Back here again, 12.10.2026.

 Not posted for a while, but my sister in OZ reminded me to get my finger out!.

Since my last post I've been over to the Gorton lower ressers and the first thing to see was this young Blackbird.

Seemed glad to get some seed off me.

The weather has turned a bit chilly now, my central heating came on for the first time in month's last night.

The young swans are doing very well, but will only be safe until the parents decide to breed again in the spring, then will chase off the youngsters, lives not nice sometimes is it! 

Taking pictures to send home perhaps!

Big daddy!.

Looking up the resser to the Pennines in the distance.

Autumn colours starting to show now, behind these trees is Debdale park, so with the two ressers and the park it's quite an open area. 

Met a young couple and gave the lady some bird seed so she could get the the pigeons to stand on her.

I try to stop them climbing on me, you don't know what they are doing behind your back do you!!,

Back home my Yew tree has got hundreds of nice red berries on, more this year than ever before, perhaps all the hot weather we've had this Summer has something too do with it.!

Have a large family of sparrows in my garden, all eating me out of house and home, still they are nice to watch.

Been to the Costa at Sainsburys a few times lately, but its quite dear so swopped to KFC at Denton now not much cheaper, but you get more for your money, used to go there regularly when everywhere was shut for Covid, me and my mate used to use the drive thru and then sit in our own cars chatting!. 

My son, his wife and one of his daughters all ran in the Manchester half marathon this year, rather them than me, there again perhaps when I was in the army, might have felt more like it.

My son also has got into 3D printing and this is one of the two dogs they have lost in the last nine months.

Jessie and Max.

He also came and changed my bathroom sink taps for me!.

This is quite true too!.

Finished this jigsaw this week,  seems a strange subject for a jigsaw, still it was interesting and cheap!.

Hope to be a bit more productive in the future.

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If all the world is a stage, where do the audience sit??.

Don't you love nature, despite what it did to you!. 

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Sunday, 23.8.2026.

 Last week had  trip down Reddish Vale, now the weather has cooled down a bit,  the lower mill pond was still full of algae with the lack of rain.

The painting on the side of the info centre done by "Heart_Murals"  is still looking ok 

Cormorant laying down in the heat.

But these are going one better and getting in the shade.

Plenty of young mallards about.

Splash of colour on the Quinney bench. 

Heron on the top mill pond.

Swan family were all on the top mill pond on the day I went and all looking well.

Only the one Terrapin sunning itself. 

Young coot on the pond side.

The crow with the club foot I'd mentioned in a previous post came to see me and enjoyed the monkey nuts I'd brought for it.

Nice to see it's managing alright with the funny foot.

Gave it plenty of monkey nuts to store away for later.

Been going to my usual lunches at Morrisons and was joking with one of the young ladies there and said Can't you get a fellow to take you away from all this, and she said "I'm looking foe a millionaire" and I said "that's where your going wrong, millionaires don't eat in Morrison's"!.

The next day after visiting Specsavers to book an eye test, thought I'd visit KFC at Denton and there inside was this sign!.

So showed her the next time I was in, she had a good laugh!.

Still going to The Bridge Café in fact we have been going there on Tuesdays as well during August, only trouble is it's full of screaming kids, but I'm lucky enough to have hearing aids so I can turn them off, it just goes to show there is always a bright side to everything if you look for it!. 

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Last day of July, 31.7.26

 As it was the last day of July thought I'd better get over to the Debdale reservoir to see how the swan family were getting on.

First saw this nice moorhen picking though the stones for crustaceans and seeming to be doing very well. 

Then this Canadian goose family came rushing over, "come on kids, the chap with the hats here with seed, much better for you than bread"

Loads of pigeons as usual.

Was a nice sunny day but looked a bit overcast at times, I think that was wishful thinking on my part as we've not had any rain for weeks, only a bit of showers during the night, but still not enough for the gardens or to damp down the moors to stop anymore fires!.

  Still the kids from the sailing club were having a good time and keeping cool.

This bush on the waters edge was doing well and in full flower.

This Great Crested Grebe was making me yawn as well watching it.

Babies need their rest.

Time for an afternoon nap.

Thank goodness the kids have nodded off, can grab 40 winks myself.

Still have to watch out for those pesky gulls though!.

          The Swan family with their three babies are doing well though the babies are looking very grown up now!

Just one of the many young gulls on the water.

This Thursday at the Bridge View café was packed out as there was Morris dancers and clog dancers performing, and the Tameside mayor was there.

Today (Saturday) was a lot better with fewer there and our new friend  Gabbi who lives in one of the flats above the museum came down in a wheelchair has she'd got an injury behind her knee, didn't stop us having a good chat though.

She is becoming an avid Amazon as my friend Jean and I are!.   

Back home my front garden is looking very colourful!.

Can't say the same for my neighbors though, as you can see, it's Pakistani style perhaps.

Got a new style hat, everyone certainly noticed me today at the Café.

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