Waking up in the morning nowadays is a problem; with the ever changing light you don’t know what time it is and upon getting out of bed and feeling the temperature, you don’t know what Month you’re in !!
Planning any days out for bird watching or otherwise is pot luck, it can be quite nice here and 16 miles south at Dungeness it can be blowing a 50mph wind!!

However, a few outings have been had since my last entry, I’ve had days out at Dungeness three times, Conningbrook Country Park the same and whilst visiting family in Southampton, a couple of visits to the River Hamble Estuary at Warsash.

Like Father like Daughter – Birdwatching at Warsash (click for full size)

My 8 day visit to Southampton proved quite challenging. My son and his partner were having their House damp proofed which meant plaster coming off every downstairs room up to a meter high, painted with horrible smelly damp proof liquid, then re-plastered.
Needless to say the work ran late and staying with them was quite ‘unusual’, because they had to return to work I stayed in the house making sure things were going OK and looking out for their two Cats.

Between times I managed to see my daughter and after the Builder’s finished, spent a couple of nights there.

Upon returning I had one night at home before starting house sitting duties. This meant four beds in five nights, yet another thing which made waking up more difficult; I didn’t know what time it was, what Month I was in plus where I was !!!

Chickens – the end of a Chapter

I’m afraid that whilst away my last Chicken died. I’ve mentioned before that dur to all sorts of reasons I have decided it is too difficult to keep them anymore so I am now no longer a Chicken Keeper as such. I still have an involvement with them locally though.

I started keeping Hens in the Garden in 1999 and all bar a two month break to rebuild the Set Up, it’s the first time since then where I either haven’t got up to feed them or get up to do some chores around them.
It seems quite strange as I’m sure you will imagine.

Life is full of Chapters, you just plod on wondering what the next one will be (and hope there’s quite a few still to come!!!).
The Keeping Chickens in the Garden pages will stay and expand even more !

Pintails and a Teal at Oare Marshes near Faversham (click for full size)

In the Vegetable Garden

I have also decided to downsize in the Garden Vegetable Growing. I’m certainly not giving up all together but another spell of spasms with my herniated disc has put the old thinking cap on.
I shall still keep the two Greenhouses going but half the amount of land given to outdoor growing Vegetables, maybe just having Runner Beans with Onions growing between the poles and Carrots in the raised beds.
The Greenhouse will supply Tomatoes, Chillis, Peppers and Lettuce as usual.
You can see the Chutney and Relish making will still continue, last year we had 37 Tomato Plants growing, all of which produced.

My Garden Wildlife

I’m quite looking forward to seeing if any Birds take up my offer of five nesting boxes around and about, these and the Bat House are all now nicely aged a bit so here’s hoping.
I took a quiet gentle peep inside my DIY Hedgehog House and he or she is still asleep in there thank goodness, too many have awoken early and got caught out by sudden more seasonal temperature drops.
Wouldn’t it be nice if they reproduced inside the House – loads of pictures and videos then !!

See all the Garden Wildlife Pages.

I’m now house sitting until the 23rd., then a few days at home before venturing back to Southampton for my birthday in early March. It’ll have to be a shorter visit than usual because I’m back down there again end of March to look after the Pets for 10 days!!

I’m starting to wonder when I’ll eventually get away in my Camper Van !!