Badgers, Swallows and Owls.

Well it's that time of the tv calendar here for Springwatch. With the made twitcher Bill Oddie (from The Goodies), the delectable Kate Humble, and animal mad Simon King!
It's where three weeks of critter madness is televised to the Great British nation... with the smallest baby bird survive or will the others eat it, what's the best receipe for bird seed, how many tumbles are the badgers going to take tonight and how many babies have the swallos had?!
I have to say though that for Miss Yo Yo it's must watch tv... her eyes riveted to the tv, watching every twitch, flap, snuffle and snooze. If it's exciting enough she even jumps of the safety of my lap to investigate thoroughly.. when the hares were boxing it looked like she wanted to join in, except with them as snacks!
There's a great website where you can check out all the animals and birds on camera... wonder if I should show it to Miss Yo Yo?

You can check out Tawny Owls, Badgers, Barn Owls and Heligan Barn Owls live!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/springwatch/

Oh Phooey!

... after telling every non-England based person that I know how wonderful the weather has been, had the warmest April since weather records started to be kept, how there was a drought last year and hosepipe bans were put in place the weather here has gone atypical English!
For the last week it's been mostly overcast, even raining most days, and of course today being a public holiday, it's been raining the heaviest!! I guess the plus side is that the grass is still green, the water butt is full and the streets are washed clean. Trouble is that the grass is growing like a jungle, as too all my other plants, and the plan to spend today anywhere outside is a washout!
I did venture out to the shops though, bad idea as everyone else had the same idea, and purchased the long awaited barbecue!! Succumbed to having a gas one, though it does have those fake charcoal brick thingy wotsits and a very handy element on one side, a table tray type thing on the other side and a flip top lid to cover. All I need now is for some good weather as I'm sure not standing out there with an umbrella and trying it out!

Cruising Sundays...

.. that most wonderful ways to finish off the weekend!
Today was the London to Brighton mini run (2200 mini's driving from London to Brighton, putting themselves on show and cruising home again).
A great excuse to take a meandering trip through the countryside, much better than the motorway, down those deilcious little tree arched one car lanes, through towns with houses older than people being settled in New Zealand, and spotting wonderful old cars with their roofs down and people's hair blowing in the wind!
The amount of bicycles on the road was incredible, though with the London to Brighton charity bike ride next weekend I'm sure they're getting their last training runs in! Though it is rather disconcerting when one zooms across the road like a startled deer! Though the local squirrels and rabbits seemed to have death wishes running back and forwards across the road!
Of course going to Brighton means catching up with Miss S and her wonderful daughter Miss H. Surprisingly enough Miss H didn't take to screaming at me and I even managed a lot of smiles.. though the Aunty T is definitely just going to be a T! Take note Miss S!
It's amazing to see that number of cars in one spot.. as well as how people have changed their mini - estates (stationwagons to the folks in NZ), sun roofs, matching trailers etc etc.
Of course a trip to Brighton wouldn't be without the obligatory hot chips and ice cream!

Hmmm...

... rather undecided on this one.
On the train home this evening, after a great catch-up with Mr R (fabulous I must say and should of course be done more often!) and it turned into one of those surreal train journeys that you remember for a time... well at least until the next one comes along and tops it!
Got a seat at one of those four seater tables where two face two. All four of us just reading the paper and ignoring each other as one does on the train. For some reason someone said something about England, then New Zealand cropped up and the whole why are you here (even more so when discovered been here for nine and a half years) when you could be there thing arose.
Lots of NZ is a fabulous country, though when pointed out agreed for those into the great out doors and not so much for the great indoors, and who'd want to live here thing. Agreed that if into theatre, concerts, markets, history etc then here better.
Tis always amazing how people have this clean, green, crime free image of NZ that is just not how it actually is.
Mind you, everyone outside England thinks it's rainy, cloudy and full of cockneys saying a'right geezer!

Scarey Pictures as Promised!!

Finally managed to resize the 'people' pics as promised so here you go, no giggling now - especially at the sunburn!