Monday down the Vale, 22.7.2024

Not been a bad weekend really, on Saturday we met at the Bridge View Café in Ashton and noticed they have a photograph up of the staff when Princess Anne came for a visit a few weeks ago.

 My Friend Jean had made Alfie a fancy coat but only guessed the size, so I'd taken it back on the day and she adjusted it there and then.

Think he would rather be out in his enclosure, as you can see I've not cemented it in yet, but he's not going anywhere anytime soon.

He like his meals outside, he can chose his own food there.

 In the back garden everything is in bloom, think this is a Montana clematis.  

My Buddleia in the front garden I'd bought on the internet seems to be doing well and is spreading nicely, not quite as big as the picture in a previous post yet but that's gardening for you isn't it Patience!.  

Today Monday it was off down the Vale and the first thing that hits you in the eye is this!, not my cup of tea but I suppose the kids like it.

The pigeons were glad to see me I think as I had food!

The run off to the river is getting a bit overgrown but looks nice with all the weeds flowering.

The lone cormorant was still there drying it's wings.

Think this is one of last years youngsters that's stuck it out on the lower mill pond and the parents have retired to the top mill pond, they haven't breed this year as the male was away at the vets injured for a while.

These young Mallards are on the small bit of water just inside the gates on the left, water looks a bit murky but perhaps mum thinks it's safer there. 

These bushes look nice and colourful just inside the lower mill pond gates, not sure what they are, look a bit look Buddleia's though. 

The crows were tucking into the monkey nuts on the top mill pond.

This squirrel wasn't chancing coming down with all the crows and magpies about. 

This coming week the coffee dream machine's time table for you. 

Today at Morrison's it was Gammon, egg, chips and peas, it seems the 100 points for every £1 you spend has dropped to 50 points!, but at least the free refills are still in place!, getting to know quite a lot of the customer's and staff now.

Nice food but a bit over facing with all them chips, left quite a few.

So another good weekend and the Paris Olympics to look forward to!.

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Wednesday down Reddish Vale park, 17th .7.2024.

 Wednesday it was off down the Vale as it was a beautiful sunny day.

First thing I saw were these volunteers from the British Gas board doing their bit for the community!.  

Hi HO, Hi HO, it's off to work we go!.

First time I've had birds on my knee for years!.

It's only cupboard love I'm sure.

This juvenile Mandarin duck was eating out of my hand and shooing off the pigeons, they are quite aggressive when they get older, but can still hold their own at this age.   

Cormorant drying out it's wings after it's dinnertime diving.

Look at the feet on this Moorhen.

This is a really big Terrapin, on the top mill pond,  this picture doesn't show the scale really. 

These smaller ones are on the lower mill pond, still a lot bigger than my Alfie.

A juvenile Great Tit enjoying the seeds. 

The male swan on the top mill pond getting it's plumage mucky with the algae.

The crow were enjoying sharing my bourbon biscuits, who doesn't like bourbon biscuits?.

This one showing the pigeons how to get into monkey nuts

This heron high up in the trees, perhaps there's a bit of breeze up there. 

Plenty of Coots about without fighting, now the breeding season is over.

Moorhen on the calm water.

Looking just as good upside down!.

So it was a good day for me, followed by a Chicken sandwich and a drink at Morrison's.

Today, Thursday at the Bridge View café it was a good day as well with a sizeable crowd joining in with my friend and neighbour Christopher singing.

Anyone wanting to book him ask for a flyer!.

He even had a couple join him who were quite good singers as well and the crowd were singing along too. What more could you want good food and a singer thrown in!. 

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What's the similarity between traffic jams and laxatives?.

They both irritate the crap out of you!.  

What did one fly say to another?,

Is this stool taken?. 

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Second week of July, 2024.

 Was another good week last week,

Tuesday we went to Morrison's at Bredbury, as its the best one to suit the three of us, we all had the hot sandwiches and very nice too.

I then went to get three coffees as it was my turn, but then realised they do refills free! so I got three free coffees and then we realised Jean hadn't got her points on her Morrison's card before the girl on the till had closed the order. She later phoned a number she has and got her points back!.

Wednesday, I went to Reddish Vale Park, not much doing on the day, but did manage a few pictures for you.

Give me some of your apple mate.

Thank you Duckie.

Very nice.

 Then it was off to my Morrisons at Reddish where for a change I had Gammon, egg, chips and peas I usually have a refill to top
up my drink whilst waiting for my meal and on the way back to the table saw this.

My meal was very nice for a change  from fish and chips.

Thursday Jean and I were off to The Bridge View café, where the welcome was very nice as usual, in fact we both got a nice takeaway box, that was a nice surprise.

I'd been to the charity shop in the week and got this box set, 18 DVDs that's 6 series in all and it only cost me £2, I'd watched the first two stories, but it wasn't for me so gave it to the girls at the café.

Boats on the canal there from all over the place.

Bought another two bird feeders in the week, has they are the best I've come across to keep clean.

Will be chopping off those lower rings to slow the pigeons down a bit, see previous posts.

I've decided to replace the dogs on my fire place and got these nice birds from Amazon, the kingfisher I already had from my good friend Bob and his late wife, they gave it to me after I got my very first kingfisher picture at Reddish Vale, they said it was the "Order of the kingfisher"

More careful dusting hey!.

I've had some cacti in my porch for years and years and just noticed this week that the donkeys tails had started to flower!.

On looking on YouTube it seems that they flower all the way down the strands, so I must have been doing something wrong all these years, perhaps been a bit mean with the water!.

Today Monday 15th, I had a gentle stroll round Reddish Vale and managed a few pix's.

Sunny and warm so the terrapins were all out.

Baby Mallards.

Heron on the hunt.

Big terror pin.

 The female mandarins having a rest after the busy season looking after the youngsters.

Morrison's today I ordered the gammon, egg and chips again, but as I sat down the young lady came up and said there's no gammon, will you have your usual mini fish and chips?, so I said yes but look what came, she said we've given you the full one for the difference in the price!!, oh no thought I it's too much and over facing, so just eat the fish and peas, but the chips were very nice though!!.

The fish was bigger than that but forgot to take the picture first.

So another good week for me, not so for Joe Biden with his gaffs and Donald getting shot at, he's lucky it wasn't an ex military guy or he wouldn't have been so lucky, there will be a lot of questions how the shooter got so close and had got some shots off before the secret service managed to kill him.

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What's the difference between a cat and a complex sentence?,

A cat has claws at the end of its paws and the complex sentence has a pause at the end of its clause. 

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