Friends Re-united by St Margaret's at Cliffe Photo Diary

Sometimes, out of the blue comes something completely different and quite unexpected. A couple of days ago I got an e-mail with the simple title "Deirdre Waddington" and a first line that started "I know this is an appalling imposition". At this point I would normally hit the delete button, as this is exactly how most spams asking for money start. Fortunately I let my eye wander down the screen first and saw the words "Chapel Lane" hovering there. So I continued to read and I'm so glad I did. The e-mail was from a lady in North Vancouver, Canada, whose mother was a friend of the lady who lives in the bungalow at the corner of Chapel Lane and The Avenue, a bungalow that I drive past each time I leave our house. It seems that the two ladies have been friends since the second world war, when they served together in the W.R.C.N.S. Deirdre had written last August, but they hadn't heard since and Christmas had passed with no card or communication. Heather, the daughter of Deirdre's friend Aingelda was worried that something had happened to Deirdre and started to search the WEB for news of St Margaret's near Dover, and what should pop up at the top of the list but St Margaret's Photo Diary. A quick look at this and Heather found a picture of houses in Chapel Lane and contacted me. I quickly checked with Brian, one of Deirdre's neighbours, that all was well, and went to see her. We've said hello before but never had a long conversation, so it was a pleasure for me to sit and talk to such an interesting resident of St Margaret's, for about half an hour. She was of course surprised that I had come with the news, and, as I thought, she had as usual sent a Christmas Card, but I guess it got caught up in the Post Office dispute and is still sitting at the bottom of a sack somewhere. I took my camera with me so that I could send some proper evidence that all was OK. So it was with a feeling of satisfaction that I was able to e-mail Heather with the good news and the photos.

I got an e-mail by return that opened "How wonderful it was this morning to pass on the good news! Thank you so much. You gave a great boost to more than one person. Sending the picture was very thoughtful."

The power of the Internet is immense, it is often put to improper use and can cause huge problems but their are time when it works little wonders and it was a privilege to be able to help in this case.

Peanut reprise

I thought that I'd spoken too soon, when the Woodpecker that had been drumming on the tree next to my study, came down and landed on the peanuts. It did have a few pecks, but didn't stay there long.

Before I could take a photo of it in it's retro pose it flew towards me and landed on a near vertical branch, and stayed a while as if trying to make up it's mind what to do next.

Qiute predictably it went on to a sunflower seed feeder and stayed for a good while eating the hearts. The new nest box, with camera and microphone isn't far away and although the box is empty (most of the time) I could hear it's "chip" call through the mike, very now and again. The box did get a brief visit, when a Blue Tit popped in for an inspection. I haven't yet got a system for quickly capturing an image from the camera, but I'm investigating so that hopefully when they do get down to business I'll get some pictures.

A Green victory

I was watching the rather laboured efforts of the Irish and Italian sides in the six nations, when there was a loud bang on the window. I looked round and saw an adult Greenfinch flutter to the ground. As it seemed still alive but stunned I was going to leave it to recover by itself. Then I realised I'd seen one of the fiercest of predators walk by not long ago, and not wishing to spoil the appetite of one of my neighbours cats, I went out and retrieved the little chap. It was still breathing, but obviously distressed as it was panting, and although it fluttered a bit, it certainly couldn't fly away. Pam and I decided to rest it in one of the flower pots on the porch and Keep and eye on it. After 10 minutes or so I went and had a look, and it was still there, seemingly dozing away, so I though I'd take it's picture. One click of the shutter seemed to wake it up, and before I'd got ready for a better second shot it sat up straight and flew strongly off. I hope that it really had recovered and that there were no permanent injuries I hadn't seen, the least it will have is a headache as will the Italian coach after his sides loosing 29-11

Better was to come with England's win over the Welsh by 30-17, a core that perhaps flattered the English a little.

Filling in the gaps

The Skyline is never fixed, things change over time and this is the second new roof to appear on our horizon since we mover here 10 years ago.

Foxley, across the road appeared the year before last and these two new cottages took shape last year.

