Soop's Special Kitcheners

Hmmm. Soop are you sure your little mouse isn't just Agus in disguise

Oh Soutra what a week you have. Hope all goes well. Do try and rest soon

I've just popped in to say good luck next week to soutra! Though why you would need good luck I don't know - you're a woman for heaven's sake!! Take care and keep in touch!!

I've never seen a long-tail tit on it's own either but we had about 20 on the crab apple tree the other day so I'm staying inside - the weather will be awful soon.

Around here long-tailed tits are called flying teaspoons!!

Well I have had a lovely day but how exhausted am I? Massively over catered, you can tell we haven't done a party for a year or two, but on the plus side I have enough prosecco for another party! Lovely people who although they didn't all know each other, each couple had something in common with somebody else, were friends or had mutual friends, so they just got on with enjoying each other's company!
I was given so many lovely flowers, wine, chocs, orchids etc but chilling out now in front of Call the Midwife, shoes kicked off, feet up.

Glad you had a lovely time.

We have many birds here in the garden we never saw in the UK, bramblings, nuthatches, greater spotted woodpechers, goldfinches, bullfinches and all sorts ot tits, blackcaps and tons of house and tree sparrows- and in Summer so many swallows and housemartins (that nest in our barn) and sparrow hawks, red and black kites, buzzards, and so many more- our favourites perhaps being both kinds of redstarts that nest both in the barn and all the piles of logs around our stone walls.

But I miss 'my' robins' that would be out and follow me the minute I'd be working in the garden, and our many blackbirds and song-thrushes- waking up to their dawn chorus was magical and so melodious- the chatter of the sparrows is a bit rough in comparison ;)

And of course, the long-tailed tits- I so loved to see them in groups, with their lovely soft pink breast and long tail- we just don't get them here.

VERY well done dear Soutra. I knew that your party would go with a swing. It must have been a wonderful moment when, at last, you were able to kick off your shoes and flop into your favourite armchair. I hope that today's visit to the hospital isn't too testing for you and Mr Soutra

Good morning Crafting now you mention it...that mouse did seem vaguely familiar. The fact is...it hasn't returned. All is back to normal in the happy homestead.

kitty I like the name flying teaspoons. A canteen of long-tailed tits!
It's grey and blustery in bonnie Kintyre. Rory popped his head out the door and within a few seconds turned around and discovered a convenient lap, on which he's settled. MacS is doing the crossword.

granjura Wow! The variety of birds visiting your garden is truly amazing. I am extremely fond of sparrows. Although there are a number in the village, we've not seen any in our garden. The tree creeper calls intermittently. We also have gold and bull finches. In summer, a reed warbler sings at full throttle perched on a favourite bush just across the way.

We had to leave here at 9am to go down to DD's for her surprise birthday party, a three hour journey. So my surprise at seeing DBH outside in his pyjamas for a whole hour at 8am with seed and binoculars in the frost to do a bird count was great. Men are just weird. He repeated the whole exercise in the grounds of our hotel the following morning, but there was nothing like the same variety, not surprising really as we have watermeadows and woods next to us, plus of course the gardens and tall trees.

I managed to dance for two whole hours at the party, so was very pleased with myself after all those months of broken ankle and damaged knee.

So many sick and poorly OH's, I do hope they are all doing well.

Snowing again! There is a garden/Summer house on the corner of our old house- with a 40cm gap in between house and it- with a little roof over-hanging the gap. We've put a long wooden pole there, so sparrows can shelter in winter- there is a wall at the back and a door at the front of the gap- so they are protected from blizzards and snow. In front of the maisonette are 2 folded garden tables covered in tarps- and covered by the overhanging roof- and the sparrows stand on it- and of course we feed them as soon as the cold weather comes and right until the beginning of Spring- so they love it here. BIL from Guildford just loves to see and heart them all- as he says sparrows have practically disappeared from Surrey, even though they have a large garden overlooking the Downs.

Golly they do make a mess, bird poo and sunflower husks everywhere- but I don't care- will clear it all in Spring- we of course don't use the patio in winter!

Last year was the first time I saw a male sparrow doing a mating dance- it was amazing. Jumping up and down, turning and flapping his wings, chest out- over and over again- with the female just standing there watching. Never knew they do that- it was quite a treat.

janerowena at the thought of your husband in his pyjamas doing a bird watch. Good for you, I'm delighted to hear that your danced at the party. You have made a full recovery and deserve to be pleased with yourself.

