More of the same...

Another week with yet more rain and very little else. Lynda and I managed two visits to the gym last week; it should have been three but we kind of talked each other out of Friday’s trip! Due to the weather, and the gym, I didn’t do any birding last week but I doubt that I missed much as there hasn’t been anything of any real note reported in Derbyshire for a while now.

For two days last week I was training someone at work on how to use all the Kia After Sales Systems, this wasn’t a member of our own staff but someone from another dealership! Kia had recommended that they came to us rather than go on a Kia course, as they would learn more that way! It’s nice to know that they appreciate the work I do - wonder how they will feel if the “trainee” finishes up working for us!!!

Over the past few days, we have pretty well finished off everything we have planned, for now, in the garden. All but one of the shrubs we want to remove have now gone and the new plants are in place. The summer bedding plants are in the borders and pots so all we need now is for the rain to stop and the temperature to rise a little and everything can start to fill out.

Before...

After...

Before...

After...

For over a week now, we have been seeing two young fox cubs around the garden, at times out with one of the adults, at other times they have been running around on their own. This past couple of days they have been rather more elusive, either the rain is keeping them under cover or, I suspect, the vixen has moved them to a new home. The weather forecast for the coming week is looking a lot drier so it may be that we get to see them out playing again.

Last night, I decided that I could wait no longer for the warm summer evenings to arrive and I sat out in the garden until almost 10:30PM. This is something that I do quite often during the summer but last night proved that it is still, after all, a little early for evenings outside! The temperature was around 10°c and there was rather a strong breeze blowing. Still, I stuck it out with a can of beer, a tube of Pringles and my MP3 player in just one ear! I needed the other ear free to listen for the fox cubs! Me? Crazy? Quite possibly!

It rained!

Well, the weather forecast wasn’t far wrong! This weekend it has rained, then it has rained and after that, well, we had thunder, lightening, and some heavy rain.

The RSPB trip on Saturday wasn’t hit by the weather quite as much as it could have been, we were caught in a couple of showers at the first reserve we visited, Lackford Lakes, but managed to get into one of the bird hides before getting too wet. Unfortunately, the second reserve, Lakenheath Fen, doesn’t have hides! When the rain came there, we had to rough it out and take shelter behind a large Hawthorn bush.

The only new bird I saw for my year list was a Common Crane that drifted over Lackford. Of all the birds I had in mind for the day this certainly wasn’t one of them.

A moments brightness at Lackford Lakes.

The weather again looked as though it was about to turn to rain during the second part of the afternoon, so Lynda and I made the decision to head back to the coach around half an hour before we were due to leave for home. Once back on the coach it was out with the MP3 player and I was ready for the journey back to Derby. Why didn’t I get one of these things ages ago? It makes long coach trips so much shorter!

The clouds start to build at Lakenheath.

Late on Saturday evening, I checked the internet for information about the Autograss meeting on Sunday. The news was that the meeting was ON, but check in the morning before travelling! Still, that was promising as most meetings are cancelled at least 24 hours before start time.

This morning I awoke around 8:00AM and lay in bed trying to hear if it was raining. Nothing, not a sound. Things were looking promising. Out of bed and a quick look out of the window, no rain! The road did look a little damp though so we may have had some rain in the night. Still feeling positive, I checked the Autograss forum again…

“due to very heavy rain overnight, today's race meeting at M&L has had to be cancelled. The track is still in great condition but the access roads and spectator areas are not vehicle friendly”

...another rain off! This has to be one of the worst starts to the season I can remember. A quick look around the forum suggests at least six or seven other meetings have also been rained off today. Hard to believe that parts of the country are in the middle of a drought.

The only things I have planned for the coming week are trips to the gym, maybe an evening or two birding if the rain stops and getting the rest of the summer bedding plants sorted. After that little lot, it’s another Bank Holiday weekend!

Yet another weekend, yet more rain! So much for the drought that we are having at the moment! I just hope that the places that are short of water are getting as much of this weather as we are here.

Still very little going on here at the moment. Derbyshire has calmed down again on the bird watching front with very few new birds being found. Work is, well, work! Nothing changes there! Lynda and I have been at the gym twice in the last two days - tonight I managed a 5km run in 27min exactly, a bit off the pace I have done but it is almost 4 weeks since I did a proper treadmill session. Over the next few weeks, I aim to get back under the 26min mark.

Tomorrow Lynda and I are on an RSPB trip to Suffolk. I had been looking forward to this but having seen the weather forecast; I wish I were staying in bed! All we can do is hope that they have the weather for tomorrow wrong, very wrong!

The plan for Sunday is to be at my first Autograss meeting of the year. From what I’m told, the track is in good shape now and the rest of the site is dry enough to get race transporters on to. That could still all change over the next 24 hours of course!

May 16 2006

So, today...

I've been with my job for a year today! Time sure has flown this past twelve months; it doesn't feel like a year since MG Rover fell apart around us.

The main tasks for this week...

1. Well, I finally found the time to sort out a B&B for our trip to Scotland in July. This means we will be able to go to the Callander Highland Games and also see both Albannach and Clann An Drumma play.

2. The rain held off this evening so we managed to get all the new plants into the garden. Just got a little more summer bedding to sort out and we're done.

3. Gave the gym a miss so that we could do the garden! May go tomorrow! Then again...

4. Racing? There is a good chance that it may just happen this weekend!

5. Do more birding? Err, when?

6. The bird lists will just have to wait, again!

Nothing much going on...

It may just be that this is the "quiet before the storm", but there isn't much going on right now.

Thursday we were at the gym again - not a great workout but a lot better than the past few weeks!

Friday I went off birding again after work - didn't see much but did manage one new Derbyshire year tick, an Egyptian Goose.

Saturday morning I was at work. Nothing much going on so I spent most of the morning cleaning the fish tank there! In the afternoon, Lynda and I went off in search of plants for the border in the back garden that we have cleared. We came back with a climbing rose and a bamboo, plus another tray of bedding plants.

Today I had another morning out birding! Only had a few hours out local to home but did manage another five Derbyshire year ticks. This must be the busiest Spring I've had in years for local birdwatching! Still, all the extra hours out "in the field" are paying off as my County List is fast approaching the 130 species mark.

Main tasks for the coming week...

1. Sort out July trip to Scotland, so that we can see Albannach and Clann an Drumma!

2. Get all the plants we have bought in the past week or so planted!

3. Get to the gym more!

4. Pray for a dry week, so that next Sunday I may get to go racing with Gary!

5. Do more birding!

6. Get my bird lists up to date!

So far I've managed part of what I set out to do this week! Lynda and I went to the gym again last night, the first time for about three weeks. I have also made a start on updating my "Birding Lists" page on here. At the moment it is only my 2006 Derbyshire Year List but it's a start!

Last night turned into another one of those nights again! We had just got home and started to take our gym bags out of the car when my mobile phone rang - it was a friend of mine that was out birding. Within half an hour I was at Aston-On-Trent gravel pits adding Garganey to my year list! So much for getting home from the gym and having a meal and then watching the TV!