They are now pretty well finished and fit nicely and in character into Kingsdown Road, although the wouldn't suit anyone who wanted a garden.

Even the face of Chapel Lane is changing with a new house squeezing in. just behind the village pond. It looks a decent house, but the gap between it and it's neighbours is a bit on the narrow side.

It is a year and a half since I pondered on what would happen to Groves Cottage, and apart from clearing the garden and boarding the windows there is little to see so far. As I said then, I wait with interest to see the outcome of any update or new build, as I have always thought Chapel lane the most attractive part of the village centre.

Bird CCTV

I'm not sponsored by Aldi's honestly I'm not, but I feel I have to pass on the piece of marketing on their behalf. Last year a friend (thanks Ray) told me he'd bought a very cheap Nest Box with Camera kit from Aldi and that it had been very successful. On Sunday he e-mailed me to say they were one of their offers for this week, starting today.

Well at £39.99, compared to double or treble that price elsewhere, I could resist going to have a look. I have to admit that the nest box style wasn't necessarily the best I've seen, but I could see nothing fundamentally wrong with it. Such good value seemed too good to miss, so I bought two.

After the session I'd had with the instructions for Sam's digger truck, I was relieved to open the box and find a totally comprehensible booklet, that not only had a full inventory of what was in the box but also a set of instructions written in the English language. So I emptied the contents onto the carpet and followed the instructions while watching countdown. It can't have been too taxing, because I'd put the box together, with no problems and solved all the numbers games within the 45 secs given.

The nest-box it now in place and connected to the kitchen TV, we just need some birds in there because the empty box is onlt marginally better to watch than East-enders. The only small problem I had was the method of attaching to the tree. The fixing bracket provided won't work without a little modification, but this was comparatively trivial.

My main worry is whether the Blue Tits that have used this nest box every year for four years, will take to the new styled accommodation. It is in exactly the same place, but I had to move some of the ivy to put it up. It's just wait and see and hope that they nest and are successful in their new home.

For a really good site on Nest Box Camera Studies see the Blue Tit Diaries

Faddy eaters or Food Fashions?

I filled up the feeders in the garden today, a regular event with the sunflower seed dispensers, but not need to do the peanuts yet again.

I had a look through some old photo's of birds feeding in the garden, and until this year Great Spotted Woodpeckers were always on peanuts, but now that's changed, I hardly ever seen them

on their old favourite, now it's sunflower hearts.

Jackdaws still hang around on the roofs and occasionally come down for food on the lawn (really a patch of rough grass), but I haven't seen them on a feeder for ages, this was about five years ago, and it may have been just one or two birds that learnt the trick.

Even Great-tits, at one time peanut addicts seem to have quit taking them. It seems that most birds have learnt that Sunflower seeds are easier to extract from the feeder, possibly higher in energy and definitely easier to take away and eat in a safer place.

Starlings just haven't been very evident this winter, with just a few gathering in the trees each evening, and an occasional visit for a drink. Only exceptionally now do we get any on the feeders, but I have seen one or two still taking peanuts. I wonder if this change is general or more specific to my garden?

Achtung! You will follow the diagram

I really should have known better! I've put something similar together for one of my other grandsons. The big box arrived and we took Sam's somewhat late birthday present over to him, and of course Granddad promised to put it together.

These are well made toys, well they're made in Germany, the home of engineering excellence so they should be good.

As you can see, by the time I'd put it together it was nearly dark, and I had to use flash. Why was it so late you may ask. Am I too stupid to follow the enclosed instructions? Do I just work slowly, or am I just inept with the screwdriver and spanner?

I don't think I'm any of these, I normally manage at a steady pace and get the job done OK by following the instructions step by step. That was the problem. The instructions were dreadful. A few diagrams, but not that easy to interpret and no step by step, easy to follow list of what where and when. Anyway we got the job done, in spite of the lack of directions and the eager help of a three year old. Having got a new tractor, trailer and digger, it was an obvious necessity to help Nanny and Daddy got to the shop and bring back the shopping in the trailer. It did take a bit of time, but with a bit of help we steered it round corners and even had a go at digging up the pavement!