Sunday 28 March 2010

Sunday 28th March - Today there will be no interruptions!

'allo, 'allo, 'allo - what's going on here then?  Right outside our conservatory door?  Frogs or toads?  There is a way to tell but I don't know what it is.  Anyway, one is obviously very very tired and is being given a ride home by the other one.  I hope they don't live far.  They're toads I think - they look very green.  Frogs are more sort of brown aren't they?

We have other kind creatures in our garden too.  Well, on our roof actually.  There's a couple of pigeons and they play at chase for hours.  There they go, sidestepping along the ridge tiles and - guess what?  One of them always gets worn out and has to have 5 minutes and the other one is always kind enough to lend her back like a feathery sofa.

We had one of these the other day.  Now I know it doesn't look much in the photo so you'll probably just have to take my word for it that it is, in fact, a young kestrel hawk.  Well, it was next doors who thought that.  Keith's seen it before and thought it was a baby eagle (snigger snigger) and I must say I've often seen something flying around that I thought was some sort of hawk but then I though "Naw naw, not round here"

It looks as if it's having a breather from flying doesn't it?  Maybe it can catch a lift home too............

Since last I wrote here Keith has been busy, busy, busy.  For goodness sake he's supposed to have retired!  Our bedroom and the dining room have been redecorated, the outside walls of the entire house have been re-rendered and painted and now - AND NOW FOLKS - it's the turn of the back yard.  He's jack-hammering up the 9" thick solid concrete so he can block pave it (you know, sort of like bricks that you make posh driveways with ).   I tell you, this constant drilling is giving me a right headache;  Heaven knows how it is for him, he's right on top of it!  He has to get it done today though because the jack hammer has to go back tomorrow.  Oh, and sure enough he already found a complication:  there's a collapsed drain that has to be dealt with .  It never rains but it pours!

Above you can see his ever growing mountain of rubble.  this is what our back yard is being reduced to! And it's free to a good home.  To any home at all.

Me, I shall inflict myself on my sister tomorrow.  She has got a nice house where they don't have noise and there's a big kitchen where I hope she might even feed me.



After 25 years - maybe 26 - I have finally decided I need a new food processor.  It hasn't conked out.  That's part of the problem:  I don't think it ever will!  It just looks so thoroughly disreputable now.  It never looks clean and I'm afraid some of the 'nooks and crannies' stuff that won't come out might actually get in the food.  Is it a record to run a food processor that old?  Just for the record it's Braun Multipractic and it owes me not one penny.  And Braun may now send me some freebies if it wants to!


Our Sally hasn't been too well this month.  For those who don't know, Sally is our dog and she's 16, of indeterminate breed and beautiful.  I can't show you a photo of her because she is very camera-shy.  I thought we might get a photo with the new camcorder but she had that one figure out before I got the battery charged!  Anyhow, she's not her usual ebbulient self.  She sleeps most of her time, drinks gallons and her coat is a mess.  But she still has the sparkle in her eye that says she's glad to see us and she still spends a few minutes each day acting the goat so life is still good for her.

Watch out, Chester - Marie from Oak Cottage will be there soon (you lucky people).  I expect this will be a bitter-sweet week for Marie and her husband Todd, a week of 'last times' to do things before they start the new chapter in their lives later on this week.  Pay her blog a visit and leave her a cheery word of encouragement to keep her going until she gets there.  This past few weeks has been a real time of testing for them both and I hope they'll be gloriously happy in their new home.

Do you know, I haven't heard that jack hammer for - oooh - it must be 10 minutes now.  He'd better not be slacking!

9 comments:

Jojo said...

Angie, If only I knew the difference between a toad and a frog! Funny but I never really thought much about it.

We have an annoying black bird that has nested in the ledge of our roofline and I swear some days it sounds like a party going on up there!

Thanks for sharing about Oak Cottage. I'll stop by and good like with the reconstruction project!

Rita said...

Hi Angie,
So good to read you this morning;don't know much about toads or frogs.
Thank you so much for visiting me; you're and angel.We still have 10 days in this corner of Canada, then back home; getting anxious to get there.
Have a nice visit with your siter.
Happy Spring!
Rita

Andy said...

Its easy to tell the diference between a toad and a frog-- if you kiss it and it turns into a handsome prince its a frog!

Jan said...

Angi, Maurice thinks the bird might be a Sparrow Hawk ,if you and your sister are like me and mine you will have fun ...love Jan xx

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

It's good to see a post from you today. You've brightened my dreary Sunday afternoon. It's nice your Keith is getting so much done. It will look so very nice when it's all complete. I hope then you both have a little vacation. He'll wear himself out at this rate. Sorry to hear your dog isn't feeling well. At that age they are very much a senior citizen so deserve those extra naps. Take good care and hope that your sis fed you.

Keetha Broyles said...

Angie - - -

Being a biology teacher, I'm over here on MY side of the big pond chuckling about your frog/toad post.

I believe what we have here are FROGS - - - and to be more precise, MATING frogs.

Yep, what you mistook for a "ride home" looks for all the world like a mating move to me. Not quite sure why they are doing their "dance" on your doorstep - - - they usually do this in a POND.

Toads have thick, warty skin. The skin on these is smooth, sans warts, so I believe these are frogs.

About color - - - there are actually a TON of different colors frogs can be, even the brilliant blue "poison dart" frog of S. America - - - but yours look like the common grass frog variety to me.

RuthnJasper said...

Shame on you, Angie, SHAME on you. Posting amphibian porn online... Jasper took one look and had to go and have a lie-down. Hehehe...

That bird in your garden is a Sparrowhawk. Watch out - they're NASTY (they commonly pluck/skin their prey and eat them without killing them first).

Glad to hear that the K-man is making progress with his tools. The pile of rubble is exactly the sort of thing that ensues when Ruth attempts complex tasks like putting up a picture...

Big love to you and Sal, and hugs also to Whiskey (whose owners sound like they're a few Penguins short of a picnic to us...).

Ruth & Jasper xxx

Ally Lifewithally said...

It was just great to read this post ~ you always manage to make me smile ~ I agree with Andy the KISS will always tell you which one is the frog :o) ~ Ally x

Sybil said...

Hi Amge, don;t know how I missed you the other day...never mind here now. Glad to read all about things going bang bang bang !! The bird looks to me like a sparrow hawk !! Like you never sure if it's toads or frogs !!

I too hope that Marue and Todd have arrived safely and settling in ok.
Love Sybil xx