This evening I spent an hour out in the garden doing the lawns and a bit of tidying up before starting on my bird lists. Whilst sat at the PC I heard a young Blackbird calling, moments later it appeared on the lawn being fed by the two parent birds. Later, I saw the first bat of the year flying around over the garden - summer must be coming, first young Blackbird of the year out of the nest and then my first sighting of a bat this year!

Now, if only we could start racing....

Busy, busy, busy!

Well, this week certainly flew by! Work has been non-stop, luckily with no real problems, and Derbyshire has enjoyed a bit of a run of good birds for the past five or six days, which has meant I've been kept on my toes with the birdwatching too.

Tuesday was the first day back at work, after the long Bank Holiday weekend, and that went OK. After work the plan had been to go to the gym, that all went out of the window when I received news of a Woodchat Shrike at Long Eaton. This was only the third ever county record, the others being one shot in 1838 and another, seen by just one person, in 1968 and so was a bit of a "mega tick" for Derbyshire birders. Less than an hour after finishing work and I'd seen the Shrike!

After work on Wednesday, I ran the mower over the lawns and got them looking tidy again; still no time for the gym! I'm in need of a workout now to get rid of the "damage" done by eating too much at Center Parcs!

So onto Thursday. We put our gym bags in the car on Thursday morning, headed off to work with all good plans of going to the gym in the evening followed by shopping. Not a chance! During the afternoon I got word of a group of eight Black Terns at Long Eaton, strange how that place has started to get some of the better birds again. Less than an hour after work and the Terns had been added to my County List.

Friday ran to form... no gym, just shopping and then home. The rest of the evening was spent getting rid of some of the overgrown shrubs in the back garden. By the time the light started to go I had cleared most of one border ready for replanting over the next week or two.

Saturday was a day off from work and I spent the morning clearing more of the garden. Rain stopped play in the afternoon so I was forced back inside the house!

That just leaves today! After breakfast, Lynda and I went off to the garden centre in search of summer bedding plants and also to get ideas for the now cleared border. We got most of the bedding plants that we will need but didn't find anything that would really do for the border. After lunch I sat down to enjoy the F1 Grand Prix.

Just as it became a reasonable bet that Schumacher would win, the phone rang! Yet more bird news, this time Whimbrel and Turnstone at Aston-On-Trent. Off I set and within less than quarter of an hour another two ticks were in the bag for the year. The trip out was made even better as I was also able to add Whinchat and Temminck's Stint that turned up later in the afternoon.

Next week, I will be back at the gym and I will get my "Birding Lists" page updated! Then again...

The Sussex weekend.

Every now and again things just seem to fall into place, and this past weekend that's just what happened!

Our long weekend away couldn't really have been much better; the weather was very good to us with plenty of sunshine, warm temperatures and nothing worth mentioning in the way of rain. The only heavy rain we saw was first thing on Monday morning whilst we were having breakfast, by the time we were ready to leave the hotel the sun was starting to come out. After that, it was back to clear blue skies!

So, we set off from Derby at 7:00AM on Saturday, after seeing Peregrine on the cathedral, and headed for the first day's birding at Frensham Common in Surrey. After a stop for breakfast on the way, the coach made good time and we arrived on schedule at 11:00AM.

Frensham Common

The common covers an area of around 1000 acres and is made up of mainly open heathland with some coniferous and mixed woodland. There are also two large ponds, known as Frensham Great and Little Ponds. Although there is a mix of habitat here the number of birds seen can, at times, be a little low. Lynda and I managed to find 47 species between us. Highlights included Dartford Warbler, Woodlark, Mealy Redpoll, and Redstart.

After five rather enjoyable hours our group headed off to the hotel, giving us plenty of time to unpack our things before finding the bar and then our evening meal. The food was very good but the price of drinks in the bar was rather steep! Luckily, there was a pub next door to the hotel! You can guess where we went after dinner!

Sunday saw us at the Pulborough Brooks RSPB Reserve, in West Sussex. This was a totally different type of habitat to the day before. We now found ourselves in an area of wet grassland with small patches of woodland and scrub. The species of birds to be found here were also much more diverse and numerous. They even had Highland Cattle to graze the water meadows!

Part of Pulborough Brooks Reserve.

This proved to be our best day as regards the number of different species found and also the quality of birds too. Frensham had been good for its heathland "specialities" but Pulborough had lots more to offer in the way of birds that are tricky to find in Derbyshire or that do not even occur here.

During the 6½ hours we spent on the reserve Lynda and I managed to find a total of 74 species of bird. Some of the better finds were Nightingale, Lesser Whitethroat, Pintail, Stonechat, Cuckoo and Hobby. The Hobby were possibly the best birds of the weekend, we watched six of them hunting together over the meadows whilst also being able to see eight Buzzard soaring over a distant wood.

To top a great day's birding returning to the hotel had an extra little treat in store. As we pulled into the car park we were greeted by the sight of 18 E-Type Jaguars, five XJS's, four MK2 Jags and also a single D Type! What a collection of cars!

Having been hit rather hard in the pocket by the bar prices the night before, we headed to the pub again on Sunday evening. One drink in there, then back to the hotel for our meal before returning to the pub for the rest of the evening. In the end, around a dozen of us enjoyed the last night of our mini holiday in the comfort of the bar. I also rather enjoyed the large bowl of battered onion rings that I had for my supper in there! They went well with a few pints of cider.

After a rather large breakfast on Monday (I had two full English Breakfasts - you can't beat a buffet!) it was time to head off to the final reserve of the weekend, Pagham Harbour. This coastal reserve gave us yet another completely different day's birding.

Looking out over the saltmarsh.

We were now on the edge of a large area of tidal saltmarsh and mudflats, with farmland and small areas of woodland running along side. The main attraction for us here was the number of waders that were to be found. As soon as we got off the coach we located a group of around a dozen Whimbrel feeding near the car park. Soon after, we added more waders including Bar-Tailed Godwit, Dunlin, Turnstone, Sanderling and Grey Plover. Other highlights included Little Egret, Sandwich Tern and Cetti's Warbler.

All too soon it was 3:00PM and time for us too start the long journey home. As it was a Bank Holiday Monday I was expecting the roads to be very busy and for the coach to be held up in traffic jams, somehow it just didn't happen! We had a clear run all the way back to Derby and arrived back just before 7:30PM.

I still have to go through all my notes for the weekend but it looks like I will have seen exactly 100 species over the three days, with Lynda very close to that with around 98. All in all a great weekend where things just seemed to fall into place!

It's been a busy week one way or another! Work was a lot easier than I had expected on Monday with no major problems waiting for my return! It wasn't until Tuesday that I started to uncover some of the things that had been "left for me"!

The gym has been a no no this week, just not enough time! Next week will see a return to the workouts.

This weekend we are away again for a few days. We are going to Sussex with the Derby RSPB Group. Each year the group have a long weekend away birdwatching and this year we are based in Chichester. The hotel sounds OK, it has its own leisure club, swimming pool and, of course, a bar! That will do for the evenings I'm sure.

