Monday to Today, 29.11.23.

 Monday, I met my friends at Pear  Mill Café, I said "did you like the Christmas tree at the entrance" to which they both said "Didn't see any Christmas tree!".

My answer to that was "You can get 2 for one on specs at SpecSavers"

How can you miss that!, that's the blue front door on the left.

Tuesday 

It was off to Reddish Vale Park, a beautiful day though quite cool.

There were lots of mandarin Ducks in trees  on the lower mill pond and the males still in their breeding plumage.

Reflections better than the real thing.

Upside down.

The resident cormorants.

I found the upper mill pond the best on the day, with plenty of wildlife about and perhaps it was because there wasn't many people.

This is a real fatty isn't it.

Saw four robins all in the same area and as they are reputed to be territorial can only guess they are from the same family. 

Everyone loves a robin don't they.

A pair of Mallards.

A pair of Wigeons.

A hunting Heron.

These nuthatches are very timid.

The beautiful Great Tit.

Then a little Blue Tit.

A Male and female tufted duck

No Teal's though only me!.

So it was a nice visit on the day, topped off with the usual fish an chips at Morrisons.

I got a bargain there as well, 6 ring donuts without the holes in, there for more donut hey!.

Today Wednesday  met my friend Jean at The Windmill in Denton and has she had a voucher on their apt on her phone for 25% off and when she presented it at the counter it turned out to be 50% off so we had a carvery and a drink for about £4.50 each! which can't be bad in these days of prices rocketing skyward.

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Two cannibals were relaxing after a big meal, one turns to the other and says "You know that missionary we had has given me terrible indigestion".

The other replies, "you know what they say, you can't keep a good man down".

Why did the cannibal become a policeman, so he could grill suspects.

Small cannibal - "I hate my teacher!.

Mother -  well just eat your chips then.

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Tuesday, 21.11.23.

 Tuesday, down the Vale it was nice and sunny and quite warm, although it might have been my Camo coat made it feel like that.

First sign that greets you as you go down the road to the carpark. 

Was quite surprised to see this Terrapin out sunning it self, thought they would all be buried deep under ground by now.

Only looks a young one so perhaps doesn't know it's supposed to hibernate now it's getting colder.  

It had plenty of company with these Cormorants.

The young signets were looking beautiful in the sunshine.

After a walk round to the upper mill pond met a chap who had forgot his binoculars and thought he had seen a little egret in the far corner, well here's what you saw friend, the one on the right was a young Cormorant, that far away this is the best I could get.

The one on the left was this young heron, so sorry to say no Little Egrets today.

There was also a Cormorant with an itchy bum.  

It was still early to go for my dinner to Morrison's so had a walk round to Sunnyside pond and had a chat to my friend Bill an Ex fireman to tell each other a few old yarns.

Whilst there noticed that a young chap had added a couple of feeding tables to the right and left front of the hide there.

Nice job he's made of them.

Much appreciated by the squirrels.

Then off to Morrisons for dinner.

Had dinner at The Windmill on Wednesday and very nice as usual.

That much turkey on the day, had to bring some home for my cat friends.

So a good couple of days finishing up with a visit to Pear Mill today to meet friends and chat about the chancellors autumn statement, the triple lock still going to be on but not until the spring, if it had been something with tax going on, it would have been on tonight!!.

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Farmer Giles had a very attractive young wife .

He discovered he couldn't  keep his hands off her- so he fired them.

Man to friend-Jones makes a very good living with his pen.

Friend -I didn't know he was a writer.

Man- he's not, he breeds pigs.

Why are farmers only buried three feet deep,

So they can still get a hand out!.

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Weekend of 17th- 19th 11.23.

Friday it was a nice fine day so it was off to Reddish Vale with my camera!.

The colour in the trees is beautiful at the moment, but its not going to last with the high winds we are having at the moment.

Everyone loves a Robin.

The crows having a ball with the monkey nuts 

Seeing how many they can get in their mouths at once.

The Little grebes that were born on the top mill pond this year all seem to be doing well.

Think the big Cob must have seen me feeding the geese by hand and climbed out to me, but they are huge next to you so I wasn't chancing feeding him by hand!, he is beautiful though. 

Water quite still and plenty of reflections.

Heron on the hunt.

Only two cormorants on the day.

On the way home called at the building site behind the Gorton McDonalds to see how the electric charging park was coming on.

Pictured coming out of the park carpark, McDonalds on the left.

Like to keep you up to date.

By the way one of the top prizes at McDonald's Monopoly is an Electric car!.

But who want's one of them?.

This was on the internet the other day!!

  Notice the extra charge if you stay longer than topping up your car, so nipping into McDonalds while your car is charging could cost you dearly. 

Whilst on motoring have you see the new speed cameras?, they are very noticeable but they don't need the lines on the road these days with the new technology, AND they can catch you in all lanes and see if you or your passengers are wearing seat belts!, or on the phone!.

Finally finished my taking down my mates gate post, I'm going to let him finish the job as I know he will do a better job than I, just the inner bricks to get rid of now as I'm going to use the outer rustic ones in my back garden for Alfie's run in the Spring so no rush there, time to look at the steel gate in the garage now.  

This weeks visit to The Windmill I noticed the Christmas festive menu is now available as below.

The Pear Mill Cafe is still doing well, in fact I don't think most people realise there has been a change of ownership, so that's good for everyone I suppose.

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Did you hear about the cowboy dressed in brown paper?,

he was arrested for rustling!.

Old bricklayers never die, 

They just throw in the trowel.

Old bankers never die,

they just lose interest.  

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Tuesday,14th.11.2023.

 Not been out with the camera the past week due to the weather, cold and damp, in fact wet!.

My front wooden gate has given up the ghost and was rotting away before my eyes and has it was the third or fourth since we moved into the house I was saying to my neighbour over the garden wall, (Remind you of Les Dawson, Cissie and Ada) that I  was thinking of getting a metal one this time and he said "You can have mine at the front has I was going to take it off and remove the brick gate post" so I said "I will do the work and remove the bricks whilst you are on your business trip"

The right tools help don't they.

Well the weather hasn't been kind again and its taken me longer than I'd have thought, but there again it's coming too the end of it now, and finding the wheelbarrow behind my garage helped!, after carrying the first two lots though the house, What a gorrp! as my mate Bob would say!.

Not much more to do now, I like to clear up after each session out there, you can see why it's better coming out by how near that car is!.

Then I had another fall of soot !! why take the bricks to the tip and thought of using the bricks for a run for Alfie in the Summer, but that will wait and will be able to clean up the bricks at my leisure and cement them in, tortoises can climb very well. Will be able to let the weeds grow for him to forage.

Today Tuesday, I went to Reddish Vale and it was raining on the way there but I had my big camo coat on and was nice and warm, but by the time I got there the rain had stopped but was still overcast.

There were plenty of  cormorants there.

There was a pair of Widgeons on the top mill pond.

A Heron high up in a tree.

A very timid Nuthatch.

And a squirrel helping me to finish my apple. 

The crow was trying the apple after all the monkey nuts were gone.

So it's been a busy few days, but I've slept better for it! 

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A hungry termite walks into a bar and says,

"Is the Bar tender here?" 

The local curry house sells a chicken korma that really tickles the palate - they leave thee feathers on.

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It's the way I tell em.