards from home.
The flying bird of the day is one of the obliging gulls.
Tootlepedal's Blog 
Wow! What a model! I was gazing across to that same magnificent building just last Sunday from the seventh floor of the YHA opposite as I was doing a one-day geology course there (that is, after the tennis and before Paddington). And I nearly took a photo of it because of the unusual angle – but not nearly as unusual as that obtained by your Newcastle correspondent!
It certainly catches the eye.
Beautiful bird pictures! I like that blind! 🙂
It’s very snug.
The Lego building is pretty amazing but so is your shot of the moss. It’s the best example of spring that I’ve seen so far this year and should win a ribbon or two, I would think.
I like that wall along the path. I wonder if they’ll face your new wall with stone so it’ll look the same.
It’s going to be rendered and will look like the back wall of our house.
Many thanks for covering for my duties at the Moorland Feeding Station.
A pleasure.
The concert was up my street too. A most enjoyable evening.
I loved the picture of the moss. Was your walk up Tibby Lugs? I always wondered how it came by its name!
No, this was a track from the Brewery Brae going up to the fields below the golf course. I’ll get Sandy to come for a walk along Tibby Lugs soon.
That wall is coming along apace. Sounds like you were very lucky indeed to be included in that short jazz tour.
We were but the bookers for the centre are always looking for interesting groups to brighten our lives.
The concert sounds wonderful, the crocuses are gorgeous and the wall is looking very flash. Everyone’s allowed to forget an appointment or two, especially when their days are as full as Mrs T’s 🙂
That was my fault for suggesting that she should come up to the feeders with me.
Loved the lego and the chaffinches quarrelling. Enjoyed going with you on your walk too and glad that the exercises are helping your ankle. The concert sounded just up my street too.
Good to see the gulls are getting their summer plumage; the bird photos are very good and the flying Oystercatcher a great catch.
We were pleased to see one. There should be quite a few about soon.
Thank you for your kind comments re the concert. We loved playing at he Buccleuch and were so impressed with your lovely building – we hope to return and in the meantime hope that some of thur new audience may travel to hear us elsewhere e.g. Sinatra at the Sage – May 20th
I certainly hope that you will come back. Thank you for taking the time to make a comment. It is most appreciated.
Most impressive lego. Some very fine flying bird pictures.
So glad the concert was such a success.
‘Pro resting’?
None of your amateur resting with fidgeting – this was deep idleness with nothing showing that T was alive but the gentle sound of the occasional breath.
You certainly won’t miss the leaks in the old stone wall, but I’m pleased the builders are able to use some of the old stones in the new construction; I like the continuity. Re. the diary check – sounds like this house! If it’s not on the calendar and I don’t check it each day, there’s a good chance that it won’t happen!
We certainly will not miss the leaks. The new bit of the wall will be covered up by render and it all should look quite suitable.
Lovely close-up of the moss and as usual beautiful action shots of the birds and the local scenery. That is an impressive lego build! 🙂
Certainly a lot better than anything we managed when the children were young.
The Great Tit could be an advertisement for peanut feeders… The crocus is amazing to me in February. I love the Black-Headed Gull and the Oystercatcher. I’m getting caught up in my usual backwards fashion, sorry to hear about your ankle, it’s unfortunate how other parts seem to clamor for attention when you favor one for a while…
Since the post, regular calf stretching has worked wonders with the ankle
The green in your photos is so refreshing to see! And I always adore your flying gull photos.
Considering we are the end of winter, we are looking quite green for the time of year. It has not been severe here at all unlike your part of the world.
The walk along the wall looked interesting, especially that doorway. The gull and oyster catcher photos are brilliant.
I like slow flying birds and ones that stand still too.
The lego building is magnificent.
Your hide is nice and at least you will keep warm as you can shut the flaps not being used.
Unfortunately, we cannot have any wooden structures in Baron’s Haugh as the yobs will just destroy it and use the wood for firewood so that they can have a drinking session.
The hide is snug and we hope it will survive unwanted attention.