All we need now is for the weather to stay dry and we should be in for a good time. Talking of the weather... I should have been off racing last Sunday with Gary but yet again, it was rained off. Looks like it could be a short season for us at this rate.

Highlight of the week so far? The new Albannach CD arrived! I only ordered it at around 11:00PM on Monday and it came in the post Wednesday, can't fault that for service! I can't fault the CD either, it's great!

The holiday week.

Well, we all made it back in one piece. Most of our little party managed to pick up the odd bruise, or lose a little bit of skin at some point whilst charging around at Center Parcs but on the whole no real damage was done! Either we are all getting better at avoiding the walls on the rapids or we're just getting older and more careful - I'm not sure which.

So, Lynda and I arrived at Sherwood Forest dead on 10:00AM on Monday and met up with Mark, Sheila and their boys, Adam, Charlie and Ben, before heading off to the swimming dome for the rest of the morning and the early part of the afternoon. With three youngsters in the group it was always going to be fun around the pool and water rides - this wasn't meant as a quiet break! Within minutes of finding a corner of the subtropical dome to call our own we were in the water. A quick swim and then it was down the outdoor rapids for the first time - I picked up two bruises and a scraped elbow, my only damage of the week! The rest of the time was spent either in the main pool, on one of the water slides or sitting getting our breath back!

The main pool.

At around 3:30PM we headed off to find our villa for the week. Lynda and I have been to Sherwood Center Parcs many times and have never had a problem finding our way around. This time was different - for me. I picked up the car from the car park and headed off to meet up with everyone else. No problem, I knew just where I was going. On the first lap of the one way system there was no sign of, or to, villa 247! On the second lap I missed it again, third time around and I saw Lynda and Sheila walking towards where I thought the villa should be - follow them! By this time Mark had found 247, parked his car, and started unloading. I'll know this bit of the village for next time.

Villa 247.

Monday night's meal out was at Huckleberry's, the American themed diner. We sure ate our fill in there I can tell you! Burgers, with all the extras, were the main choice for us followed by large amounts of ice-cream, oh, and a few rounds of drinks too - start the week as we meant to go on!

Tuesday saw us back in the pool area again for most of the afternoon, after Adam had spent the morning climbing around in the tree tops on the Adventure Challenge Course. Having seen the height of some of the rope ladders, swings and walkways, rather him than me!

Our evening was then spent in Luciano's the Italian restaurant. For me, this was possibly the best meal of the week. I started with bruschetta bread, covered with mushrooms, then had meatballs with a gorgeous tomato sauce, on penne pasta. For a sweet I chose the Tiramisu. Add to that little lot a very nice red wine and I was rather pleased with the whole evening!

When we are at Center Parcs I like to have just one day when I do very little, spend time just relaxing and generally winding down, Wednesday was that day. After having breakfast everyone went out for a walk around the village and also stopped at the Country Club for a light lunch. I stayed in the villa listening to music and reading a magazine. Later in the afternoon Mark and I spent 3 hours in the Aqua Sana spa.

The spa was one of the most relaxing places I've ever been! There was a choice of steam rooms, a dry sauna, a spa pool, reflexology footbaths, a Japanese Salt Bath - my favourite - as well as "Multi Sensory Showers"! The showers were great, just so long as you chose a warm setting and NOT one of the ice cold ones! I did use the ice flakes to rub over my skin after the sauna though. The one room I would have liked to spend more time in was the meditation room. Here it was almost totally dark with just the smallest amount of light being reflected onto the roof from a small pool of water. The air was full of the scent of lemon, and gentle music played in the background - I had to leave this room before I fell asleep!

On Wednesday evening Lynda and I chose to eat in the Indian restaurant. This was the only night that we ate alone as no one else in our little party liked Indian food. It was also the night that provided the meal to equal the food in the Italian. We shared Chicken dumplings to start with, followed by Chicken Korma, mushrooms in rice and also Peshwari Naan Bread. Not the most challenging of Indian meals but it was superb and, for once, we didn't eat so much that it made us feel as though our stomachs would burst!

We started Thursday with full cooked breakfasts in Chez Pierre, another of the things we always do at least once each time we are at Center Parcs. The diet goes out of the window when we're on holiday! After that it was back to the dome for more fun in the water. It's suprising just how quick the time goes once you get in there, we spent the best part of the day either in the pool, on the water slides or just sat around watching the world go by.

The water jet in the main pool.

Late in the afternoon Mark and Charlie went off to have a go at target archery. Lynda and I watched them for a while before it started to rain, so we set off back to the villa, me for a beer, Lynda to start and get ready for going out in the evening. As this was the last night of the holiday we all ate together, again in Huckleberry's. First stop though was the bar, Lynda needed to have at least one Pina Colada before the end of the week! Me and Mark, we settled for a beer, much better in my opinion.

After about half of her drink the alcohol started to take effect with Lynda! One silly record played in the children's disco and the "big kids" started playing up!

Kids!

Time we headed off in search of food! Again, we ate huge amounts, steaks, burgers, ice cream and more beers. If we ate like this all the time then we'd all need to live at the gym. All too soon it was time to head back to the villa and the comfort of being able to sit and let our food settle a little before bed - helped down by another beer or two of course!

Us? Drunk? No!

Friday, our last day. We got the cars all packed by around 9:00AM and went for breakfast in Chez Pierre again, before going back into the swimming dome one last time. Another five or six hours flew by in no time; more goes down the rapids, more swimming, another ride down the water slide in the overgrown inner tube, with Lynda screaming again!

Then came the bad part of the week, time to head for home. After a quick detour into the sweet shop, we always have to take home a pick n' mix bag, we said our goodbyes to everyone and started our short journey home.

Oh, a couple of great quotes from the week.....

Ben, on seeing the rather artistically placed red sauce on his mums sweet in the Italian resaurant... "Mum, I think the chef's stabbed someone!" then, after running his finger through the sauce and tasting it.. " Yeah, it's blood!" he then went back to the picture he was colouring! Classic stuff!

And Lynda, after her first ride on the water raft ride... "My knees are shaking!!!"

Here's to our next holiday together!

The last post! Well, for about a week. In a little over 12 hours, we will be at Center Parcs.

The past couple of days have been nice and steady - Saturday morning at work was very relaxed, for a change, and all I did was make sure that everything that I could do to make things run as smoothly as possible next week was done. The rest is out of my hands!

Yesterday evening Lynda and I went out for a meal at The Old Plough, in Weston on Trent, with some of her family. It was the first time we had been in there since it changed owners - it is now a much better place to eat!

I can't remember what everyone else ate but I had Onion Bhajis as a starter, followed by Chicken Jalfrezi. Both were very nice. Although I was pretty well full after the first two courses, I still found room for a waffle with ice cream and strawberry sauce!

If all that food wasn't enough, today Lynda cooked our first Christmas lunch of the year. At Easter we always have turkey and all the trimmings, followed by Christmas pudding - very good it was too!

Now, it's time for a whisky.

Bye!

Count down...

Well, that's another day done with. Only Saturday morning left to do at work and then I'm off for a whole week!

