Today’s guest picture comes from our son Tony. With all that dog walking going on, the household wellies need somewhere to have a good rest when they get home.
Our wintery weather continued with the temperature in low single figures all day. We had been threatened with snow but got occasional sunny spells interrupted by heavy showers of rain and sleet instead.
I had a moment to watch the birds after breakfast. There was blackbird about…
…and the fake tree was drawing in customers waiting for a perch at the feeder.
I took no pictures in the garden in the morning as I had to set off quite promptly to go to the hospital in Dumfries for my foot x-ray.
This was an entirely satisfactory process as the road over to Dumfries was very traffic free, I got a parking spot a few yards from the main entrance to the hospital (a very rare occurrence), was in and out of the x-ray department before my appointment time had even arrived, spent some useful cheese buying time in the farm shop which is just next to the hospital and where I also bought a packet of tasty parkin biscuits and finally took the scenic road home along the banks of the Nith Estuary.
There were some impressive rain clouds about when I looked down river from the dock at Glencaple where I had parked to eat some of the parkins…
…and I could see small rain showers on the slopes of Criffel across the water…
…but fortunately, the rain stayed away from where I was, Criffel emerged from the cloud..
…and I had time for a very short stroll among banks of gorse…
…past clumps of primroses…
…and through a delightful wood…
…before a hint of rain sent me back to the car, encouraged by loud cries from passing flights of geese.
The drive home was largely free from traffic but I did have to battle through some sharp rain showers on the way.
Mrs Tootlepedal had had a very busy time helping out at the Buccleuch Centre coffee shop as they had had over 60 people for lunch, and we were both happy to have a quiet moment or two when we got home.
The sunflower hearts are going down at great speed so I was happy to see some siskins trying the peanuts. They had various styles of approach to getting at the nuts, vertical head down….
…vertical head up….
…and horizontal.
Meanwhile, competition for places at the sunflower seed feeder was intense.
I had already filled the feeder once today.
Other forms of bird food were available.
The redpoll was back.
I took some advice on the little blue flower that has just come out and I can report that it is a brunnera.
I put in some work on practising two short sets of Scottish tunes to play on my descant recorder at the concert in the evening and was distracted by the ever rolling catastrophe of the Brexit reporting on the telly. The reporting and the process are equally catastrophic in my view as the contradictions inherent in the process are still largely unacknowledged by those promoting various schemes and those who are ignoring the realities are largely unchallenged in all the excitement of who is up and who is down.
Still, it all makes for something to talk about and I had an entertaining discussion with my choir friend Mike when I gave him a lift up to the Langholm Sings concert at the Westerkirk WRI meeting.
The concert itself, considering that we had had no practice and were without an accompanist or conductor, went better than might have been expected. There were ten singers and the choir did five four part songs while three members sang unaccompanied solos (very nicely), one recited Daffodils by Wordsworth (also very nicely) and one tootled away merrily.
The audience was very polite and appreciative and we got a quiz half way through the concert and an excellent light meal afterwards, as you would expect from a WRI meeting so the evening was much more enjoyable than I had anticipated.
The black spot of the day was receiving a debit card through the post from a bank that I do not use. This indicated that some fraudster had opened an account in my name and required phoning up the bank in question. After registering my complaint and having it acknowledged that an unauthorised account had been opened, the bank said that I would have to talk to their fraud department. Crooks must have been very busy lately as they couldn’t put me through because the lines were fully engaged but they promised that the fraud department would ring me back. I am still waiting at the time of writing. This sort of thing takes some of the pleasure out of life.
Flying birds of the day however, bring it back again.
I just had a fraud scare much like yours and someone got a cell phone in my name. It’s beyond annoying.
I like the landscapes and bare trees, and of course the flowers.
I hope the X ray shows that everything is right where it should be.
It is depressing and it seems to be far too common for the good health of the country.
I’m very glad that your hospital visit went so efficiently, hope all is well with the foot. We had a very robust hail storm down here on the wrong side of the Welsh border (the English side). Lovely photo of the woodland primrose.
We got snow on our hills today but not down as far as us.
The flying bird should render a great print for a frame. 🙂
That might well happen.
That fraud thing must be very unnerving. Hope the bank gets back to you today.
I know the WI. What’s WRI please?
The same but Scottish. Women’s Rural Institute as opposed to the Townswomen’s Guild.
How wonderful that you could turn a visit to the x-ray department into a pleasant outing!
We live in a pleasant part of the world even if there are sore feet about.
Loved the photographs you took on your way home from Dumfries and glad the whole experience went so smoothly. Good luck with your ankle and sorting out that fraud.
Do try to get to the bottom of that fraudulent bank account. My sister had the same problem and they tried to take over her life. Took ages to sort it out.
I am doing my best to keep an eye on it.
Very glad the xray appointment went so smoothly. Sympathies with the very annoying Bank hassle.
With such full days into the evenings I wonder how you manage to post so much; excellent cloudscapes and bird shots; the fraud thing is worrying; I hope the x-ray can lead to your foot perkin’ up
Not watching the telly is the secret of the posting.
🙂
Phew! A fraud account is always upsetting. Glad the concert went well. Like other readers, I will be waiting to hear the news about your foot. As for Brexit…sigh.
My foot is in medical limbo as the doctor is off for a week.
That’s annoying!
You bet.
Quite dramatic weather photos and lovely shots of all the birds especially Mrs Blackbird and daffodil. Sorry to read about the fraud bank account but happy to read you enjoyed your concert.
Ups and downs!
Hope the foot and the fraud prevention both work out.
Me too.
🙂
Thanks for giving me a starring role in your blog!!. Marjorie says u look my handsome best!! Marjorie was scrolling through and it helped her identity a redpoll which had been feeding on the Niger seed Jack puts on the tree. Very useful never ever seen one before they say. Also what we thought was a greenfinch is actually a siskin. Many thanks!
It was a pleasure to have a visitor of you calibre in the garden and we are pleased to have given Marjorie a little bird ID help.
The fraud business must be very annoying. My husband keeps getting a phone call from someone telling him there is a warrant out for his arrest for non-payment of tax! There is a number to quote and a phone number to ring. He ignores it.
I love the photos of the rain clouds and showers!
The need to be suspicious of strangers online or on the phone is very wearing.
Indeed!
Uh oh maybe I should have paid attention to a mysterious text I got today from a bank that I do not use :-O
You should ignore it. 🙂