Friday 31st January 2014

Better mention that it rained today! At the time of writing this (7pm) 22mm of rain has been recorded and it is still raining.
Average outdoor temp' 7c.
Average wind speed 5mph.
Morning spent printer shopping at PC World. Took longer to set up than it did buying it! There was also an impulse purchase, a tri-pod. The tri-pod I have is used mostly these days for the garden cam. When trying to photograph the Kingfisher this week it was clear there would have been a benefit of using a tri-pod, hence the purchase.
What a day in the garden, male & female Great Spotted Woodpecker and the Squirrel breaking twigs and taking them in the Woody nest box. How I am missing my camera monitor.
Picture 1 - Male GSW.
     "     2 - Female GSW.
     "     3 - Tufty breaking twigs.

Thursday 30th January 2014

Another pretty awful day, more rain, breezy and dark.
16mm Rainfall.
Average wind speed 5mph.
Average outdoor temp' 7c.
Lazy day.
Have started creating a collage of the history of 479. With maps from 1877 & 1911 along with old photographs of that era it should look pretty good when framed.
                  Enjoyed an evening out at River Spice with David & Ced. David was my Joinery Director (when I was in work) and Ced being the director of Prima Mould, one of my suppliers. Speaking to them both tonight I forgot  in fact I  was retired. How much however has changed in the two years. Change of suppliers, only two joinery managers from the original eleven when we set up the Joinery Department back in 2000 still remain. Talk about 'the good old days'. As with the Whitley Boys I met last night we have agreed to keep in touch. A great evening, thanks David.

Wednesday 29th January 2014

The weather can't get any worse. Rain all day, no let up. 
Rainfall recorded 36mm.
Average outdoor temp' 6c.
Average wind speed 5mph.
Despite the awful weather conditions I planted out the Hellebore plants in the stumpery. Just require a few more Ferns now to complete the project.
Found a delightful flower in the woodland area of the garden, appears to be two growing. Think it may be some kind of Iris?
Birds going crazy on the feeders this week. All the regulars but in larger numbers. 
                 Good to meet up with a couple of true Whitley Boys, Mark & Gordon tonight at the Holiday Inn Pub. Talk about reminiscing about the evenings spent at the Upsie Down all those years ago. Rather ironic that today we heard of the death of a near neighbour, Sue. So unexpected and a great shock for son Stewart. 
We have agreed now to meet up once a month.
Pictures 1 & 2 - The Stumpery.
      "            3 - Iris?

Tuesday 28th January 2014

A  much better day. Fair bit of sun, blue sky and very mild. Spoilt however by heavy rain from late afternoon.
Average outdoor temp' 10c
Average wind speed 5mph.
A morning trip to Henry Street saw us buying four Hellebore plants and a sleeping angel statue all for use in the stumpery.
Received a call from my old walking partner, Doug at lunchtime inviting me to join him in an afternoon Fobney walk. I like telephone calls like that!
What an afternoon we experienced. One, it was good to be out with Doug again and two, what an afternoon for wildlife.
Started with a sighting of a male Kingfisher flying just above the canal between Fobney Lock and Southcote Lock. Then a Kestrel, a couple of sightings before we turned for the walk back. Wow, saw loads of Fieldfares and Redwing. The Sparrowhawk made a few swoops in trying for a Redwing. All good stuff. 
Feeling happy with the afternoons happenings Doug then spotted a Kingfisher on a branch with the most enormous fish, bigger than the bird itself. A magnificent sight. We stood and watched for a good few minutes while this fish was being thrashed about, was to big to swallow. 
What an afternoon, thanks Boyo for the company adding to the excitement of the afternoon!
Picture 1 - Fobney Wetland Reserve.
  " 2 & 3 - Male Kingfisher.

Monday 27th January 2014

Another hissing wet day. A dark, dismal day with heavy showers throughout the day.
16mm rainfall.
Average wind speed 7mph.
Average outdoor temp' 9c.

Today was the funeral for Uncle Cecil Cope, celebrating his very interesting and full life. Cecil was not an academic but someone that used his inventive and practical mind to go far in his life. As a young man Cecil used his inventive knowledge for the war effort having invented parts for the Lancaster Bomber and inventing the drop system for dropping supplies etc from aircraft. The family are aware there was a lot more he did but will never know exactly what. 
After the war Cecil invented the apple peeler and an industrial egg sheller. All with patents and used to this day. Cecil went on to invent industrial machinery for the chicken industry using a factory his Father had set up in Vastern Road, Reading called Cope & Cope Ltd. Following Cecil's retirement son Nigel took over the company, albeit in a different direction. Cecil, you were a great bloke.
It was Cecil's car and chauffeur we used for our wedding. An Austin Cambridge.

Sunday 26th January 2014

Nothing good about today's weather, heavy rain all day and pretty blustery. 
36mm Rainfall.
9c average temp'.
8mph average wind speed.
Day spent at Bletchley Park home of the Enigma machines used during WW2. Incredible that over 10000 people worked here during the war years all sworn to secrecy with families to this day still not knowing what their parents role was during their spell at BP. 
Day spoilt by me falling, slipping on a muddy grass slope. Covered in mud, wet and now with a bad arm and back. How easy accidents can happen.