If you work at Center Parcs, and are reading this... get me a beer ready! We're on our way! Hey, if nobody reads this it doesn't matter, we already have the beer ready to take with us!

By Monday afternoon, we will all be in the heat of the subtropical dome at Sherwood Forest, enjoying the pool, the rapids, the wave machine and the new water flume ride.

In the evenings, you will find us in one of the bars or restaurants, or in our villa. Wherever you find us, it will be with food and drink close at hand!

Are we there yet?

Only 13 more hours at work and then I'm on holiday! Saturday lunchtime cannot come around soon enough; this has been another of those weeks I would rather forget. Work has been a total pain - or should I say - we have again made work a total pain! Talk about creating our own problems, if there has been some way of making the job more difficult then we have found it over the past few days. As for what I'll come back to after a week away, I hate to think!

On a more pleasant note, bird flu has dropped out of the news again. I think it may have something to do with no other birds being found with the virus, that and the fact that the people responsible for running the tests couldn't even get the identification of the dead bird correct! The "Mute Swan" that had died in the Scottish harbour now turns out to be a Whooper Swan that could well have died out at sea or even in another country before being washed up on the coast here. So, its fingers crossed and let's hope that we have escaped H5N1 again - for now!

Is it Monday yet? If so then I should be at Center Parcs!

Am I now fit again?

I did the "tread and shed" class again at the gym on Friday - 45 minute workout on a treadmill - and came through it without any problems with my knees. This is the first time in more than two years that I've been able to do that. I covered the first 5km in 25.33 min and managed 8km in 44.11 min. Not exactly marathon pace but good for me.

Starting the morning under blue skies!

Yesterday I put my legs through their paces again walking in the Peak District. I didn't cover a huge distance, around six miles, but the going was rather tough at times as was the weather. When I left home at 6:15AM it had the look of being a fine morning, after driving for only a short while I started seeing cars coming towards Derby with snow on them! By the time I arrived at Ladybower Reservoir the surrounding moorland was covered in snow, not very good for birdwatching!

It's a tough place to live.

The weather put paid to any chance of finding my target birds for the day, Ring Ouzel and Goshawk, so I set about enjoying the moorland views and the fact that I was out in the open and away from work. In a strange kind of way I actually enjoyed the numerous hail and snow storms that appeared out of nowhere during the morning. Bird highlights included Peregrine Falcon, Red Grouse, Curlew, Siskin and Grey Wagtail.

The Derwent Reservoir.

This morning I gave myself the luxury of an extra hour in bed, well it is Sunday, and didn't get up until 7:00AM. As the weather forecast was for heavy rain by midday I chose to stay local for my morning's birding. Twenty minutes after getting out of bed I was at Aston On Trent gravel pits.

The whole morning was a total contrast to yesterday. The sun was out, the sky was mostly blue and the birds showed well. Okay, so the views didn't compare to the snow covered moors but it was the birds I was here for today! In just under four hours I found a total of 45 species including three new year birds - Wheatear, Yellow Wagtail and White Wagtail. Later I'll update my Derbyshire Year List but the new birds today should take me to 104 species for the County and 110 for the year in the UK.

Oh, the rain. It was just under an hour late! I managed to get home, mow the lawns and clear everything away just before the rain started at 12:50PM!

H5N1 - Bird flu. Looks like that will be the "in phrase" with the media for a while now!

It has been confirmed today that the Mute Swan picked up dead in Scotland a few days ago did indeed die from the H5N1 strain of bird flu. Tests are also being carried out on a number of other dead swans to see if they too died because of the virus.

I guess only time will tell just how this will be dealt with; we can only hope that the authorities do a better job of managing this than they did the Foot and Mouth outbreak of a few years ago!

The Defra website
http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2006/060406c.htm
gives some useful information on what to do if you come across any dead birds, and also lists their helpline phone number.

As for the rest of my news, well, it's been a week from Hell! I'll be glad when 5:30PM arrives tomorrow and I can forget about work for two days - who knows, if my six numbers come up on the Lottery on Saturday I'll have done my last day's work! I wish!

Apart from trying to watch as much of the US Masters Golf on TV as I can this weekend, the only other thing I have planned is a trip into the Derbyshire Peak District in search of Ring Ouzel and Crossbill. If the weather isn't too bad I may check out a few local sites to see what migrant birds are around.

BLUEHORSES!!!

Yet another cracking gig last night at the "new look" Robin. Bluehorses played a blinder of a set to one of the biggest crowds I've seen at this venue.

The journey down took us less than an hour, in pouring rain and strong winds, and we arrived in plenty of time for a drink in the bar before the "gig room" opened. Once inside, the alterations that have been made at The Robin soon became apparent - the whole place has a much better atmosphere, more room and just "felt better"! This venue has been a favourite of mine for a couple of years and the work that has been carried out makes it more so now.

Even though this was a Sunday night gig, it was very well supported by the regular "Travelling Circhorse" of fans! It was great meeting up with the likes of Steve, Jonathan, Graham, Mike, Andy, Hev, Dawn and Anna again after the winter break.

As for the music played... Bigger Gun, Black Is The Colour and Night Visit all stood out, but again it was the awesome Skyclad that gets my vote as best on the night!

Roll on the next Bluehorses gig! But not another Sunday night - please! I've been no use at all today at work!

Early start - late finish!

It's still only 1:00PM on a Sunday and I've already been up for over 6½ hours! What's more, I can't see me being in bed much before 2:00AM as it's the Bluehorses gig in Bilston tonight! I'm going to be full of the joys of spring tomorrow, I don't think!

This morning I've been out birding again for a few hours. Before the rain made me head for home, at around 11:30AM, I managed to add another 3 new species onto my Derbyshire Year List - Common Tern, Little Ringed Plover and Ringed Plover. This takes my Derbyshire count for the year to 101. The next couple of weeks should see another 10 or 15 species added to that list when all the summer migrants arrive in the county.

Black-headed Gulls & Tufted Duck at Ambaston.

As for the rest of today... I think it's a pretty safe bet that I'll be asleep in front of the TV at some point this afternoon, after that it will be a steady drive down to Bilston, a beer or two, then the Bluehorses gig!

Tomorrow... I will rest (at work!)

It's a rain off!

Oh well, so much for feeling good about spring! Sunday’s race meeting was being called off at just about the same time that I posted my Blog last night!

I had been expecting this for the past few days but had still hoped that somehow the track would have stood up to all the recent bad weather. Obviously it has not and with the rain pouring down again as I write this it is probably a good thing that the meeting is off. At least I won’t have to be working on Gary’s car in mud and water like the opening meeting last year!

The only real downside to the cancellation is that when we do finally start racing it will be straight into the qualifying rounds for the National Championships. This will mean that Gary and the car will have to be on top form from the word go if he is to repeat last year’s qualifying results.

With Sunday now being “race free”, I’ll be watching the weather to see if I can get out birding again during the day. More and more migrant birds are coming in to the country each day now so, if we get a dry day on Sunday, I’ll be off out again!

Goodbye winter!

Today I feel as though winter is finally behind us!

