Last week of August, 31.8.2020.

Last week of August already?, where has August gone?.

Not done much this week, been to Pear Mill Cafe a couple of times, one of which was today.

After wondering if it would be packed out being a Bank Holiday was surprised to see there weren't that many in, perhaps all out on the beach somewhere, getting some sunshine and a dose of the virus, its still out there!, as the people on the plane home yesterday found out when they were tested coming off the plane there were 16 of them infected!, so they will all be isolating for 14 days that must have been a bit of a shock to round off the holiday.

The usual flower arrangement on the tables!.

Our milk jug today was a Cow!, always get something different on your visits.

During the bad weather I've finished my latest Lego kit, the Range Rover Defender.

Look at the thickness of that instruction book!.

A very good likeness I think, this one is only manually operated but I have the 4x4 off Roader I finished a few weeks ago and son John has sent me the instructions to use the motors off that to motorise the Rover.

Not sure about that, I had enough trouble making the Rover, we shall have to have a study of the instructions.

This is the part I got in trouble with on the build, that dark grey piece I had put in wrong and I had pulled all the drive trains to pieces and re assembled them before John sent me a video off YouTube where a guy explained all the pit falls of this model and I was quite pleased that it was only one that I had wrong

The consequence of my mistake was that all these gears were locked up!, changed that piece round and all was well and working pheww!.

This was on the Lego Website the other day and quite true, though my next task will slow me down a bit.

Still getting a lot of baby Goldfinches on my feeders, think these must be a new brood as they are still feeding off their parents.

Others feeding themselves.

Had a young Robin visit this week as well, not seen one here for ages.

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Did you hear about the two Mexican fighters, one was called Hose A, and the other Hose B.

If there's H2O on the inside of a fire hydrant what's on the outside?,

K9P!

A man walked into a fishmongers with a salmon under his arm and said, do you make fishcakes?

Of course said the fishmonger,

Good said the man it's his birthday!.

Its the way I tell em!

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TV Licence £157.50!.

Our usual Thursday visit today at Pear Mill Cafe, and the predicted high winds didn't happen in our area, as we were early we went round to see the Peregrines hopefully!.
Thought we were unlucky and using my binoculars noticed the male right near the top of the chimney (200ft) and by the ruffling  of his feathers it looked a bit breezy up there!.
So it was a good find today.

King of all he surveys!.

So it was back to the car park and right in front of the car in the hedge noticed these Blackberries didn't bother picking them!.


Also there were these acorns, taken with my phone.


Then it was into the mill and the Cafe before Pepe started to chew my leg!.
Another set of table decorations today.


Never mind the flowers where's my sausages?.
Looks a posh dog today doesn't he? after his visit to the Dog groomer yesterday, he doesn't seem to mind going there and I certainly don't as I can go to the local cafe and get a nice bacon buttie while I wait for him.


At the moment I'm struggling to learn the new laptop and it's Windows 10, also Onedrive on Windows where I can store my pix's.
It gets harder as you get older, the youngsters these days seem to jump straight into all this technology, don't know how older people manage without younger family members to help them.
Read on the internet of a shop assistant who used her credit card to pay for groceries for OAPs who didn't have cards and kept their money, nothing underhand, it seemed the shop was operating a contact-less only system and sacked her! whats the country coming too!.
Well that's it for another day.
Oh almost forgot, received my TV Licence application today as the BBC have finally started to charge the over 75s which they were going to introduce a few months ago, well its finally happened and the only people exempt now are people on benefit, 50% off for blind people! and persons serving under her Majesties Pleasure.
So it will soon be best for old people to be in prison and the prisoners to go in old peoples homes that would give them something to riot about wouldn't it.
Gripes over!.
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Eating prunes gives you a good run for your money.
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Lunch at Pear Mill emporium Cafe,17.8.2020.

Day started off with a few showers while I was filling the bird feeders, the Starlings are eating me out of house and home, arrive in a large flock every morning, then its the pigeons, then the sparrows and Goldfinches, they all have youngsters, though the youngsters are feeding themselves now. 

The parents must be worn out with the babies always fluttering their wings to be fed.

The parents can now fatten up themselves.

An earlier picture of the feeding frenzy. 

Usual Lunch date at Pear Mill today with friends, nice company and chat with the staff makes all the difference to the day!.

Then the others go their separate ways and Pepe and I go round the back to see if any of the Peregrines are out and about.

Today was lucky to spot this beautiful male, one of the pair that had a brood of three chicks this year, the chicks all seem to have gone off to look for mates for themselves perhaps.

  

Think this is the female from a few days ago.

So it was a good day after the threat of rain in the morning.

Must get down to Reddish Vale soon, not been for a few weeks, but you have to be careful these days don't you with the social distancing!, and the paths there aren't as wide as Debdale Park which is only round the corner from me anyway.

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Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day.

Teach him how to fish and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.