Saturday 25th January 2014

Another decent day until mid afternoon. At 3.30pm it became so dark it was like night time. At 4.15pm for a matter of seconds, still very dark we experienced anther Whitley Whirlwind. Plastic bottles appeared from nowhere and were left scattered all over the garden. In those few seconds 5mm of rain was recorded. At time of writing 7.45pm it is pretty wild outside, heavy rain and wind.
Rainfall to midnight 21mm.
Average windspeed 6mph (this does not include the whirlwind).
Average outdoor temp' 11c.
Bum, Tufty worked a way of nicking the monkey nuts. Made several jumps to make the feeder swing and knocking the nuts to the ground. Back to the drawing board?
              It was a delayed Boxing Day party today. Good to see the family again. My, how the children have grown. We played ' place nose on the Reindeer' and a Penquin race game before we settled down to a good spread by Mrs.T. Dear Lucy wished to go garden bird watching so wearing my hat and using my old bins we settled in the conservatory to watch. Despite it being so dark Lucy spotted the Great Spotted Woodpecker and was delighted to pick out the red tail and white spots through the bins. Lucy is only six so brilliant she has this interest already in her life. Lucy also won the nose on the Reindeer prize so a good day for her.
Picture 1 - Tufty having made a jump for the wire.
    "      2 - A butterfly (still to be identified) sunbathing on the window cill. Sadly I was indoors and unable to capture a half decent photograph.
Picture 3 - Two pairs of Magpies in the silver birch tree.
 "   4 - 6 - Boxing Day party.

Friday 24th January 2014

A glorious day. Chilly, sunny, breezy but day spoilt by heavy evening rain.
21mm Rainfall between 6 - midnight.
Average wind speed 5mph.
Average outdoor temp' 9mph.
Spent day making a Squirrel proof monkey nut feeder. Will be fun watching how it approaches this feeder now. Tufty Cam set up to record the outcome.
Back in October during the garden winter clear up I emptied a small amount of multi purpose compost into a tub and covered with a bowl. To my surprise on removing the bowl this morning it was clear I had created a micro climate. Growing in the compost were the most colourful fungi. 
         Enjoyed an evening out with Sue & Jorge at the Strada Italian in the Oracle. A very wet trip into town so not many diners sitting outside! Caught up with Lavers gossip, in retirement this is what I miss about work, the work banter. 
Picture 1 - Squirrel proof monkey nut feeder.
     "     2 - Tufty's first attempt, soon fell to the ground, have I won the battle?
     "     3 - Tufty entering the Woodpecker nest box.
  "  4 - 6 - Micro climate - Fungi.

23rd January 2014

Dull start to the day but from mid morning the sun shone and all was good for the rest of the day.
Average outdoor temp' 9c
Average wind speed 9mph.
A  bad mood day, rather excited that Staples could print my daily blog diary at a very reasonable cost. Noooo - along I go with IPad and sadly that is as far as it went. For some reason their printer would only print Nov/Dec for both 2012/2013. Printer man could not explain and unable to offer any further assistance. Just my luck I guess?
Arrived home to find the Squirrel's had beaten hell out of the bird feeders.
Hope for a better day tomorrow.

Wednesday 22nd January 2014

After heavy overnight rain the day was glorious. Chilly, dry and plenty of sun.
25mm overnight rain.
11c average outdoor temp'.
6mph average wind speed.
With a Boxing Day party scheduled for Saturday with the family I today created two games we can play with the children. A 'pin the nose on the Donkey' and 'the fastest Penquin'. Should be fun?
        Exciting day watching bird life in the garden. Good to see the Jays returning and the female Great Spotted Woodpecker. Having another go at putting out monkey nuts to try and keep them in the garden now.
Female Sparrowhawk also made a brief visit before being chased away by three Crows.
Picture 1 - Female Sparrowhawk.
 " 2 & 3 - Female Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Tuesday 21st January 2014

Woke up to pretty thick fog but soon cleared giving us a chilly, sunny, dry day.
Average outdoor temp' 9c.
Average wind speed 6mph.
Day spent creating a stumpery in the bluebell area of the garden. Cut some rotting branches (down the side of the garage) into metre lengths before placing them in the said area. The National Trust outdoor mirror is now enhanced and can only improve once the bluebells are out. I will also be purchasing some Ferns to plant in this area once they are available in the garden centres.
                      May have to move the garden cam to face the Hedgehog home as during the night the home had been attacked by something big. 

Monday 20th January 2014

After a hard overnight frost the day turned out to be brilliant. Chilly, dry and sunny.
No wind or rainfall recorded.
Average outdoor temp' recorded was 7c.
Day spent in town looking for a decent frame for Cecil & Junes photograph, the last one taken of the pair together ( I captured the moment on 3rd Dec' 2013). Will present the photograph to the family after the funeral a week today.
               Was surprised to see a dandelion, hellebore's, roses and snowdrops out in the back garden. A good month to early. Crazy weather confusing the plants.
Sad to see a couple of sick doves again, thankfully no other bird appears to be affected.
Pictures 1 & 2 - Healthy & Sick Dove.
      "     3 to 6 - Spring flowers in winter.
      "           7 - Cecil & June.