Yesterday evening Lynda and I saw our first Sand Martins of the year, we then chose a cottage in the Lake District, which we have now booked, for our June holiday and this evening I managed to get out birding for over an hour after work. If the rain holds off for the rest of the week, I should be at my first autograss race meeting of the year on Sunday. Once we start racing then it will definitely feel as though spring is now with us!

The brochure photo of the cottage in the Lake District.

The rest of the week will be quite busy one way or another. We will be at the gym tomorrow evening and again on Friday evening, after work on Saturday I hope to be out birding for a few hours before our friends Rob & Jane come over to us. On Sunday, it will either be racing or birding during the day before heading off to Bilston for the Bluehorses gig in the evening. Work had better be quiet on Monday as it will be a late return home on Sunday night!

Things still to do... tidy up all the rubbish on my desk here! Look into places to stay for two trips to Scotland! Find out more about Albannach & Clann An Drumma gigs, which is why I want to be in Scotland! Oh, and look at what music festivals I want to do this year, plus race meetings, birding trips and everything else that I sort of have planned!

What a difference a couple of days can make; Spring looks to have arrived!

Yesterday's RSPB birding trip to Thetford Forest saw the sun come out and the temperature finally reach something like “warm”. Butterflies even felt as though it was now safe to venture out as we came across five Brimstone and one Small Tortoiseshell along the woodland edge. Migrant birds are now slowly moving into the country but unfortunately, we didn’t find any yesterday!

The new MP3 player got its first try-out yesterday and made the long coach trip to East Anglia, 3½ hours each way, a lot more bearable. I managed to listen to 65 tracks in total - well, almost 65! I did fall asleep through the majority of one CD! This new “toy” will now become a standard piece of kit for RSPB coach trips.

The Haggis saga finally came to an end mid-week. The truth came out when my work mate asked her Mum if they could build a house, and pen, in the back garden so that she could keep a Haggis as a pet! After rolling around in fits of laughter her Mum put her straight on the truth about the Haggis! Oh boy, was I in trouble at work the next day! I’ll be watching my back for a while now, ready for any revenge attack.

We confirmed another holiday this week, a long weekend trip to Center Parcs in the Lake District during June. Just as soon as we, or should I say I, can get around to looking through a few brochures we will also book another 3 or 4 nights in a cottage somewhere in the area to make it into a full week's break. The Lake District is one of those areas that we have been talking of going to ever since we first drove through it on the way to Scotland years ago.

On top of the two holidays already sorted, I am trying to arrange a couple of trips up to Scotland this summer. The first will, hopefully, be at the end of July to the Highland Games at Ben Ledi Park, Callander. This trip will be to see both Albannach and Clann An Drumma play, plus of course, the Highland Games and the scenery in the area. The second trip north of the border will, again hopefully, be to see Albannach play at Stonehaven on the East coast of Scotland.

As well as the holidays that are planned, or being planned, there is also a full season of racing with my mate Gary, various music gigs and festivals, a hot air balloon ride for Lynda’s birthday present and a full programme of RSPB birding trips, including a long weekend away in May. That little lot should keep us busy for a while!

Me? Crazy? Maybe!

The weather thinks that it is still winter, so I decided I would go ahead with spring on my own today!

I managed to mow the lawns in the short time between getting home from work and it going dark, about ¾ of an hour! I’m usually the first in the street to get the mower out each year and I’ve done it again - the neighbours will think I’ve gone mad, as it started to snow just as I finished cutting the back lawn! Still, it’s a job done and if the weather stays cold then I can forget about the grass for another month or so!

The Haggis saga is still ongoing at work but I think I may be rumbled very soon, I get the idea that alarm bells are starting to ring with my “victim”! Tomorrow could see it all fall into place!

If I survive work then we are out for a meal tomorrow evening so the half-hearted diet I’ve put myself on will be forgotten for a few hours! Looks like the gym workouts will just have to be a little harder on Thursday and Friday.

Just as MP3 players start to become old hat, and people look for new things to move onto, I’ve finally ordered myself one! Nothing too special, it will hold around 20 CD’s, but it will come in handy for when we are at Center Parcs in a few weeks. I’ll be able to sit around the pool all day, watching the world go by, whilst listening to my favourite music. All I have to do is decide on 20 CD’s. That could take a bit of sorting out!

Yet another quiet week comes to an end! I need to find some more gigs or something! Plus, with the weather the way it is I cannot see the autograss season starting on time for me either.

My mate Gary should be racing at his club track on April 2 but I will be very surprised if that meeting goes ahead. The weather is still very cold, and at times very wet, so I am quite expecting the meeting to be "rained off", only time will tell.

Work has been a little more fun this week! The subject of Haggis raised its head again. Now, most of you will know that there is not such a thing as a "living" Haggis! Someone I work with, I'll not name names, has been convinced, by myself, that they are a real creature living on the Scottish mountains! Oh have I played this one for all it is worth!

So far I have been shown pictures of "wild Haggis" that she has found on the internet, been told her favourite choice of colour (I didn't know they came in different colours!) and had to talk her out of trying to buy one as a pet! We have also talked about the sort of things they eat and why they have odd length legs, which, as everyone knows, is so they can run around the steep mountains without falling over! Quite how long this will keep going I do not know, but it could be even more fun when I am found out! Oh, will I be in trouble!

A rare sight! A wild Haggis, with young!

Next week will be another quiet one; gym on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. On Wednesday evening we are going out for a meal with Mark and Sheila so that is something to look forward to. Then, next Saturday, Lynda and I are on an RSPB bird watching trip to Thetford Forest in East Anglia. This will be my first birding outside of Derbyshire this year and should, if the weather is OK, give me the chance of picking up one or two new species for the year such as Woodlark and Crossbill.

LIVE AT SAUL FESTIVAL!

Back in July last year Lynda & I spent a great weekend down at the Saul Canal Festival. The main reason that we were there was to see BLUEHORSES record their headline gig for a live DVD.

Earlier this week, the DVD arrived! If you like Celtic music of ANY type, or rock music of ANY type, or in fact if you just like GREAT music, go and buy this DVD right now!!!!!! This is one of those DVD's that you'll end up playing time and time again! Filmed, and produced, by a top TV film crew and with sound captured using digital 24 track this is one top class production!

As a bonus, you even get a second "behind the scenes" disk with loads of back-stage footage, interviews, bootleg video clips and the now famous "camp site chair race"! The bruising I received in the chair race has just about gone now!

So, all you need to do now is get your own copy! And that couldn't be easier, just click HERE! While you're on that page you can also have a look at a few free video clips too!

As for me, I've got a live BLUEHORSES gig to look forward to, April 2 at The Robin in Bilston. I'm not a huge fan of Sunday night gigs but I'm not missing this one! This band are riding high and I love being a part of the journey!

Forget Spring for now!

Back on March 1, I thought that Spring was finally just about here - after today, I think we can forget that idea for a while!

The weather has been more like mid December than mid March! The overnight temperature was below freezing again and whilst out birding today I was caught in what can only be described as "blizzard conditions"!

Still, it was worth venturing out this weekend as I managed to add another six species on to my Derbyshire Year List in the past two days. Now, if only Spring would arrive then I could really start and get some good birding done!

