I know what the squirrels do in the ivy!!!

There have been more visits to the hospital, however not all for me. The last visit was with Lynsey after she had a seizure that lasted over 2 hours, on and off. More on than off.
This followed a night out with friends and someone spiking her drink, there really are some delightful people about.

I returned to the dentist with my broken tooth. She had a look at it and she shook her head and stroked her chin. Then said, "well, there are a few options." "We can leave it as it is, or, I can try to take it out. or I may have to refer you to somewhere else to have it taken out."  I am not sure I liked the sound of any of the options really. I didn't want it just leaving because my tongue kept straying over to the broken tooth which was making the tip of my tongue sore. I would happily let her take it out but was unsure of what would happen if she started and then could not finish. The last option being referred somewhere else, well how long would I be waiting for that and would it become painful in the meantime? The outcome was I was given an appointment for Monday 13 Feb at 12:30 pm at which point she would attempt to take out the tooth. (A few days later she phoned and changed it to Wednesday the 15 Feb).

Tomorrow I return to Huddersfield Royal to begin an eight-week program of physiotherapy on my shoulder. This is a group session, I really am not looking forward to that. Mr. Foggarty told me I have 3 months to decide whether or not I want surgery or not, so Katherine Manklow the physio said going to the group sessions would be more intense and then if I did decide on surgery I would already know the exercises for rehab. I am hoping the physio will be enough help that surgery is not required, but, the pain seems to get worse, not better.


The garden has been very lively over the last few weeks. We can often tell what's been in the garden by the clues they leave. Hedgehogs for instance always leave little piles of pooh near the nut boxes sometimes even inside them. I have often wondered why I have never seen any squirrel pooh!!!
Now I have discovered why!!!

I know what you're doing Little Squirrel.

The squirrels run into the ivy on the wall and squat down and do their pooping in the ivy.

The squirrels love to grab a nut run across the garden, up the fence post, over the fence into the garden opposite to bury a nut somewhere in their garden. Then they suddenly appear back above the fence unexpectedly. Sometimes I am quick enough to get a picture.

That surprised you didn't it.

Another favourite pastime of the squirrels is playing hide and seek. They run and hide in the tree making it almost impossible for me to take their photo. However, sometimes I still manage.

Squirrel playing hide & seek

I bought a feeder to put shredded suet in to stop the pigeons and doves eating it all before the small birds managed to get any. The only trouble is now the starlings are taking it all. I need to find a feeder that the small birds can use that the starlings cannot get into.

Starling wars at the suet feeder

The blackbirds are strutting around the garden as if they own it. The males are fighting with each other over territory and the females are chasing each other out of the garden and away from the males.

Mrs. Blackbird keeping watch over the garden from a neighbouring shed

Mr. Blackbird keeping an eye out for any other males.

I have seen 3 Robins in the garden, this one sits high in the tree singing at the top of his voice making sure everyone knows that this is his garden.

"This is my garden" sings the Robin 

The Blue Tit and Long Tailed Tit flit around the garden in and out of the bushes, swooping down to grab some seed then back up to the trees.

Blue Tit 

Long Tailed Tit

Tony had been down to the shed one day and noticed someone over the school yard appeared to be looking across to the shed using a pair of binoculars. I had thought I had seen someone there before, but maybe like me, they were watching the birds and squirrels. We mentioned it to our friend Elvira.

A few days later talking to Elvira on the phone she told me she had bought me a gift, something for the shed. So intrigued we called to see her. She handed me a wrapped parcel, I opened it and I laughed. Inside was a meerkat with a monocular. " It's to put in the shed window, so next time anyone looks that's what they'll see", said Elvira.

My Meerkat from Elvira.

I have not put him in the shed, he is on the bedroom windowsill looking out over the garden, he is just too good to put down in the cold damp shed.

Until the next time...