Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham

Strangely enough for someone that lives in Shetland, at the moment I'm sitting in Nottingham where my girlfriend lives. It wasn't a long trip down. A night on the boat down to Aberdeen and then the train to finish off the journey and I'm so glad that I made the trip. Anywhere, or everywhere, is the right place to be with the girl that you love.

Nottingham has turned out to be a lovely place. Lots of trees all around, which is a novelty to me because you don't see them up in Shetland as many years ago neolithic cut them all down and used them for fires and to build houses or whatever.

Haven't seen anything of old Robin Hood yet. Haven't spotted the Sheriff either. Perhaps it's because I've behaved myself or the Merry Men are out fighting.

Damn, I missed it

Damn, I missed it. Two robins, fighting to get at their favourite perch on the feeder. I rushed for my mobile with the camera on it and when I got back there was one in place, smiling, and the other was sitting on the fence, waiting.

It makes me think when I see thing like that. It makes me think just how like them we are, fighting and shouting for whatever we want, not afraid to put our demands on the table or stand there and shout and bawl about it.

The only difference is, we can't fly.

Heartbroken

I'm utterly heartbroken. Utterly, utterly, utterly heartbroken. I was sitting in the living-room, watching two really beautiful robins having lunch on the lawn when suddenly they jumped into the next-door neighbours garden without even saying thank you. Can you believe it?

Well, boo to them. The sun has come out at last so I think that it's time for a can of coke, enjoyed in the sun outside - and they'll have to chase the sparrows before they get any of the grub that's there for them ;))

Bad hair day

It's definitely a bad hair day today.

Woke up at a decent time this morning, seven o'clock or so. Straight down the stairs to get the kettle on - after all, one does what one has to ;)) Computer on immediately and half an hour spent waking up.

Then, first job - print the address on an envelope. It's now quarter past eleven and the envelope job is done. That's not bad, three and a quarter hours to address an envelope.

I do have a form to deal with - thank goodness I can use a pen on this one, safer that way I think.

After that has been done I think that I'll go into the garden and deal with my birds.

Quite amazing how many birds are hanging around a fifty year old guy. Must be the way that I get my hair cut, or not cut, as the case may be :))

The sparrows have taken over the world

On Saturday my world was getting on normally and the birds were getting used to me slowly. Now that I'm back, things have changed.

The sparrows seem to have taken over the bird feeder. They are around all the time at the moment so they must be enjoying the food that is out for them. The robins do occasionally stop as they pass by but now they are only visitors, my back garden is a real sparrow house now.

Will it last, who will take over next  - we'll wait and see :))

I'm delighted

Oh magic, I'm absolutely delighted. I had run out of bird food so my wee flying friends stopped coming around to say "Hello, have you filled our feeder yet?" but today a big bag of it arrived. I promptly filled the feeder!!!

It has been about ten minutes since it was filled and the robins are so chuffed. There are a couple of sparrows, well, I've just looked out again and they are not so keen.

This is summer feed and it has been winter feed that I've been putting out for the last six weeks or so. This time of year I expected them to change their choice as the flowers and plants started to show their faces. They have been in and had a poke around and then buzzed off.

Perhaps they had found some earlier and had eaten then came around just to see what was on offer today.

Fingers crossed, eh ;))

They're getting to know all about it

The robins are getting to know where the food is and they are also getting used to me having a cup of coffee in the living room as well - and all so quickly too.

Now, they take no notice of me, they just get stuck in, scaring away the little sparrows as they go about their breakfast, lunch or tea.

I'm surprised too. Along with this feeder I bought winter food, expecting it to arrive after the summer stuff. It really doesn't seem to have mattered to them though. Having said that though, when the summer order does arrive it will be put away for a month or so. Timing of the seasons here in Shetland does run a bit late, in fact it runs a bit confused at times so I'll be a bit more careful in the future.

In fact, I may make sure that both are out at the same time and then we'll perhaps find out whether it's winter or summer. A bit of confusion here I think. Where have Spring and Autumn gone. They might be around for a short spell, I suppose ;))

Crivens

Jings crivens, if the wife had seen so many birds smiling in the back garden before she left, she'd have given me a bloody good slap in the face and legged it up the street - with me waving and shouting "Goodbye now, remember and write!!!" The birds love the food that's out for them so now I can tell everyone that I can cook after all ;))

It's a beautiful morning today, the sun is beaming in a nice blue sky and there's hardly a breeze blowing at all this morning. Fingers crossed that it won't change for a month or three.

And I've just spotted that the birds are not too sure of me yet. They fly up to the feeder but if I'm sitting here then they turn and fly off again. Hopefully, it won't take them too long to get used to me. The wife was quick enough.

It's Robin's and sparrow's that have been around, lovely and fit and I believe that the Robin's used to be considered to be part of the Thrush family, but that has changed now. They are now considered to be Old World flycatchers. Why the change, I've no idea, maybe it's because of the time that they spend in my back garden :))