This turned into a sleet/hail storm on Saturday...

... and this was the blizzard today! I got caught in both!

Is it really six days since I last posted? I can't believe where the time goes now - must be getting old!

So, the past week... apart from three trips to the gym there's not been much going on. Well, OK, we did have a little bit of fun on Tuesday.

The heating system at work is not the most reliable of things; even though the building hasn't even been open a year yet! At the beginning of the week it broke down again, yet another visit from the engineer was needed. Said engineer arrived mid-morning Tuesday quite confident that he knew what the problem was and that he would have it sorted in no time.

Two hours later and all the staff and customers were stood outside, in the pouring rain, listening to the fire alarm going off! Heating professional had set fire to some of the insulation in the room that houses the heating/air-con system! No real fire as such, just a lot of smoke that was pulled into the air distribution system and then blown all around the building! Some choice... we either freeze to death without any heating, or burn to death when the heating is on!

The workouts at the gym have gone well again this week, no problems with the knees, managed to get time for another long swim in the outdoor pool on Thursday and also did the "treadmill class" again on Friday. The class was taken by a different instructor this week and was a lot better. The routine was much more varied and at a lot higher level, so I felt as though I'd worked hard this time!

Catching up...

Friday... Went to the gym and did a "treadmill class" with Lynda and Sheila! Well, I did say that I'd take it a little easier with my Friday workout! To be fair, it was a good class, it's just that I'm used to working at a higher level on the treadmill.

Saturday... Work in the morning, which was a pain in the butt, then a quick trip into Derby for a haircut. Why is my hair growing so fast now a days? In the evening, Lynda & I went over to Nottingham to see our friends, Rob and Jane.

Sunday... I had planned on heading up onto the north Derbyshire moors for a morning's birding. The overnight snow put paid to that! We didn't get a large fall here on the lower ground but the roads were very icy so I didn't risk the drive north but instead settled for a few hours closer to home.

After a rather nice cooked breakfast, I headed out to Elvaston Castle Country Park, arriving there just before 7:30AM. In a little over 3hrs I saw 40 bird species including Siskin, Lesser Redpoll, 6 drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker, Green Woodpecker and an escaped Harris's Hawk! The latter will not be making it on to my County List, but it was good to see anyway!

Elvaston Castle and grounds in the snow...

After Elvaston, I moved on to Ambaston gravel pits. This site proved to be very quiet bird wise with just 14 species located. The "highlights" were a flock of around 400 Wood Pigeon and a count of 150 Black-headed Gull on the main pit. Yes, it was that quiet! I only stayed here for just over half an hour.

My final site of the day was Aston on Trent gravel pits. There I was hoping to pick up another new bird for the year, Pintail. I'd heard reports of one or two birds being seen over the past couple of days so spent an hour and a half there. I still left without finding the Pintail! I did see 27 species though including Buzzard, Dunlin, a pair of Smew, Shelduck, Grey Wagtail and Oystercatcher.

At just after 1:15PM I headed back home to a roast beef dinner! By the end of the morning, I'd seen a total of 57 species (not including the Harris's Hawk!) and added one more year tick to my Derbyshire List in the form of Oystercatcher.

I'll never learn...

Today was one of those days that just got to me! No major disaster, no big issue, just one of those days!

So, what did I do? I went to the gym after work! Great, it helps get things out of my system, but it sure as hell hurts now! I always go way over the top with my workout if I’ve had a bad day! It would have been so much easier to just come home!

The swim I did afterwards was nice though... I had the outdoor pool to myself, as I swam under the stars. It's a good job the water was nice and warm tonight as it was already below freezing outside by the time the sun went down.

Tomorrow night I'll be back there again, only this time I'll be taking things just a little easier!

Is this spring then?

Today, we managed to get home from work in what could just about be called daylight, the first time this year that I have felt as though we are coming to the end of a rather long winter.

Another sign of warmer days to come was the arrival of my NASA mechanics licence in the post the other day. No, I'm not going into space! NASA, for me, is the National Autograss Sports Association! The licence means that I can, legally, be in the pit area at race meetings this year whilst working on my mate Gary's car. One or two clubs have meetings planned for March 12, if they go ahead remains to be seen, as there is still the chance of snow in certain parts of the country over the next week. The first meeting that I think we will race at is April 2.

Whilst out birding last Sunday, I noticed that quite a few birds had started singing and showing signs of looking for nest sites. Today I saw my first report of a summer migrant, a Sand Martin in Cambridgeshire. Just how long it is before we start and see the first major fall of migrants will depend on the weather, but I think it will be at least another couple of weeks yet.

If we aren't snowed in by the weekend, I'm hoping to have another go at adding to my Derbyshire bird list. Still not a lot around as regards rarities but there are one or two easy ticks that I've not picked up yet this year.

Oh, the KT Tunstall CD - it's a cracking set of tracks!

Not as planned...

Well, the rugby was good to watch! Pity that England didn't play as well! I can't remember the last time I saw them make so many basic errors. But hey, it's only a game and at least I had the consolation of seeing Clann An Drumma play live on TV! I'm sure that's why the Scots won the game - all the extra tribal energy that was on the field after CAD played!!!

OK, yesterday I said that today I would either be "chilling out with my CD’s, watching TV or just sleeping! Then again, I may just go and get some of the troubles of the world out of my system at the gym." Well, I did fall asleep for a very short time this afternoon but that was all!

The weather was much better than forecast this morning - no rain or sleet - so, after I'd made breakfast for Lynda and myself, I went off bird watching again. Nothing special, just a couple of hours at Willington Gravel Pits. Best bird of the morning was a superb Peregrine Falcon that was hunting over the main area of water. It made a couple of high-speed attacks on a group of around 800 Lapwing but failed to make a kill.

The walk down to the gravel pits.

The view over one of the pits.

So, that’s what the Oysterband can do then! Two hours of great music, with a great sound system and lorry loads of attitude on stage! Yep, the Oysterband can rock! I would say that they set the stage alight but they didn’t quite manage that! It did look as though they may at one point - I’m sure that the electric squeezebox of John Jones was smoking away to it's self while it was left on the drum riser! The stage tech. soon moved it away and replaced it with another!!

The music came thick and fast and included many of the regular Oyster tracks… NATIVE SON; ONE GREEN HILL; HERE’S TO YOU; EVERYWHERE I GO; WE’LL BE THERE and UNCOMMERCIAL SONG. There were also one or two tracks that were new to me, but that came as no surprise as it is a few years since I last saw them play.

As usual with an Oysterband gig, the crowd were up for this from the start. From the moment the band walked on stage the crowd were up and bouncing - I love standing gigs!

As for the rest of the week, well, I didn’t make the gym last night! The draw of pizza, garlic bread and a bottle of red wine were too much for Lynda and I, so it was straight home after work and an evening in. Today I couldn’t find the enthusiasm to get out of bed early and go bird watching so, after an hour or so extra in bed, I spent the morning sorting through the piles of paperwork I had scattered all over my desk! I can now see the desk!

