Garden Girl Blog

We have had a busy weekend but got a few things done.

I had an assignment for my OU course that is due on Monday, I only started it Friday. I did get it done, I am not sure it is my best work but it is done and in.

Hubs gave me a bit of a shock yesterday by cleaning the downstairs windows; he did a far better job than I do!  I have mentioned today that upstairs needs doing but he seems to have gone a little deaf today.

We had a friend over for dinner last night so lots of chatting and a go on Abba dance on the Wii, good fun!

Today we did the RSPB garden bird count, our results were....Blackbird – 4, Blue tit – 3, Crow – 1, Chaffinch – 8, Coal tit – 2, Dunnock – 2, Great tit – 4, Long-tailed tit – 6, Magpie – 1, Robin -1, Great spotted woodpeckerer – 1, Weasel – 1 (not a bird but I did not want him to feel left out).

A long walk this afternoon finished the weekend off.

This afternoon I got to spend some time in the garden.  I started to cut a few things back, dug over the veg patch and pulled up some summer bedding that was still out there.   While I was working some of the brave birds, or maybe the hungry ones came to the feeders.

I managed to get a few lovely photos, here they are:

Click to make big.

A few weeks ago I noticed something had been digging in the garden.  It was at the back of the garden, a run had been dug into the hill, the earth chucked all around.  At the time thought the hole was a bit big for a mouse, but did not think much of it.

Just recently hubs and I were standing at a window, looking out into the garden. We saw something run at full speed out of a mouse hole and up the hill, it then stopped at the top by the fence. We were able to get a good look; it was bigger than a mouse but long and sort of reddish brown but white on its underside.  After a Google search we worked out it was a weasel and he seems to be living in our garden.

We decided it was not a stoat because it was very small but on that subject there is a very bad joke...

Q. What's the difference between a stoat and weasel?
A. It's weally weasy to wecognise a weasel but a stoat is stotally different!

Very bad I know.

Lots of birds in the garden over the last few days.  Some of the feeders are now empty but I will go out soon and fill them up. 

Here is a photo from the garden web cam:

... or so it seems.  My contract has been renewed for another 10 weeks and they even gave me a pay rise.  I did ask for more money, I pointed out that I was doing far more than writing documents, which is what they employed me to do.  So now I am officially a consultant.  Well for the next 10 weeks anyway.

Work has been very busy, we move the first customers onto our new system next week so we have all been busy trying to make sure everything is in place.  Fingers crossed it is now.

It was very cold here last night, we had a very small amount of snow which touched the ground and turned to ice.  We parked the car outside the garage last night and I got out.  Held the door open and hubs asked if the car was sliding backwards,  it was!  The painter came today and his van slide back down the drive.  Glad to say it has all defrosted now.

This bird was hanging around the garden this morning, there was a Blue Tit in a bush she was after.  The Blue Tit got away but she sat on the fence and waited, before long a group of small birds came back and he pounced and got a Robin.  I am always a bit sad when I see this but as hubs say she is a wonderful bird and she has to eat as well.

We think she is juvenile bird as she is very small but from the colour we think it is a female.  Just after this a magpie came and picked up a mouse in the garden, we were not sure if the magpie killed it or if it was already dead.  Shame the Sparrowhawk has not seen the mouse before the Robin.

I have been busy working, doing OU stuff and generally keeping busy.  My friend at work has told me that I have become a true student; I am a little behind on my course.  I hope to catch up soon.

The project I have been working on has gone in, it is not doing much as yet, but by the end of January it will.  There has been lots of stress for everyone and lots of work trying to sort everything out.  I was in charge of the implementation having organised the plan and directed everything on the weekend.  I was told I did really well, keeping everything moving along.  I just thought I was my usual self...bossy. .  They are saying they want me to stay a bit longer, I am happy with this as then I can have some time off in the summer again. We will see.

I have had a cold for a few weeks which seems to keep coming back, on Friday I also hurt my neck a bit so am a bit fed up.  Kept me and hubs awake last night with my cough.  I hope it goes soon.

A hard frost covers the garden; the early birds are in the garden seeing what they can find.  The sky is mainly clear with just a few light clouds that have been turned pink in the early morning light.

I had thought I would be out in the garden today but think it might be a bit too cold.

Have a good day.