Saturday 4th June 2016

A warm and sunny day, nice.
A day spent working on the igloo. Can't believe I came up with this daft idea but once started I need to finish. Ending up about half full size.
        Great day for pond life. Speckled Wood on the pond hosta, numerous red damselflies, loads of dragonfly nymphs and birds able to drink and bath in the pond due to so much weed acting as a platform. Loathed to take out any weed as so many nymphs relying on it.
Have a problem with my monitoring system, I am fully aware of the reason but not something I can sort. Considering now employing a techno guy to fully install for me. Was only a matter of time before problems developed.
Picture 1 - Igloo building.
     "      2 - Speckled Wood.
     " 3 - 5 - Damselflies.
     "      6 - Nymphs.

Friday 3rd June 2016

Warm day.
Day spent doing nothing. Enjoyed just sitting and watching every going on around me from starlings fighting, blackbirds collecting food, magpie chasing tufty, birds drinking from the pond and so much more.
Do not often get days like this...
Picture 1 - Drinking from the pond.
     "      2 - Bee and foxglove.
     "      3 - Flies around a dead snail.
     "      4 - Woody coconut feeding, unusual this.

Thursday 2nd June 2016

Much improved day, milder and brighter.
Fridge/freezer ordered, delivery 11 June and weekly shop sorted this morning.
Spent most of this afternoon at Lavers catching up on gossip on the few chaps I still know as most have left from my era of working there. Purpose of my visit was to purchase a couple of bags of rapid curing cement which I will be using for the base of the igloo. Intend to start work tomorrow as the milk bottles are being blown about the garden somewhat.
              Probably the wet and windy weather of late is the reason but no sign of moths for 48 hours. Saw the wren this afternoon along with the great spotted again. Starlings have basically taken over the garden at the moment.
Pictures 1 - 3 - Starlings bathing.
       "           4 - Tufty on peanut butter feeding station.
       "           5 - Foxy out last night.

Wednesday 1st June 2016

A pretty miserable day still, no rain but still very wet from yesterday and overcast and dismal. Not like summer, surely not another one day wonder of a summer this year?
Fridge freezer not working properly and at fourteen years old time for a replacement. A trip to PC World and of course like for like aint going to happen. With my pad and tape all details were noted and home we went to check.
With decision made it was decided to call again tomorrow while out doing the weekly shop.
Rest of the day spent going through endless trail camera shots of bathing starlings, 2,389 in total. Never thought I would be in trouble leaving the TC trained on the bird bath when young starlings are about!
Did see a male great spotted and a jay today so this was good news. What is not good news of course is this wet and windy weather when trying to entice swifts. Another year when the weather is not helping their cause.

Monday 30th May 2016 / Tuesday 31st May 2016

What an amazing 24 hours celebrating our 45th wedding anniversary. Weather brilliant today Monday to enjoy the sailing over to Spitbank Fort out in the Solent. With good weather we were able to enjoy everything outside of the fort as well of course as the inside.
Tuesday a different story. Very high winds delayed our departure by 30 minutes and back on land it was just awful, so wet. Stayed like this all day so were so lucky yesterday.
Nigel and Lyn joined us for the celebration and agreed with me inso much it was the most interesting, luxurious and bonkers thing we have ever done.
The history of this particular fort as with the other three is something else. Constructed in the 1800s to defend Portsmouth from the French but in fact were never used in conflict as took over twenty years to construct and any conflict was over and no threat existed.
So much more history associated with these forts so would suggest one googles for further information.
A fantastic 24 hours.