Only just over two hours to go before the Scotland v England rugby game; fingers crossed that we get to see Clann An Drumma on the TV! That, and an England win!

Tomorrow, I’ll do whatever the day has in store for me! It could be a day chilling out with my CD’s, watching TV or just sleeping! Then again, I may just go and get some of the troubles of the world out of my system at the gym.

Oh, got the KT Tunstall CD, Eye To The Telescope, today. On it's second play right now and I think this will become a favorite play for me!

Was it you???

I've just checked my web page hit counter and (drum roll) someone became my 1000 visitor tonight!!!

So, if you checked this page at 7:02PM UK time, through BT, it was you!

Mid-week...

A very quiet start to the week so far, no major dramas at work, nothing out of the ordinary going on at home. I did make it to the gym on Tuesday and although my knee was playing up, again, I had quite a good work out. I'll be back there again on Friday.

Tomorrow, I go and see the Oysterband play in Derby. Another gig I've been looking forward to for a while, another gig that should be a great night out! It's been a couple of years since I last saw this band and then it was in a pub that didn't have a very good sound system, or stage, so this one should be much better.

The next "big thing" I'm looking forward to is the rugby on Saturday - Scotland v England! Now that should be a good one! As a bonus, I may just get to see one of the bands I follow on the TV. Clann An Drumma are playing before the game and also welcoming the teams onto the field! Let's just hope the TV producer shows them!

Birthday girl...

OK, I give up! I've started this post four times now and still can't get it right! I've got writers block! So.... it looks like the photos will tell most of the story of the past two days!

Our room at the Hunting Lodge restaurant and hotel. The Louis Room was first class - right down to the huge four-poster bed. The food in the restaurant on Saturday evening was equally good, as were the staff and the atmosphere.

Camera balanced on the end of the bed, self timer on, run, TRY and look casual! No! It didn't work with me!


On Sunday we had planned to go and explore Bradgate Park, former home to Lady Jane Grey, who was Queen for nine days following the death of Edward VI, and prior to being imprisoned in the Tower of London, accused of treason and beheaded. Well, we had almost as much luck as she did! The morning dawned misty and damp. By the time we had finished a rather excellent cooked breakfast, it had turned to rain. Bradgate is now to be visited at a later date, when the sun is out!

Sunday evenings see Lynda out with her friends at a local pub quiz, this Sunday was no different, except this week I joined in to!

Lynda and Sheila... don't be deceived by the innocent looks! When these two get together, there's going to be trouble for some one - usually me!

They got me! Trying not to laugh when you have a mouth full of cider makes your eyes sting real bad!!! Quite what I'm doing with my hand I don't know!

Another drink anyone?

Stand up Lynda! The whole pub sings Happy Birthday - including the barman with the microphone!


There will be a follow up to this in the coming weeks, when Lynda gets to take a ride in a hot air balloon, a trip I bought for her as a birthday present.

Last Night's Fun

I just knew it! Last night's gig was a cracker! Denny Bartley, Nick Scott and Chris Sherburn - together they are Last Night's Fun.

Denny... Nick... Chris...

They were introduced as the best Irish music band in England; I'd say that is more than true! This band aren't just about great music, they are an evening's entertainment! The jokes, stories and fun starts from the moment they walk on stage and doesn't stop until they leave at the end of the gig. Last night was no exception!

I didn't make a list of all the tracks played, I never do with any band, but some of the one's that stood out were...Next Market Day; The Tinkerman's Daughter; Tom Joad; The Watchmaker and the most amazing version of Whiskey In The Jar!

Whiskey In The Jar...

If you get the chance, go and see this band! Before that, check out their music at...

http://www.lastnightsfun.com/clips.html .

All three clips need to be heard, and then there are three video clips! And all for free!

Nick playing the uilleann pipes...

TFI Friday!

You know how sometimes a week just goes on for ever, and the weekend never gets any closer... that's been my week! Now, there's just under 5 hours of work left before I can run out of the door screaming!

A great weekend will then start - and I'm going to make sure it is a great weekend! The gig we are going to this evening will be a good one, of that I'm sure, then, after a few hours in work tomorrow morning, the weekend is all about Lynda's birthday!

Excuse me... coming through... man on a mission!

A crazy man? May be! Then again, this world has gone crazy this week!

Today; well what a nice day it was! Yes, I'm kidding!

Tomorrow, we go to see LAST NIGHTS FUN.

I've been looking forward to this gig since I first found out about it - now I'm REALLY ready for what will be a great night!

If the above doesn't make any sense, don't worry! Today hasn't made any sense to me either!

Why bird watching?

That's the question I was asked today by someone I work with!

My answer was that it gets me away from people and phones, and that it is a great way to just relax! A quick look around the internet and I found three quotes that also got me thinking.....


That man is richest whose pleasures are cheapest.

Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you!

How strange that nature does not knock, and yet does not intrude!

Okay, I think I'll stop there... getting a little bit too heavy for me!

Valentines Day - with a twist!

I was sent the following in an e-mail this morning - by Lynda, my wife! Not quite sure how I should take that! :-)

Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and so are you.
But the roses are wilting, the violets are dead, the sugar bowl's empty and so is your head.


Of loving beauty you float with grace.
If only you could hide your face.


I want to feel your sweet embrace.
But don't take that paper bag off of your face.


My darling, my lover, my beautiful wife.
Marrying you screwed up my life.


I see your face when I am dreaming.
That's why I always wake up screaming.


What inspired this amorous rhyme?
Two parts vodka, one part lime.

Two easy days...

A weekend off work and what did I do with it? Nothing! And it was great! Okay, so we went out for a meal on Friday night, which was very good I must add, but apart from that, I've not really done a thing!

I stopped in bed until almost 10:00AM on Saturday and then went and did battle with the shoppers in Derby. I only needed to get my hair cut and buy a couple of things but it took me the best part of 3 hours! I HATE going into town! The rest of the afternoon was spent in front of the TV watching the rugby. Another England win. On Saturday evening we went over to see our friends, Rob and Jane, in Nottingham.

On Sunday I did make an effort to go out birding but when I looked out of the bedroom window, at around 7:45AM, it was raining. End of that idea! Back to bed for another couple of hours! The rain continued, in a rather patchy way, for the rest of the day so I watched the Winter Olympics on TV. Such a hard life!

The rest of this week... well, apart from work, it's a couple of trips to the gym and then on Friday evening we are going to see Last Nights Fun, in Belper. We've seen this group a few times now and they never fail to entertain! This is one gig I'm really looking forward to.

Next weekend is Lynda's birthday, so we are going for a meal at The Hunting Lodge in Barrow Upon Soar and then staying the night there. We have The Louis Room booked, all very grand, complete with four-poster bed! On the Sunday, Lynda wants to go walking at Bradgate Park so I'm hoping for good weather!

THE RENAULT'S GONE

The Renaults gone with a bent front end,
A man from Derby was willing to mend,
He paid five fifty of his hard-earned cash,
Then towed away the crumpled smash.

I stood there with money in hand,
Feeling quite sick cos I still owed 2 grand,
I started to search every magazine,
To find a new car to fulfill my dreams.

