(all photos are now thumbnails – click for full size)

Things are all pretty much quiet down the Lane, not working and having family close at hand means none of the what was normal Christmas Parties etc.
However, next Wednesday someone is taking me out for a meal, so that will be nice.
I don’t mind not having Parties though, guess I’m a bit of a bah humbug but they always seemed to be just something where you suddenly loved everyone who worked around you and too often or not led people astray !

Taking a break at RSPB Dungeness

My Christmas’s are stuck back in the 1950’s I think; five presents max and with no tech stuff, more of a family occasion just chilling out and eating well.
Even so, I enjoy Christmas with my family.

I’m afraid our Cat ‘Big Ron’ is very unwell, he’s had high glucose due to stress (long story best avoided but nothing to do with us) and has now fully blown Diabetes.
We’re awaiting some more test results next week, but he’s lost one third of his body weight, very lethargic and seldom comes in for more than half an hour. Even when he does, he just parks himself half way up the stairs.
I have to admit I fear the worse. Such a lovely friendly cat and very loyal.

  
Left a Stonechat at Dungeness and right a Shoveler at Hamble

The one remaining Chicken is still with us! She’s just gone through a horrendous moult, feathers everywhere.
As long as she’s happy, she appears to be, we’ll just keep an eye on her. She’s done well for an ex-battery hen, probably about five years and a bit years old now.
No eggs of course. I’ve fenced off the top of the garden and she spends most days scraping and making dust baths in the winter redundant Greenhouse.

Since the last entry I have been to Southampton once for six nights, Dungeness for the day twice and a few walk arounds the nearby lakes.
It’s that time of the year where if you hear a bird you have a slightly better chance of seeing it. Needless to say as soon as you do finally see it, off it goes !!

I had a crafty check in the Hedgehog House the other day and can still see the spikes, so all seems well. It would be a wonderful bonus should it be used to have some babies in next Spring. Only time will tell.

The aptly name Christmas Hide at RSPB Dungeness

My 8 garden bird feeders are being stocked up almost daily now with the main visitors being House Sparrows Great Tits, Blue Tits, Long Tailed Tits, Dunnocks, Great Spotted Woodpeckers plus occasional Greenfinches and Goldfinches.
It’s a joy to watch them, nature is all about survival but the way they seem to go around here, they’ll be obese by Spring !

In the garden the Leaves are all cleared, the grass at a reasonable level, Greenhouses sorted and indoors the Rayburn is suitably keeping us warm – I don’t like the cold dampness but at least Winter in some ways gives us a rest from the more physical side of things.

New Web Site pages.. Hedgehogs – not just for Summer + 1960’s Package Holidays + The 1960’s Housewife + Trainspotting in the 1950’s + Ilona ‘the Meanqueen’s’ take on what the Simple Life is to her