Sunday 19th January 2014

What a cracking day. Dry, mild with sun most of the day.
2mm overnight rainfall.
12c average outdoor temp'.
2 mph average wind speed.
Lazy morning watching birdlife in the garden, female woody, sparrows, green finches, gold finches, robins, starlings, wren, chaffinches, collared doves, magpies, and pigeons. A good result, hope I have this sort of result next weekend for birdwatch.
         Enjoyed a stunning afternoon walk at Fobney Wetland Nature Reserve. In flood and with the blue sky, bright sun it made for some beautiful reflections. One of my favourite photographs today has to be the pair of mating swans.
Picture 1 - Part of the lead flashing replaced yesterday on the bay roof.
     "     2 - So in love at Fobney.
  " 3 & 4 - Reflections at Fobney.
As a matter of interest it was 40 years ago today we moved to 479.

Saturday 18th January 2014

After a little overnight rain the day turned out to be pretty good.  A fair bit of sun, breezy and most importantly, dry.
Builders had a dry day to fix the bay roof, a longer job than first thought but happy a good job carried out. Messy job now to remove and re-plaster the damaged living room ceiling.
                    Unable to do much today as had to be on hand for the builders. Did see the Sparrowhawk briefly this afternoon. Think I disturbed her as flew away after only a couple of minutes. 
Looks as though I have a sick Dove, throat looks pretty swollen to me. Only washed out the feeders last week, so important to clean feeders at least once a month especially during this wet spell as food soon becomes a smelly mucky mess.
10mm rain this evening.
Average wind speed 9mph.
Average outdoor temp' 10c.

Friday 17th January 2014

A wet start with 7mm of rain recorded between midnight and 8am. Day was mostly sunny, a little breeze but at least dry.

Average outdoor temp' 9c.

Average wind speed 4mph.

Day mostly spent indoors, booked a long weekend in Wakefield to include a tour around the Rhubard Triangle. Also booked a long weekend in London to see the War Tunnels and meal in the Shard Restaurant.

Great view of the Heron again, after taking a few photographs it was time to shoo away before it struck at the pond.

Robins totally love struck so placed a feeder of Gtech fluff on the fence to help with nest building.

Picture 1 - Heron on top of the Lelandii Tree.

Picture 2 - Feeder of fluff.

Thursday 16th January 2014

Wished I had not got up today, just hope I am dreaming and tomorrow is Thursday. 
Rainfall - 61mm.
Average wind speed - 4mph.
Average outdoor temp' - 9c

eBay suspended
Twitter refused
Split screen monitor not working
No wonder I was not in the best of moods today. Handykam are at a loss as to what has gone wrong with the monitor. Awaiting now a replacement power cable to test. Sadly at the moment they are out of stock! First the squirrel chews the cables meaning another £100 on 8 replacement cables and now this latest issue. Will I ever enjoy my outdoor camera system from the comfort of my Observatory?

Wednesday 15th January 2014

Mild, little sun with a few very slight showers.
2mm Rain.
Average outdoor temp' 10c.
Average wind speed 5mph,
A further day spent in the workshop, can't move now until I have shifted all the office stationary which is the first part of the clear up. eBay not interested having suspended my account so guess it will be the wheelie bins?
Missed my time in the garden today so not sure what has been about. Looking at the empty feeders I would say the three Squirrels have had a field day.

Tuesday 14th January 2014

After a hard overnight frost the day turned out good. Dry with plenty of sun.
15mm rain overnight.
9c average day temp'.
5mph average wind speed.
Plenty of bird activity, Robins and Doves clearly loved up. Sparrows and Green finches back after  a couple of months not seeing them. Starlings also very busy with a pair now residing permanently in the Swift box (now to be called the Starling box).
Really have a serious problem with the Squirrels now. Three of them with a pair together all the time. Thinks the cats are playing with them and and respond accordingly, fun to watch but am at the point now I want the cats to kill, sadly.
          Most of the day spent sorting out all my office stuff ready for selling/giving. eBay is a no no. My account suspended within 24hrs of opening without explanation so will use the small ads in the local paper.
           Very sad to hear of the news Uncle Cecil died yesterday. So pleased we were able to see him just before Christmas. If interested Cecil set up the company Cope & Cope Ltd, manufacturers of Chicken machinery for the chicken industry. Based in Vastern Road where the Thames Water building is now. It was Cecil who provided his car and chauffeur for our wedding back in the seventies. RIP Cecil.
Pictures 1 - 4 - Tufties after the peanuts.
      "          5 - Loved up.
      "          6 - Woody at the peanut feeder.

Monday 13th January 2014

After the heavy overnight rain the day stayed dry albeit pretty dull with little sun. 20mm of rain last night with wind speed today averaging 9mph with outside temp' averaging 12c.
New coal bunker arrived early this morning so a little time putting together and siting. Rest of the day spent in the workshop finding more goodies to sell on eBay.
Picture 1 - New coal bunker.
     "     2 - New outside w/c.