There it was in black and white,
One careful owner and the price was right,
I'd found a man who was trying to sell,
His Austin Allegro 1.3 HL.

When I told Tracey about my find,
She said I must be out of my mind,
If I bought that from me she'd walk,
Was she serious? Or was it just talk?

I picked up the phone and started to ring,
But her love for me meant more than anything,
So it wasn't the Allegro that I rang,
But for something just as grand.

YELLOW IN COLOUR AND NO FINESSE,
A 1.7 AUSTIN PRINCESS!

I was given the above by someone I used to work with a couple of years ago - not sure if he wrote it (I think he did!) but I've always found it rather good; must be my motor-trade sense of humour!!!

Great start...

Well, a day can only get better when you start by putting a two inch industrial staple into your finger end! That’s how I started my day! It didn’t hurt that much going in but pulling it back out did – I think it may have been the little “hooked end” that did it! At least the blood only dripped down onto the floor a couple of times, so not much cleaning up to do.

Hopefully the rest of the day will be a little more fun. Tonight Lynda and I are going out for a meal with our friends Mark & Sheila again. This time we’re going up to the Bulls Head at Denby. It’s a late birthday meal for Sheila – her birthday was on Monday – and an early birthday meal for Lynda – her birthday is a week on Sunday.

Not sure what I’ll be doing over the weekend yet; may go out birding again if the weather is OK or, I may have a nice easy couple of days at home as I’ve seen most of my “target birds” that are around in Derbyshire at the moment. I may even finish off sorting all the junk I’ve left all over the spare bedroom after swapping PC’s!

Feeling rough...

Today, I am ill! In fact, I could be dying!

Don’t you just hate having a head cold???

I know I do!!!

Right, must go… got a couple of parcels that need sending to America!

A quiet Monday.

After having an extra couple of hours in bed this morning, followed by a rather nice breakfast, I set off for a walk around Elvaston Castle and the surrounding grounds. The weather wasn’t very good again but at least it was dry and a little warmer than the past week or so! In the end, I walked for just under 5 hours.

The only new bird for my year list was a Mistle Thrush but I did see a total of 44 species, so not a bad few hours of local birding. Birds of note included 12 Nuthatch, 5 Goldcrest, 4 Jay, 4 Bullfinch, 3 Grey Partridge, 2 Grey Wagtail, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker and 1 Sparrowhawk.

Winter silhouette.

The old driveway.

The Golden Gates entrance.

Spring is on the way...

Super Bowl Weekend!

Okay, not the best photo of a Short-eared Owl, but it will do as a reminder of a great bird!

In the end I didn’t go after the Great Grey Shrike on Saturday afternoon - I didn’t have enough time and also the bird had not been seen during Saturday morning - so I just went for the owl instead! The bird was out hunting by 2:00PM, so even though it was a dull and cloudy day the views were very good as it flew around. Even better was the fact that the bird I saw wasn’t even at the site I had intended going to, but at one of the local patches that I visit!

On the lookout for prey.

This first site (no, I am not naming it!) also gave me my first Green Woodpecker, Shoveler, Shelduck and Grey Partridge of the year. All reasonably easy birds to find in Derbyshire, but they still need finding each year! After watching the owl for around an hour, I moved on to my second site of the afternoon, Aston-on-Trent gravel pits. These lakes are still being worked for gravel and are strictly private so my viewing was from the works access road alongside the A50.

I had stopped off here in the hope of adding Smew onto my list and, after a short while searching the lakes through my ‘scope, I had located a stunning adult male! Another great “tick” as these winter visitors are rather scarce in the Derby area. As a bonus, I picked up Golden Plover and Dunlin here too! By now, it was just after 4:00PM so I headed for home with eight new year ticks in the bag!

Saturday evening did not run quite so well…. The plan had been to go and see our friends, Paul & Ali, so I could get them started on the basics of running a Blog. All was going fine until we tried uploading some photos; they just would not publish to the Blog properly! After trying everything I could think of we gave up! I’m still not sure what the problem is, maybe an issue with the Blogger upload, maybe their PC, but it has me beat! Still, it gave us more time for the red wine and the Play Station!

This morning turned out to be dry, if a little dull and overcast, so I decided that I would try for the shrike. After a quick breakfast and then a drive of just over half an hour, I was at Walton-upon-Trent for 8:20AM, far too early for the Shrike as it didn’t decide to join us until just after 9:00AM! The first views of the bird were rather distant and, what was more worrying, it was on the far side of the river, which meant it was in Staffordshire! Not good when you're doing a Derbyshire year list! In the end, it all worked out OK as the Shrike came over onto the “right side” of the water to see a Kestrel off from what must have been the shrike's territory.

With all the birds I had hoped for this weekend all located, I decided to head back towards Derby and some local patch working again. I chose to go to Ambaston, a small area of old gravel pits, open farmland and newly planted woodland. Nothing too out of the ordinary here but it was nice to just have a steady walk around and see what I could find. More notable of the species here were Buzzard, Snipe, Redwing, and a feeding flock of around 200 Wood Pigeon. I also added a couple more year ticks with Yellowhammer and Skylark.

Not pretty whilst they are working...

...but old gravel pits can help the wildlife in the end!

Now it’s time for the American Football Super Bowl, so I’m about to go and get settled in front of the TV with a bottle of whisky and some Pringles! Tomorrow, I have an extra few hours in bed!

Casserole, birds and Super Bowl!

Friday! At last! I'm so glad that I'm almost done with this week! Just a few hours at work in the morning, then I'm off until Tuesday! Yes, it has been one of those weeks.

Still, no time for looking back, it’s the weekend! And it’s started rather well. Tonight Lynda let me loose in the kitchen on my own! How brave was that then? Not just of Lynda but also me! That is one dangerous place! As you may guess, I do not do much cooking apart from my own cooked breakfast 3 or 4 times a week.

This evening’s little adventure is all down to Donna, one of the Albannach forum users, over in America. A short while ago she posted a recipe on the forum for Breakfast Casserole and I liked the idea of trying it. Tonight I made some, all on my own! It’s gorgeous!!!!

Sausage meat, eggs, cream and cheese = Breakfast Casserole!

So, what about the rest of the weekend? After work tomorrow, I hope to go in search of a Great Grey Shrike, that has been in South Derbyshire for a few weeks, and then Short-eared Owls later in the afternoon. Both the shrike and the owls have been showing well but the weather may not be too good tomorrow so I’m not over confident of a result just yet.

In the evening, we are going around to see some friends, Paul and Ali, so that I can help them set up their own Blog. I just hope I can remember how I started this off!

Sunday will depend on the weather. I’d like to have another morning out bird watching but if the weather is anything like the past 4 or 5 days then I may just stay home and relax.

Sunday night is the American Football Super Bowl so I’ll be staying up to watch that. The coverage doesn’t start on TV until around 11:00PM here so I’ll not be getting to bed before at least 3:00AM on Monday, which is why I’m off work!

I've so much stuff I want to get done tonight, but I just can't be bothered!!!

So..........









Good night!