Playing Dead - Day 9

Even with the world's worst haircut and a crap script, He can still manage to look gorgeous.
 

Playing Dead - Day 8

That's the closest we come to a smile in this episode.
 

Playing Dead - Day 7

I can almost taste that neck...and I certainly would like to!

Miserable Old Git

When I go to the supermarket I take the remnants of a loaf to feed to the birds in the supermarket car park, then I buy some more in the supermarket to give them an extra treat when I come out. Recently I have been disappointed by how few starlings there were, and I put it down to two things: the presence of a lot of crows; and the failure of our migrating birds to return. Our populations are different in winter and in summer. Our winter birds fly away further north, and birds from further south come to breed here. Starlings are thought of as common and ordinary, but they are really striking:

They are positively iridescent. But their babies, which have been out of the nest for a couple of weeks, remain drab brown for some time:

Many of you will have seen amazing film of starlings flocking together at dusk to land in their thousands at their chosen roost site. This is called a murmuration of starlings, which is weird, 'cos they do anything but murmur!

As I started my shopping trip, we were back to having lots of starlings congregating for some free food. Lots of babies were among them. I was delighted. When I came out, I started to feed them some more bread (only wholemeal will do, got to give them their protein!) trying hard to keep them away from the road. Suddenly an old man got out of his car and started berating me. "Don't you know that's illegal?" he said. Well, it isn't, and I told him so. "Well they shit all over the cars." And our cars shit all over their environment. He didn't like that. He denied it. Well, we build all over their territory, I said. "No we don't." I laughed and swept my arm round to indicate the acres of concrete car park. But he wouldn't understand. So I just told him to shut up and mind his own business. If we are to continue having these murmurations, we need to protect these wonderful little birds. The planet has too many people. Especially people like that crabby old sod.

Playing Dead - Day 6

Bobby doesn't like the stepfather, as his expression makes clear.
   

Don't buy from Amazon UK!

It's going to be tough, but I really advise UK customers NOT to buy from Amazon any more. They used to arrange for faulty returns using Royal Mail. You could print out a label, stick it on your parcel, then take it to the post office to mail it. No more. You have to arrange collection with a company called Yodel (short for "Your Delivery"). I've had problems with this company before. They left a parcel outside my front door where someone opened it and rummaged through it to steal the contents. They failed to respond to ANY contact from me. I "arranged" a collection for today for either before 9.30 am or after 4 pm. Neither happened, and there was no card to suggest they'd tried to collect it while I was at work. They expect me to arrange a further collection date, but they cannot guarantee collection times. So I am expected either to lose a day's pay, or lose the substantial sum this crap satnav cost. The sums are pretty similar. Amazon has my money on deposit gaining interest, I have a faulty item I cannot return, just to add insult to the injury of my busted computer. Unless you have the ability to stay at home forever and wait for a faulty item to be collected, I really advise you not to buy from Amazon UK, in case you have to return something. The customer comes last for Amazon and Yodel.

Playing Dead - Day 5

Even the thought of those darling digits being damaged by a gun upsets me.
 

Playing Dead - Day 4

"The least I can do is offer my fans some neck to kiss."
 

Speaking Too Soon

Remember my "one down, 79 million to go" post? Well, it turned out not to be even one down.

When I tried to use the hot water function of my boiler today, it was back to Square 1.

Fortunately they were able to send out an engineer fairly swiftly. Even more fortunately, having decided that it really was the pump that was at fault, not just the wiring, he happened to have the right model in his van. Apparently this is unusual.

So my luck is still running about 90/10 against, instead of its usual 100% against.

Meanwhile, my striving to save energy took the latest absurd turn yesterday. My kettle is a wonder - it is lit from within and changes colour as it heats up and cools down. But the light stays on all the time unless I turn it off at the mains, which I sometimes forget. So I'm retiring a perfectly good kettle (I already have one perfectly good retired kettle) to use this little beauty, bought yesterday for half price in British Home Stores.

The indicator light goes off when it has boiled, so I don't have to remember to turn it off or back on again.

And isn't it just a great colour?I'm thinking about retiring my perfectly good toaster so that I can have a matching one...

Playing dead - Day 3

"They have to be kidding about this crap."
 

Between the storms

We've been having some horrendous weather, wet and windy. Yesterday started out sunny, so I took the risk of going to the zoo. Luckily I was only caught in two nasty downpours.

Lucifer found a patch of sun to sleep in. He looks like a big old moth-eaten rug:
 

The girls were looking for trouble:
 

(Nice view of Lucifer's bollocks, by the way.)

 OK, let's have a wander and see if we can find any mischief:
 

On the other hand, can we really be bothered?
 

Meanwhile, Lumpur struck a typical laid-back cat pose:
 

Playing Dead - Day 2

"You've scalped me and these scripts are shit." Poor Bobby!
 

Playing Dead - Day 1

Bobby is the epitome of concentration.
 

One Down

Seventy-nine million to go.

Bastard things to get fixed.

My computer is still in hospital, but the technician has something new to try before giving it the last rites.

I've tried to get some builders along to give me estimates to fix my leak, no luck.

BUT the engineer came today, a day early, to fix my central heating boiler, and even though we both thought he'd have to try and find a spare part or two for the 12-year-old appliance, he found some loose gubbins and tightened it up and - Hey Presto! One fixed boiler. And working like a brand new one, he said, not like the old lady she is.

Hallelujah!

Wish he could fix computers...

Frame - Day 20

Broken. Bobby, and my heart.

Frame - Day 19

Even now he looms.

Wildlife Gardening

The more creatures I see and hear in my garden the happier I am. I spend a fortune each week on food to put out for the birds. It's been a few days since this year's young starlings fledged and appeared at the feeders. Today I've spotted the first young sparrows. My orange ball bush (Buddleia globosa) is in full flower, and is covered with bees. It's a relief to know that they haven't yet become extinct, hereabouts at least. While I was filling the feeders this evening, right over my head, an invisible wren sang its amazing song, loud for such a tiny bird, and very intricate. As usual someone had uploaded a suitable video to YouTube:

 

Two years ago I started feeding the local fox after two of my chickens were killed. I thought it was better to make sure they had no need of fresh hen. Of course, since then we have had two dreadful winters and two appalling summers, so I've found it very difficult to phase the feeding out. It became impossible when a fox started waiting at the end of the garden while I filled up the bird feeders, in full expectation of a feed. A couple of nights ago, as I watched the fox approach the food, I suddenly became aware that there was a rough and tumble going on, and realised there were two cubs with their mother. I rushed in to get my camera, but when I snapped a picture, unusually the flash was on, and the youngsters fled. I haven't seen them since. But with a bit of tweaking, I brightened the picture I did get enough for the figures of the three of them rather than just the flash reflected in their eyes:
 

I think the resemblance of my garden to a piece of unkempt woodland helps them feel at home.

Frame - Day 18

So sad.

Frame - Day 17

Bobby's dreading confronting Declan.

Frame - Day 16

This sort of reminds me of Dr Malcolm in Bark.