Well actually it’s more like “Noises Off” as that is what alerted me to the nocturnal shenanigans going on on my garden this evening.
It is amazing just how much noise these little critters make whilst courting.
It’s likely these are the squatters, residing under my shed.
Langstone Mill dates from the 1700’s when the windmill was built. Subsequently, in the 1800’s, the mill and the mill store were built. The windmills distinctive black colour is due to the tarred outer skin which is resilient to the effects of coastal weather.
For Christmas our granddaughter, knowing our love of wildlife in the garden, gave us a set of rustic residences to place in our garden.
First up is the Bug Hotel. Although the sign on the outside says Insects & Bees, I don’t think we will be that exclusive.
Next is the Squirrel Feeder. It’ll be nice to have something specific to them. Although I am sure the birds will make free with the food, just as the squirrels do with the bird feeders.
All that is left is the bird nesting box. Given the number of cats around our neighbourhood, we’ll have to be careful with where we site it. That’s a job for tomorrow.
I know we are still officially in Winter, but a little bit of sunshine and elevated temperatures soon convince the plants to venture above soil level.
This is one of two Amaryllis, a gift from my sister. I’m ashamed to say they were neglected and started to grow in the delivery package before I acquired suitable soil and pots. With suitable nurturing it is leaping skywards although at this stage it does remind me of The Little Shop of Horrors.
Outside, on the decking, I now have a number of pots and troughs, starting to show the fruits of bulb planting late last year.
Only yellows at the moment, but time will reveal more, I’m sure.
As for many of us, I have had a bit of time on my hands. Some of that time I am spending going thru my old photos. And so I have come to browse some photos from a little under twenty years ago.
I had recently purchased my first digital camera, an Olympus C-2040Z. 2001 was also the year of the International Festival Of the Sea (IFOS). This was in place of the annual Navy Days and a much grander affair. The focus was shifted, very slightly, away from the Royal Navy warships and the event became a celebration of the sea and the history and heritage from around the world.
Here, I present a selection of pictures from the day that I spent at a super event.
A, relatively, peaceful afternoon, was disturbed by the raucous sounds of this helicopter hovering close to the road at the back of us.
Initially, we thought it was an air ambulance. However, a quick flash of its side, emblazoned with the word “ELECTRICITY “, gave the game away.
This is one of five helicopters operated by Western Power Distribution. What this one was looking for is anyones guess. Under normal circumstances these helicopters are used for the maintenance and repair of networks and also during emergency and fault conditions.
Still, it gave us a little excitement in our otherwise boring, pandemic, blighted lives.
It’s forecast to be a cold night. But for the time being, this is the effect of the moonrise, with a little bit of mist just to add a bit of mystery.
Yet another Squirrel photo. Nothing much else to say really.
These little critters are always stealing the bird food. I don’t really mind as I have several feeders around the garden.
Given the cold weather, I would prefer them to eat, rather than starve.
These are just two of the four squirrels that were tearing around in our garden.
Sadly, the one on the left has lost most of the skin and fur from the top of his head. It was looking very sore from the nose up to between the ears. Possibly had an encounter with next doors cats.
Apologies for the poor quality of the photo, I did try to clean it up a bit. This was taken on my phone, from about fifteen feet away and through the double glazing, hence the reflections.
