The squirrels are at it again...

The Squirrels have been trying to be sneaky, climbing over walls and under fences where they don't usually, I think they are trying to outdo each other as well as confuse me, or maybe it a "James Bond" moment...

Anyhow here are a few photo's to show you what I mean...

I will just take this nut!

Mmmm lovely nut!

Oh no she's seen me

She's still watching me

I will sneak along this fence

Walk slowly across the grass

Make a run for it

Oh what's the point? she's still watching me

And all the nuts have gone...

I had a visit to the doctors today, I have been having a few problems with my back and legs.

He suggested I try using 2 sticks instead of one. I will try but that should be fun when I see something I want to photograph. I do have my stick fastened to my wrist so if I get a twitch and let go I don't drop it so I suppose I can do the same with two!

I still have not heard anything from my assessment with ATOS and it has been 4 weeks now! is this a good sign or a bad sign? My doctor told me not to worry about it this morning he doesn't think I have any problem, I should get passed, I wish I had as much faith as he has.

Weight loss & tasty snacks...

Tony and I have been attending health training sessions, the doctor said I needed to lose some weight and told Tony it wouldn't hurt him to go with me! I don't think Tony was amused but seeing as how he does the cooking it was a good idea.
Today we went for our last appointment, we have been going for 12 weeks we are both pleased to be able to say we have lost half a stone or just over. I have lost 2 1/2 inches round my waist so I am happy with that and we both intend to carry on trying to lose more!
I am really pleased because one of the tablets (Gabapentin) that I have to take is well known for putting on weight and I am on a high dose, so the health trainer said I should be really proud of myself for losing the weight. I am still eating chocolate as well! Only the fun size bars just 2 a week but it means I am not depriving myself of something so I don't crave it. Tony can still have a glass or two of wine with his meals so he is happy with that.
We both agree the biggest changes we made were portion sizes and eating more often. That may sound silly but we both ate very little during the day then had a large meal at teatime. We now both eat breakfast, a snack mid morning, a small lunch, a snack mid afternoon and a light meal on an evening. The snacks can just be a piece of fruit or a smoothie but we have something, so now we have less to eat but spread out over the day instead of just in one big meal. The other thing is water neither of us drank enough fluids, I now make sure I drink at least 2 litres of water a day. I spend a lot of the time in the bathroom but at least I am healthier.

A while back Lynsey sent me a link to a website called graze.com they deliver healthy snacks by post.
If I used the code Lynsey supplied I received my first box free, never being one to say no to something for nothing I thought it wont hurt to give it a try.
I have had 4 boxes now and so the next one will also be free, for sending me this link in return Lynsey could either have £1 off the cost of her next box or £1 would be donated to The Farming School in Uganda. I hope Lynsey donated the money, I think she will have she is the sort of person that would.
The details of the school are below, if anyone is interested, if you would like to order a free box to try you can use the link below the school details.
After your free box you can then cancel or if you like the snacks you can continue to buy them.(£3.89) If anyone uses the code I will be donating £1 for each use to the school.
When or if you do try the snacks you will be given a code to pass on to anyone you think might like to also try the snacks in doing so this is how a lot of the money is raised to help the school.

The snacks are healthier than chocolate all the time and believe it or not some are tastier!

Our school of farming is based in Kabubbu, a village in the heart of rural Uganda.

Students are taught how to grow, maintain and then harvest fruit from their own trees. Graduates are then given support by Mr. Augustine Napagi (the head teacher) throughout their first few years of farming to make sure their orchards grow as much fruit as possible.

The amazing thing about the school is that it provides our graduates with a sustainable source of income. Each student is given the means to grow food for themselves, their families and to sell at local markets.

Every penny donated to the school is spent on the ground in Uganda so it’s well worth donating your feed your friendsrewards.

http://www.graze.com/p/NNDYFMF


when you go to the website the code you need to enter is  NNDYFMF

The dangerous life of a squirrel...

The young squirrels have been up to some dangerous antics in the garden this week, my heart has been in my mouth just watching them. It is my own fault for putting temptation in their way. As you know Tony built a cross bar for me to hang some coconut halves and feeders on for the birds and squirrels, the squirrels have taken to it so well. I just wish they would take more care. You may understand what I 

 mean if you look at these photos...

His legs are slipping

He's going to fall

There he goes

He's hanging on

Still hanging on

He's climbing inside

He's going to fall

There he goes

He's landed on his feet

No harm done

Only to my nerves, it's no easy job being responsible for a garden full of squirrels. Oh and yesterday we had two new visitors smaller than the usual ones more babies where is it going to end?

Christopher has been back to the hospital his finger is healing ok he should be back at work on monday.
Lynsey seems to have been ok this week, apart from her cat deciding to spend a morning screeching at the living room wall, (apparently she thought something may have been living in it!)
I am still waiting for the third accident it hasn't happened yet so hopefully it isn't going to.

I have treated myself to a fleecy hoodie for sleeping in this week, it comes down to my knees has a pocket on the front to put both my hands in and Tony thinks I am crazy! He tutted at me when he saw it for the first time "I don't know why you don't just wear an overcoat" he said. I just feel the cold more than he does...
I would recommend one to anybody that feels the cold, £7.00 from Primark.