We have tree sparrows and house sparrows, I think all the Surrey ones must have come to us. The noise first thing (they all nest around the bedroom dormer windows) is excruciating! But I love to see them on the feeders.

Same here Janerowena- the top of this old farmhouse is wood clad, with large beams protruding from main body of house to hold roof up- with lots of nooks and crannies for nests, to both sides and above our bedroom window and we sleep with windows wide opened from April to October- what a racket. As said before, in East Leics, the dawn chorus was blackbirds and song thrushes- and wonderfully melodious, Hey ho- can't have it all. Love my noisy 'spatz' too.

In spring we get loads of fieldfares, and golly they are noisy too- kraa kraa.
We also have both crows and ravens- I love the ravens' deep kraa. And the red kite's meeewing is a delight.

BTW snowing heavily here. After my student (my school-room is our kitchen)- I went downhill to see my neighbour and went (excuse the expression, but it is our DD2's favourite and I've adopted it- it makes me laugh) ar*e over ti*ts on the ice. Banged my bum and then head quite hard and saw the stars, and just lay there just a few seconds, and next thing I knew was both neighbours running up to see if I was ok. And I am- they came for coffee, and by the time they left, I was fine.

soop, the long-tailed tits arrive in a flock. It's difficult to say how many because they won't stay still, They wait on the bare branches and take turns on the bird feeder. The coal tits are pretty cute too - wee dumplings! They seem to live in the garden two doors down. At least that's where they always return to.

granjura I have a tendency to "a over t"...I'm pleased to hear that you haven't done yourself some nasty damage.

anno Wee dumplings, I like that description.

Ouch Granjura, that made me wince, hope not too bruised and battered. I too have done A over T even without snow or ice - last time was falling flat on face over the (large) dog, goodness knows how! Thankfully no damage other than to pride, and luckily no one around to laugh witness .
I love the idea of a 'canteen of long-tail tits' aka flying teaspoons, lovely!

loopylou talking of doing silly things and hoping not to be noticed...a very long time ago, I was walking along a pavement and something on the opposite side of the road distracted me. I walked at full-pace into a concrete lamp post. It didn't 'arf hurt. I saw stars but was far too embarrassed to stop and appear stunned. As I continued to walk (with a wobble) nice egg came up on my forehead.

I was once waiting for GD outside the newsagents where she worked part-time. Got out of the car to go to the ATM at the Co-op, when I measured my length in a big muddy puddle. Picked up by a passer-by and then GD turned up with the first-aid tin from the shop. Lots of mud, lots of blood! My DS1 keeps warning me to watch where I put my feet. He's worse than my dad!

It's the embarrassment for me! I managed to smash my ankle catching my toe on a manhole cover in the road, didn't really hurt until later (when it was very different) but sitting in the road with traffic diverted around me was excruciating, luckily it wasn't raining and the ambulance men were lovely
I was more worried about running over time for the car park and fervently hoping nobody I knew would see me than the damage done (according to the consultant extensive and impressive).
Luckily all's well now.

We call it base over apex here. Fits my body shape exactly!

anno and looylou Ouch! My eyes are watering.

Brenda

My a* is indeed bigger than my T**s, lol

It's the other way round with me, that's why DBH says I keep losing my balance, because I need a lower centre of gravity! I do fall over rather a lot though. It's so embarrassing. Along with the ankle, I have damaged my knees quite badly several times and twisted my ankles several times and broken all my toes at some point or other. Is it long-sightedness, clumsiness or poor balance? I don't know.

I'm like you janerowena, shape-wise.
No more high heels for me (I did wonder sometimes if I resembled Dick Emery in drag!) as definitely ankle won't permit them, quite a relief in several ways
I think it's because I don't concentrate and am always in a rush.....

I have been busy with my pal's ironing. For a wee while, I had a real treat - I caught the closing stages of Andy's tennis match against the young Australian. It was an exciting final set...in which Andy played at his best. With Roger and Rafa out of the contest, us lot, who enjoy tennis, (and, unlike me, can also view on the special sports programme) are in for some extra special excitement.

jane How on earth did you manage to break your toes.

I looked through the window late yesterday afternoon, and caught sight of the otter as he slipped from his rock into the choppy surf. Delightful!

As the weather is about to change for the worse in the next day or so, MacS has decided to move the big shop forward. At the moment it is almost mild. That's apparently about to change. When the wind blows from the Arctic we'll surely know about it!

Thinking of Soutra and Bella.