Just to put the tin hat on it, Storm Christoph has savaged huge swathes of the, Covid beleaguered, UK. The utter carnage, left behind, testament to the incredible forces of nature that were unleashed. Our neighbour, Barbara, has lost two fence panels, whilst our own back gate was snapped, like a carrot, as the winds raged between the buildings. At 02.30 hrs, on Wednesday morning, I'm outside attempting to close a smashed gate in order to get some sleep. The noise of the shattered frame smashing against the gate posts reverberated through the bungalow like some annoying, irregular, drum and bass track; sleep was impossible until I got it sorted. Bleary eyed, I made it into work, and was supping a pre-shift coffee, recalling the events of the previous night when Gavin, one of my shift colleagues, said "I've got a gate you can have" We had a quick chat about measurements and logistics but, as it worked out, the said gate is now in my back garden awaiting my efforts to replace the previous item. Let's get this right, a broken gate is but nothing compared to the devastation that has occurred in other areas of the country and I readily acknowledge this basic truth. Still won't stop me swearing a fair bit as I attempt to repair the damage. DIY doesn't feature particularly high on my CV of domestic abilities. I'll leave it there for the time being and give an update in a later post - maybe a photo - when the task is completed?
I'm having a day off, tomorrow, knowing that the forecast is crap for the coming weekend. Now there will be many thinking that the back gate ain't worth a day off and they're dead right! I'm going pike fishing. With five days carried over from 2020, needing to be used by March, I decided that a break from the nonsense at work (I will only be able to blog about it when I've retired) would be a good idea. I'm typing this already thinking that the day out on the bank will be enough without needing to catch a pike. The heavy rainfall, coloured water and ridiculous extremes of air pressure and temperature will all have an influence on the feeding behaviour of the fish I seek. However, if I haven't learnt anything about tempting pike, over the past fifty years, then I deserve to blank. I'm taking the full camera kit, plus my binos and Kowa TSN 823 scope, in the hope of making the very most of my time on the bank. I'm really looking forward to the session and will, hopefully, have something to blog about when I get back home?
The only other bit of news, worthy of sharing, is that of a superb adult male Greenfinch, at the feeding station, this afternoon, and the BWKm0 addition No. - 26 Common Buzzard which flew south over the garden just after 14.00 hrs today.
Well I envy you that rarity in the garden, a Greenfinch. I miss those birds so much, they have always been my favourite finch and on the marshes here in the winter, large numbers used to feed on the clubrush seeds along the ditch edges. Now they're reduced, thanks to that awful disease that they get, to an almost rare bird. Good also to see you still getting out and about doing your normal thing i.e. fishing.
ReplyDeleteIt seems crazy that, in under a decade, Greenfinches have become such a rarity around our garden. We used to take for granted these characterful visitors to the feeding station, their wheezing calls being part and parcel of a Spring day. Not any more, thus my excitement when first a female, now a male, in good nick, have turned up completely out of the blue. The status of Greenfinches locally is such that I expect to see more Ring Ouzels, whilst out in the garden, in a calendar year than these once common finches! So sad. Cheers for the comment, stay safe and keep blogging - Dyl
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