Today’s guest picture shows one of several fords which my brother met while out with his walking group on a wet walk the other day. He took the handy side bridge but some bold walkers marched straight through.
On the plus side, our dry spell continued even though the wind has moved round and on the minus side, the wind seemed to be even colder than before.
The weather didn’t bother me in the morning as I had two hours to spend in the Information Hub on the High Street purveying information to anyone who might want it. Rather to my surprise, several people came in seeking information and I dispensed it in a gracious manner. On top of that, there was a steady supply of friends dropping in to help pass the time so the hours passed pleasantly enough.
Mrs Tootlepedal spent a lot of time on the garden today, taking full advantage of the fact the the soil has dried out well after our wet winter and is quite workable.
In spite of the cold wind, the longer days are tempting flowers out and the frogs were back in full force in the pond. There were at least ten frogs visible at one time and they were in a very placid mood as I snapped away.
Daffodils are beginning to be at their best but I took this shot indoors where the brisk wind wasn’t making life hard.
Primulas are popping up all over the place…
…and the first Chinodoxas have arrived as well.
I sieved a little more kitchen compost as Mrs Tootlepedal is improving the soil as fast as she can.
I spent quite a lot of time after lunch wondering whether the cool wind was sufficient excuse not to go cycling but in the end decided that if I was weighing up things like that, perhaps my body was sending me a message so I had a quiet afternoon in instead.
Part of it was spent ringing up Scottish Power Customer Services who have just sent me another five pages of inexplicable bills for the Archive Centre, two weeks after the last set but with different and equally incomprehensible figures in them. I asked the hapless call centre operative if there was any number that I could ring to get help as he wasn’t able to help me. “Just this number,” he replied, “it’s the only one.”
To be fair, I emailed the daily newspaper which we read for a bit of help and advice as they had featured a very similar case to ours involving the same company and they haven’t replied either.
We will see which lasts best, our new front wall or my head. Dropscone recommends ringing up my MSP. I might try that.
I did look out of the window too. The feeders remain very busy with goldfinches, siskins and chaffinches whirling about and I am having to refill them a lot.
I have two feeders out so you may find occasional birds flying from left to right in a very non standard way.
Next I spent some time putting a madrigal onto the computer so that I can practise it for our Langholm choir and then Luke came for his flute lessons and we had a very satisfactory time improving phrasing and tone quality.
Mike and Isabel weren’t available for Monday night trios so I was able to have a quiet evening to follow my quiet afternoon and that was quite welcome. Even thinking about Scottish Power seems to make me feel quite tired (not to mention having done a fair bit of cycling this month already).
The standard right to left flying bird of the day is a chaffinch.
Tootlepedal's Blog 
Sorry about your continued problem with the power company, try Dropscone’s advice if you can. Loved all those frogs, excellent photographs.
The frogs look wonderful! We continue to try to lure them into our garden…
Have you tried croaking in a sexy way?
Not until now 🙂
It works every time for me.
The flying bird looks nice! 🙂
Thank you HJ.
The color of the Chinodoxas is very pleasing.
I’m with Dropscone on Scottish Power.
The frogs look very happy; every one of them is smiling.
It’s spring. No wonder they are happy.
The “flower parade” looks great!
Thank you.
A wonderful gallery of photos. I especially liked the frogs and the indoor daffodil.
The daff came out well for a hand held shot on the fly.
It did!
I loved the photos of the frogs, it looks like they were posing for you! It’s also great to see more flowers blooming, even if your weather is forecast to take a turn for the worse.
Dropscone’s advise seems very good, I’d give it a try. I don’t know how things work there, but here in the States, most members of Congress have a local office with a few staffers to help constituents out with problems similar to yours. If nothing else, they may be able to point you to the regulating body that has oversight over the power company to help clear this mess up.
I am aware of the regulating body here (the energy ombudsman) but I am still trying to stock enough ammunition to go to him/her.