Two fish in a tank and one says to the other, do you now how to drive one of these things?.

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Another few days in lockdown, 11-14.8.2020

Stuck in on Tuesday waiting for the Brit Gas man to service my boiler, but after quoting between 0800 to 1300 it wasn't too bad as a nice man came at 0930 and was gone by 1030hrs so Pepe and I had a trip out to KFC and as it was Tuesday we tried out their Tuesdays bargain bucket of 9 pieces of chicken for £5.99 and what I hadn't realised  was that there were chips with that and a drink. also a little bag with hand wipes, salt and straw!, best of all it was £6.09 but with Boris's  50% off it was only £3.04! that was a good bargain.

I was too hot to got to the park afterwards, the tarmac was blisteringly hot to my hands so Pepe's feet would have burnt.

We did see this family with their two tandems, brought back happy memories when my wife and I in happier times had one and used to go to Prestatyn and Llandudno for the weekends.

Wednesday it was the car service and MOT, which all went well, except when I tried to get on the bus to come home ( with mask on ) was told you can't use the old codgers pass until 0930 hrs and it was only 0920!, only two others on the bus!.

Thursday we went to Pear Mill Cafe again, just starting to pick up again after being shut for the lockdown, everyone observing the masks round the stalls with a one way system in place, but it was a relief to get to the cafe to get the mask off it was so hot with it on and its hard to eat a sausage buttie with one on!.
Always a flower on every table which is a nice touch!.

After leaving mate Peter and his dog on the car park Pepe and I went round the back to see if any Peregrines were about and saw these two beauties.

Seems strange to see pigeons flying about in the same area, but they aren't that bright are they, and must know when the Falcons are not hungry!.

This banner is up at Debdale park, and its quite true, the water is so cold deep down one goes into cramp and even good swimmers get into trouble in reservoirs!. 

 

Met a photographer a couple of weeks ago there with a very fancy camera and thought it was a bit over the top for bird watching and when I got talking to him, it turned out he was doing a promotional film for the fire brigade.

Didn't tell him how long ago it was since I was a leading fireman in the Auxillary Fire brigade, might have thought the engines were horse drawn then!.

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Gorton Lower Reservoir, East Manchester, 5.8.2020.

Today after a shopping trip to Home Bargains for Bird food, ( they have started to pack the 50 fat balls for £3.99 in cardboard boxes, so no more having to fill the land fill will plastic tubs)

called back at McDonalds for lunch, long queues to get indoors, all kids with their mothers, not many masks in sight!.

We are lucky in that we can go in the drive-thu where there wasn't much of a queue, they can't afford to let the queue get too long there or they will be backed up to the main road. I've learnt the drive-thu is the best option and won't be going back to queuing inside again.

After eating lunch on the park car park, we set of to the Lower Reservoir to see the Great Crested grebes and we weren't disappointed, as they were in the same area as last time we went, still a bit too far to get really good pictures but we did our best!.

Grebes in the lower left area of this picture.

Family Album.

Can we eat these blue things flitting about Mum?.

Your dad's gone for dinner, No not McDonalds we only eat fish!.

Look your Dad's got one for you.

Couldn't be more different that their parents could they.

Hurry up Mum, he's catching up with us.

Those are hay bales in the background for the Blue/Green algae in the water, so don't let your dogs drink this water!. 

Left hand down a bit mum.

I'm not on yet mum!.

Great Black-backed Gull, a bit far from the sea here.

Young Black headed gull.

The Buoys from the sailing club makes a good perch for this Common Gull.

Not sure of this one, Perhaps a young Muscovy Duck Mutant?.

So it was a good day and the weather has warmed up a bit!.

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A chicken crossing the road is Poultry in Motion.

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Sunday, 2.8.2020

Sunday we went to Debdale Lower Reservoir as it was a bit safer than in the park which was heaving with the nice weather, 

Only the one young swan there on the day.

Plenty of Great Crested Grebes about.

This one was taking a Sunday afternoon nap, still thought it was a nice peaceful picture.

Freewheeling.

Then noticed the black & white on this ones back and realised it was a baby!.

From a different angle.

Got a bit nearer.

Yes its definitely a baby ridding on her back. 

These Coot youngsters are quite different in size perhaps from different broods,  

Today Monday had Lunch at Pear Mill Cafe and always look out for the Peregrines afterwards round the back.

Then near the top of the 200ft chimney was one of the youngsters, perhaps hoping mum or Dad would bring some dinner.

Will have the get into this hunting thing soon.

My garden Goldfinches are still doing well and there seem to be babies fluttering everywhere!.

The present Lego kit project.

More gears than Lewis Hamilton.

Done a bit of work in the garden this hot afternoon, was going to say I jumped into the shower afterwards, but it was more of a stagger!, terrible getting old, there again there was a rumor that all over 50s should go into Lockdown. Its the young ravers that should be doing that Boris, its them that's  flouting the law!.

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