Blackbird

We have several blackbirds that visit our garden. We counted three for the big bird count. Two males and a female. This afternoon we were visited by a male. So nothing unusual about that except that we were in the garden at the time and he did not fly away.






After we went back into the kitchen he kept walking around the cage trying to figure out how to get to the food inside. The sparrows came and eventually he worked it out, pecked a few seeds and then picked up a small clump of dried fruit. He got very agitated because he could not work out how to get back out again. I was just about to go out and rescue him when he worked it out and flew up to the wall to eat his trophy. Eventually he flew off across the grass between the two blocks of house. Later on a blackbird reappeared went straight in the cage picked up some seed and came out again.
Now was it him all confident and knowing or another one who worked it out straight away?

It is the end of the month. We had some snow (sort of)










One of Tia's favourite sleeping spots

The year of the dragon

Happy Chinese New Year

bits and pieces

This week you can join in with star count


all you need is a clear sky. We tried to join in last year but the light pollution is so bad here we hardly ever see any stars.

Next weekend you can join in the big bird count

hopefully we will get better results for that. Although in previous years the amount of birds visiting seems to dropped compared to the rest of the week.We think it is because other people are feeding them. We get quite a good selection of birds now and a blackbird and a robin spend loads of time hopping around.

I have been sorting out and have go rid of loads of magazines that have accumulated over the years. I have taken out bits that possibly could be made. Next is the school stuff. I have loads of worksheets that would be deemed boring and useless by the Minister of Ed.

The weather warmed up but it is blowing a gale again now. The poor finch could hardly hang on the starling managed much better

We have crocuses


and the spare garlic is coming through


most of it was planted at the allotment.

Thanks for coming and if you left a comment

Allotment update and other bits

John was off on Tuesday as he has to work on Saturday. So I popped down to see him at the allotment and what has been happening since my last autumn visit. This time last year the ground was frozen solid and covered with snow. Not so this January John has been digging a large hole which now contains this


He does not intend to bury it though it will form the base of our wildlife pond. It will be covered with a pond liner and hopefully will attract the dragon flies that fly over in the summer. I shall be able to sit beside it in the summer read my book and watch the worker work.

These two wooden "h"s are the frame for the raspberries'netting. Most will not fruit until next year but we do have an Autumn and a Summer variety. Gardiner Bunny blew off the wall in a gust of wind and decided the safest place was in the bag with the radio although she found the music rather loud being so near. Biddle kept watch on things from the wall.

We have grown leeks although they have been rather small so let's hope these will be better

A little robin came to visit

and there was some blue sky


Back in December I bought some very yummy hand dyed yarn at the Saltaire craft fair. It came as a kit with a pattern for fingerless mitts and bamboo needles. The needles were wonderful to use and the random dyeing was interesting to watch as it knitted up. I made them over the holiday and finally stitched them up last week.


They are incredibly warm and I am so pleased with them. Unfortunately as yet Ratzhatz does not have a website and just sells through fairs but Rachel told me that she is in the process of setting up a website.

My niece received her parcel last week. So I am able to show the pirate girl. My brief was a pirate girl with blond hair, green eyes, wearing a white shirt, black trousers and a red corset. My immediate thought was that the corset would cause me the problems but it was actually the green eyes because I could not find any very small eyes that colour so I ended up using some embellishments from my stash. For the body I used the basic pattern from a doll group challenge I did several years ago. Apart from that all the work in my own design.




I made a mock up of the trousers and blouse in cheap fabric first which was worth the effort as they needed to be larger than I had made them. It is surprising how large clothes have to be to fit quite a small figure. The corset is a rectangle but has a pleat at the back to that it fits nice and snug in the right places. I was going to fasten it with hooks and eyes but then decided just the eyes and a lace were more effective. Heather was pleased with her and I feel that I have moved on a bit in my sewing journey.

Thanks for visiting and for the comments left last time.

What weather...

... we are having. It has done nothing but rain this year. What with that and the wind blowing a gale. it was so bad that we had water in the cellar. Luckily nothing too bad and the floor is now covered with newspaper to soak up the rest.
I have finally finished the commissioned doll I was asked to make. It has been posted off and as soon as she is safely there I can post a photo. She is the first one I have made with just a description of what was wanted. So I had to design the clothes my self. In the great scheme of doll making she isn't that brilliant but I feel as though I have achieved something.

Tia is in big trouble! For Christmas 2010 she received a plastic ball which you fill with treats. The object being that as she rolled the ball one would fall out and she could eat it. So this Christmas she received a box of the treats. Last night or early this morning she decided that was all too much hassle and when I came down the almost empty container was lying on the floor. She then had the audacity to miaow loudly because I was late up and she wanted breakfast. She is already a bit over weight and needs to cut down.She spends far too much time like

this! She has always been an indoor cat and does not like other cats. So I am reluctant to let her out and about. This year she reached the grand age of 8 and became a senior cat. The upshot of this being that the insurance premium went up half as much again!

I am still thinking about what I shall make this year but it is bound to include some of these somewhere



I love buttons. I tipped them on my tray to see what I had but they are now safely back in their cone.

Thanks for coming.