Towards the end of May

May the Twenty Third

Sparrow feeding offspring

Sparrows are by far the commonest visitors to my garden feeders. I have seen up to two dozen at a time swinging about in the bush at the gate and on the fatball containers. When I chuck seed onto the footpath the sparrow telegraph works exceptionally well and within a couple of minutes there are ten or twelve squabbling about.

---

---

May the Twenty Fourth

Starlings in a row

The second by number are starlings, a traditionally and actually quarrelsome and noisy breed who thankfully don't stay for long.

Thorpe Top Treble & Back

Walked up to Thorpe Top Treble & back.

Boats

Nb Little Mester I've seen before.
Nb Elizabeth Anne: first time I've seen it out of its mooring on Canal Road.
Nb De Nada going up to moor at Albert's Dock.
Nb (James) passing through Shireoaks top.
Nb Wineberry on Shireoaks pound.
Nb Siloam at the Lockkeeper.

Don't know if I'm gonna be able to post any pics but here goes: Computers are a pain in the parts that other pains don't reach!
Had to delete/reinstall F-Spot; the 2Tb drive works when it feels like it; Flickr packed up on the uploading after about 10 pics. GRRRRRRRR!

Gingernuts has fallen out with me: flea powder! I wouldn't mind, but he's scrattin' all the time. The one where you're supposed to drop it on the back of his neck is a no-no; he will not let you do it - and I've the scars to prove it.

well, the reinstalled F-Spot seems to be working. So I might be able to post some pics.

Little Mester leaving Haggonfields Lock

Elizabeth Anne at the Lock Keeper

Siloam at the Lock Keeper

"James" approaching Shireoaks Top lock

De Nada in Thorpe flight

Wineberry moored outside the marina

I got some pics for t'other site, which I shall be adding forthwith, …or not.

Mittwoch

Mittwoch: German for Wednesday (literally: "mid-week"), replaced the former name Wodanstag ("Wodan's day") in the tenth century.
Worksop Chesterfield canal
Didn't stir yesterday, tummy still rumbling, but now am OK.

Went to town (pond & canal). Before going I looked at the weather and deliberately left my waterproof top (it rolls up into a little ball and sits in a side pocket of my backpack) at home.

Nothing doing on the pond, swans being bloody photogenic, mallards displaying new broods of young and grebes dithering about all over.
Flickr pics

Swans being photogenic

Mallard showing off new family

Grebe ditherin' about

On the canal towpath was a tiny egg

Nb Dunrushin moored behind the cricket club. (Worksop can look quite attractive from some angles.)

I probably should have said something: they'd left the side door
^{(there's probably a proper name for it but I've no idea what it might be)}
open, with a handbag just inside: not a good idea in Worksop, or many places in this benighted country.

They had the flag of Kernow flying at the stern.

Obviously, having discarded my waterproof, it was going to rain.

and boy, did it rain!    (that's tarmac)

Home,
... never wears a mac
In the pouring rain ...
Very strange.

^{Private Eye came this a.m. so I've the crossword to do, should keep me quiet for an hour.}
Apologies for the colour scheme: Playing about with CSS

Thursday: not a good day

Round the pond and then down to town & bus to Retford (after buying the Corned Beef salad sarnie, of course). Intended to get a bus to Clayworth but, while snapping the market, felt rain!. Now as someone said: I don't do rain! so bus back home.

Pics (on Flickr):

The middle grebes' nest is not obviously in use

A swan was being decorative at the top of the pond.

I played with one or two pics:

Masked multiply

Unsharp mask, colour saturation up & 40% multiply

Unsharp mask, colour saturation up & 40% multiply

And just a slideshow of Retford's Thursday market:

Tuesday's gotta be a good day

A photo of mine's on the front page of Sheffield's Graves Park website.

Sunshine
CLUMBER!
Rough map. Today's pics on Flickr.


First: round the pond: the "middle" grebes are building a nest.

Caught them doing the dirty and then bringing reed to their new nest site.

Just a sparrow

Caught a swan through the bushes

Bought small Pig Pie & a Corned Beef Salad sarnie at Birds the Butchers' Salad Bar. I'd already got my Robinsons' OJ packed.

Walk to Clumber via Sparken Hill & Windmill Lane following footpath at end of Wop College. Through golf course and onward following path to Hardwick Village.

Very official looking notice at Heron Hill Wood the essence of which was "keep out we're working". Only afterwards did I realise that I'd misread it: it wasn't a "Keep out" but advice that there might be "Keep Out" notices elsewhere.No matter: I went to places I'd not been before.

I walked up the road to Manton Lodge. Honeysuckle, birch woodland and flowery meadows …

… and down to the lake.

Swans with cygnets: fluffy little beings.

There's a grebe on the nest.

Loads of Tufted ducks on the lake and a whole crowd of swans.

Looking through the Photos I found something I hadn't seen at the time …

… a cormorant in the middle of the lake.

Loads of Canada goslings There is a creche in the shade of a tree in front of the cafe with a couple of dozen young guarded by five or six adults.

Wandered up to the Walled Garden with the intention of going in and snapping for the competition but, calamity, I hadn't enough cash! £3 to get in & I'd only £2.50! Shouldn't have bought the pie! Took a couple up the Cedar Avenue that might do.

Anyhow, walked back home via Cycle Route 6, Windmill Lane & Sparken Hill.
Got cash from m/c in town & bought cat food. Home to home: 6 hours.

Monday's a working day

You might have noticed on Saturday's post I noted that Worksop Town lock on the Chesterfield canal was going to be "dewatered" today. So I went out for a look. Nothing doing on the pond, but a workboat was nearing Morse lock: routine cleaning and greasing/WD40ing of the mechanism.

Down at Town lock they'd got it all underway. The planks across (called stopboards, I'm told) were holding back the water and the two wooden paddles had been removed. One new one, steel & plastic, was already in and only needed connecting up. The size of the hole in the wall of the canal surprised me. (clicking any of these pics will take you to the full set on Flickr)

I read Diane's post about an old friend's visit. It reminded me that an old friend of mine had sent a postcard from Crete threatening to visit when they return from their hol. I haven't seen her for some years (about four, I think) and it will be great but I hope she gives me notice: at least a week. I'll need that long to get the flat into visitable condition. The sofa is buried under books, maps, bus timetables and brochures. The DVD rack was knocked off the wall by one of the cats yonks ago, spreading its contents hither and yon. My desk is a total mess: cables, monitors, maps, spare PCs, a scattering of CDs/DVDs, a magnifying glass(?), all manner of bits of paper, coffee stains etc. Don't even start thinking about the kitchen! The bathroom's a heap of unwashed clothes bursting out of the linen bin with old copies of Private Eye mixed in and the odd discarded razor blade.

So, Sioux, give me warning before you come.