I change power suppliers fairly regularly. Strange that they use water torture! Thanks for your excellent blogs, I have no idea where you find the time.I woke today to find a green mist in the trees [buds are breaking out
We have a week or two to go yet.
I am so sorry about Scottish Power Customer Services being such a source of unhelpfulness. Dropscone’s idea does seem a good one.
Wonderful pictures of the frogs.
Good to see spring arriving in your part of the world! I have this image of you listening to madrigals while the birds fly by 🙂
That would be about right….and sometimes even humming them to myself.
Love the frogs. They are so elusive here. I hear them and as soon as I get near, they disappear.
Ours have been unnaturally calm this year. I think the cool temperatures and the dull light might have something to do with it.
Sorry to hear Scottish Power is still a problem. We see the same troubles over here with large-scale, corporate service providers. Must be a world-wide problem! On a more cheery note, the photos are beautiful, as always, and I love the smiling frogs.
Our nutria youngsters have returned. I saw Yosemite Sam trying to get back into the shed last night. So far, all attempts have been unsuccessful.
I hope that you can keep Sam out.
I have read that nutria are quite a problem in Oregon!
Depends on where one lives. Our winters are usually mild, but they don’t survive freezing temperatures for long. Some years we get a run of temperatures in the 20s up here in the foothills. In the 12+ years we have been here, I have only encountered one other one on the farm. This year we hit the trifecta with Gidney, Cloyd and Yosemite Sam the nutria youngsters.
Your flower photos are beautiful. Frogs looking good too.
I am hoping to get to a time when I can have a different flower every day.
Your frog shots are excellent, Tom. Even though I live in subtropical Brisbane, I very rarely see a native frog these days, let alone several. Introduced cane toads are another matter and a big reason for the frogs’ demise. So I find it interesting that you see so many. Thankfully, Scotland didn’t import cane toads in a failed attempt to control the sugar cane beetle! I also thought the inside daffodil shot especially pleasing (and artsy).
I read on a local Facebook post of someone in the county who has over 100 frogs in his pond! He must have a big pond.
The photos are excellent. Love the frog ones. I won’t say what power company I work for but will say that the new SAP computer system has caused a lot of problems.
I wouldn’t be too hard on the call centre staff who have to try and explain things to the customer even if the bills don’t make sense. They are getting a hard time from the customers and are left to manage them with very little help from senior staff. My ScottishPower bill never makes sense since the new billing system was introduced.
I don’t blame the staff at all. They are the victim of a kafkaesque system which leaves them theoretically offering help and advice when they are unable to give either. I entirely blame a system which has proved unable to cope with the chaos introduced by the new computer system and for that I blame the senior management which I am sure is continuing to pay itself handsomely and ladle out dividends while subjecting customers and low paid staff to unending indignities. If I were the regulator, I would forbid the payment of dividends until customer satisfaction reached a reasonable level. That would motivate the bosses to put some money where it is needed.
From what I’ve heard the staff get a lot of abuse. No wonder they go off sick with stress.
I feel very sorry for them.
I would say it a muddling through approach to management.
I would be a bit harsher than that at board level.
I enjoyed (with sympathy for your continued frustration) your stern words in comments about the well paid UPPER staff of Scottish Power, and your froggies made me smile.
The fact that the firm is owned by a Spanish company doesn’t makes things at all better.
If you decide to write a letter to the MSP I would definitely include your analysis: “I don’t blame the staff at all. They are the victim of a kafkaesque system which leaves them theoretically offering help and advice when they are unable to give either. I entirely blame a system which has proved unable to cope with the chaos introduced by the new computer system and for that I blame the senior management which I am sure is continuing to pay itself handsomely and ladle out dividends while subjecting customers and low paid staff to unending indignities.”
I thought that was very well put. Very well put indeed. I could have a go at translating it into Spanish for you if you like . . . 🙂
I will maybe take you up on that when the time comes. 🙂
A rest day is a good thing, especially when there are frogs to watch. What a pity Scottish Power had to spoil the day.
Or indeed a whole month.