Friday at the Debdale Nature Centre, 29.7.22.

 Nice day on Friday, we went to the Nature Centre and took some suet feedings blocks and as soon as Chris put one up it was covered with Long Tailed Tits!.

Beautiful little birds, very cute. 

Their nest is made up from 6,000 pieces of four types of material, ie Lichen, feathers, spider egg cocoons and moss.

They can have lots of babies too.

Goodness knows how big the babies are because the parents are one of the smallest birds in the UK.

The smallest bird is the Goldcrest, but the long tail of the Long Tailed Tit knocks it out of the running.

The usual Squirrels around, looks like this one is giving Pepe a raspberry. 

Plenty of baby Blue Tits 

Great Tit

Baby Blue tit and baby Great tit sharing a feeder.

A young magpie not quite used to feeding itself.

Collared Dove on camera (literally). 

Managed to get the Jay on the day, but not very cooperative, wouldn't turn round!.

New covered seating area at the centre.

Right next to the coffee bar.

Off course had to have an ice cream on the way home.

Back home.

My shower and wash basin in the bathroom was blocked up this week and I tracked the blockage down to the junction that went into the water butt I'd installed a few years ago.

At the time I hadn't realised the shower and basin outflow went into the same collection box, (what a gorrrpp), so hadn't used it as the water was too soapy and mixed with the water off the roof wasn't  very clean.

The blockage was in this section.

When I took the rain pipe down it looked like a core sample you see them getting out of the ground.

Then to my surprise I found a large bone in the slush, looks like a femur bone to me, but goodness knows what from!, too big and thick from a cat or rat probably dropped in the collection box by a bird and the dirt off the roof built up round it.

So water butt removed and down pipe repaired and painted to how it used to be years ago, plant put in place of the water butt.

Water butt moved to garage but after the experience with it previously I'm going to do what my mate Bob goes and leave the top off and let the rain fill it up. 

Well that's all the news for today, perhaps next month will be more exciting, still at my age can't handle to much excitement.

Certainly don't need drugs, getting up too quickly gives one the same feelings at my age.

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Day out after the heat wave, 20.7.22.

 We went out on Wednesday after the heatwave for the first time after three days confinement at home as it was too hot for Pepe with his thick coat.

It was still quite warm and muggy but with his cool blanket on he seemed to be alright!.

As you can see from the colour of the grass at the other end of the water we haven't had much rain, there again today (Friday) its not stopped raining all day, but that's England for you!.

The fish were all cruising near the surface, this one was about 14 ins long, not the Loch Ness Monster but you would still need a lot of chips with it!.

The Great Crested Grebes were out and about , I'd not seen them for a while, but found out where they had been hiding from the heat.

They seem to have split up, with one parent with one baby and the other parent with the other two.

Put your left leg out and shake it all about.

Perhaps this is mum being a bit more practical.

There were plenty of black headed Gulls about in various stages of growth. 

The Swan family are doing well and junior is quite big now, unfortunately it won't be long before the parents will be chasing it off to fend for itself.  

I'd read a few years ago that the humble house sparrow was on the decline, but that doesn't seem the case now as there are dozens of them in my garden this year!.

 Still got my Goldfinches with their babies that are all feeding themselves now.

Well only in the UK, three days of heat wave, everything shut down and today rain all day, still the gardens need it!.

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Friday 15th to 18th July in the Park.

 On Friday it was quite hot, but we didn't know what was in store for us over the weekend did we!.

Everything in the park is in flower and looking very nice, but it was too hot for Pepe so we didn't stay long.

These are some of the roses in the rose beds just inside the park.

Nearly sat on this common spider but took it's picture with my phone instead.

In the Nature Centre there wasn't much about, there again if I was a proper photographer I suppose I should get there a bit earlier when the birds are having their breakfast, but I refuse to get up any earlier, the days are long enough as it is!.

Anyway here are the birds from dinner time.

A Nuthatch enjoying the Sunflower hearts.

 A Dunnock, they are well camouflaged aren't they.

 Plenty of juvenile Robins about. 

A juvenile Blackbird. 

A new feature in the Nature centre is this area for teaching the kids about nature.

A garden looking well.

This is the view coming into the Centre from the park, plenty of seating, coffee and snacks.

This young Great Tit looks like it's just out of the bath.

The ever present Woodies.

  Young Blue Tit.

Saturday, we met our friends at Pear Mill Café for a chat and put the world to rights, Pepe with his cool blanket on.

Had a ball with the Amazon two day offers over the weekend.

A foam bed for Pepe ( He has a touch of arthritis in his hips now) and it just fits on the bed I made him a few months ago.

A new bedside clock that has two USB ports at the back for charging my phone and Ipad, and has different coloured light on the top if you like that kind of thing.

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Don't you feel sorry for whoever gets the job of the Prime Minister?, he/she will have to live with this decoration, hopefully the tax payer won't have to pay for the redecoration!.

And to think the BBC stopped the old folks free licence!.

There you go Gripe finished.

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