It was a very sad day yesterday...

We have lived here for over 14 years, in all that time I have fed and photographed the squirrels in our garden. I know squirrels have disappeared and they have gone and died somewhere, I expect this to happen. Then we have new squirrels, young squirrels that appear in the garden running around like lunatics. This is the circle of life I know. However, when Dave who lives next door asks me to go round to his garden to help, he has a poorly looking squirrel in his garden, my heart missed a beat. By the time I got round there, the squirrel had died. I was devastated, I wanted to cry but I stopped myself from doing it. I looked the squirrel over, it was a young female, there were no outward signs of injury, so she had not been attacked by anything. There was no sign of being hit by a car, there was no sign of any trauma at all. I hate to say it but I believe that this pretty little girl may have been poisoned.

A lot of people object to the squirrels digging in their plant pots, burying peanuts in them, burying nuts in the flower beds then digging them up again. Some of my neighbours have told me they don't mind because they like to watch them, it makes their days a bit brighter. However, you then get the ones who say, they are pests and are vermin and should be dealt with like rats.

The Squirrels are very quiet.

Well enough I will change the subject.

I have a new rollator, it is better than my last one, it is stronger, sturdier and it has places to attach footplates so it can be used as a wheelchair as well. I am not sure who will be pushing who.

Until the next time...

We are still on the list...

A rare picture of Mum, telling Oliver flies are nothing to be afraid of.

Oh boy, will I be in trouble now?

 We are still on the list waiting for a bungalow, it has been over a year now. The WDH sent out someone to reassess me to see if I had changed any. The lady had me climbing up and down the steps, climbing in and out of the bath, I was knackered by the time she left. However, a few days later we received a letter telling us we had been moved from Band B to Band A, so we are in the highest band. It won't make any difference to the bungalows they put on, it just means we might get picked out of the hat quicker.

Sometimes as you know I have some friends to keep me company in the shed. Last time it was this handsome little Shield Bug.

Meet my little friend.

S/He wandered around the work surface for about an hour, then s/he walked over to the window and flew away.

Then I noticed I was still not alone.

Meet some more of my little friends.

There were dozens of Ladybirds around the shed, these are on the ceiling, there were more across the other side of the shed and even more on the work surface. Some of them began to drop or fly down to the window ledge where I had removed the window, they stretched out their wings then disappeared across the garden.

I saw this and immediately thought of both Lynsey and Celina.

Until the next time...

It's been quiet in the garden...

The garden has been fairly quiet, except for the twittering of sparrows shooting around the garden playing chase. It gets to that time of year when the birds are pairing up and picking places to nest build. They all act like lovestruck teenagers and all sense goes out of the window.

Sometimes to the advantage of other birds that are about. The Sparrow Hawk has been spotted flying over the garden, sitting high up in the sycamore tree, then yesterday while I was in the shed I. did my usual walk around the garden before I come back up to the flat. That's when I spotted the hawk, it was in Gooseberry's garden, I took a quick look around, no sign of life, I had to do it. I stood in full view of the Sparrow Hawk I had no choice if I wanted to get a decent photo.

I clicked away to make sure I got a decent picture, the hawk lifted his head looked straight at me, and then away back to his lunch. I don't know what he had caught but it didn't take long for him to devour it and then fly away over the school and in the direction of the park.

 

I know I shouldn't take photos on other people's property and normally I wouldn't but this was too good to miss.

Until the next time...