The rain keeps falling...

I kept watching the birds in the garden and thinking what I could do about the food I put out.
As quick as I put it out the rain was washing it away, then I thought about how we put a brolly out when it snowed to keep the dishes under cover. So I decided to try it, I put the big sun brolly over the seed table, I had to move the suet ball feeder as it didn't hang properly so I fastened it to one of the wooden arms inside the brolly. I then hung one of the coconut shell halves under there as well. I filled the coconut shell with peanut butter, filled the table with seed, then waited inside the shed to make sure that it would work that the seed would keep dry.
I kept shuffling across the garden to check the seed, after twenty minutes I decided it was going to work so I went back upstairs to the flat. At least the birds would get something now the rain would not wash it all away. While I had been down in the garden I had filled the two nut boxes so the squirrels had plenty of nuts, at the last count we have five squirrels visiting at once it's like the "keystone cops" when they are all there together.

Tony shouted me into the kitchen I looked out of the window and this is what I saw...

I guess the squirrels wanted to keep dry too!

Lynsey phoned me the other day, (she makes me laugh at times,) for those of you who don't know Lynsey has epilepsy.

She said to me "I must have thrown myself on the floor" (that means she has had a seizure,) "I have broken my front tooth, but I can't find the bit thats broken off", My guess is she must of swallowed it!

Later I received an email containing this...

Lynsey is not happy the dentist say's it is not an emergency so she cannot be seen until November.

I think I would be finding a new dentist!

Christopher called as well I think it might have been the same day, he called to tell me he was at A&E,

he works in a kitchen, Chris had managed to cut his finger, apparently the tip of his left index finger was hanging off. He had been cutting some spit roast the knife had slipped , it had sliced through his nail and carried on through his finger.  He called me to let me know he had been seen they had cleaned his finger up it was wrapped up tightly in a dressing he is on antibiotics and has to return to the hospital on friday. 

I am now just waiting for the third thing to happen everything comes in three's.

My future decided in 20 minutes...

Today I went for an assessment with ATOS HEALTHCARE to see if they think I am fit for work...


I took all the information I could think of to take with me to show all the problems I suffer with,
photo's of swellings (not pretty)
medications taken
medical history
hearing aid booklet for Tinnitus
Partner for when I forget things

The doctor was hard to understand as she was not english,
she asked some questions that I had already answered on the form, in several different ways.
She told me she would do a memory test which consisted of
what day is it
what date is it
where are you
Then she did a physical examination
lift your right leg
lift your left leg
squeeze my fingers
hold out your hands palm up
turn your hands over
Thats it we have finished.

On just that they will decide my future.

When we arrived home there was a parcel outside the door for Tony.
Inside there was a letter for me, written on the envelope by the postman were the words

PACKAGE OUTSIDE!

At least that made us smile.

The joy of seeing the Reds at last...

We have just had a week in Scotland, staying in a caravan at Beauly. The view from the window was I have to admit amazing, we could see Red Kites flying but they just never came close enough to photograph. However the Reds I am talking about are not the kites oh no!

These Reds are something I have dreamt of seeing on every visit to Scotland, I have walked so many woods looking for them, read up on them till my eyes ached but never managed to see one, except the one running across the A9 as we left Scotland last time we were there!

This time though I finally managed not only to see but  "oh yes" to photograph a Red Squirrel.
All this was made possible by being shown the secret place on The Black Isle found by a very clever and patient man "Squirrel James" If he had not spent all the hours sitting and waiting and watching for the beautiful little red fluffy creatures, My lovely brother Bassman could not have taken us to the secret place to show us where to see them.
You can both be assured the secret is safe with us Tony and I loved seeing the Red Squirrel so much we went back for another look Bassman told us it would be fine and I did leave a message on Squirrel James camera to which I hear I am now a star on face book. Thanks again to both of you.

Enough of this waffling on any way what you really want to see is the pictures...

 These two were from the first day.

All the others I took the second time

 The Squirrel and Tony playing hide & seek

 This is the only Deer we managed to find.

Excitement in the garden...

Today has been an exciting day in the garden for photography, this morning we had visits from the squirrels three of them at once.
I didn't manage to get them on camera all at once but just seeing them together was fun and then one of them came onto the fence between our garden and the downstairs garden so I got some close shots while the Squirrel sat and posed so nicely for me...

The Squirrels played for a while longer then had something to eat before disappearing away up the wall to wherever they go when they leave the garden.

 

Not long after the Squirrels had left Tony shouted from the kitchen, "Soo quick bring a camera, the hawk has taken something from the feeder"

I rushed into the kitchen (well as much as you can call it rush the speed I move) the Sparrowhawk was down on the floor covering it's catch, I took quite a few photo's so I would manage at least a couple of decent photo's. As we found out the unfortunate bird was a young Starling...

So the garden is a Starling less, it is not a pretty sight but it is nature it happens and it does make excellent photographs.

I can't wait for tomorrow to see what happens in the garden...