Are you doing the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch?

We’ve done it most years for the last 12 years. I really wish I had kept copies of our results though as we have some lovely birds and in recent years when we have been feeding them more than peanuts, we now have loads all the time! We’ve always had lots of blue tits and coal tits and a regular couple of woodpeckers, but sunflower hearts really helped bring in all the finches and they are just so beautiful to watch! I think the robins though are still my favourite!

Here are a few photos Steve took of some of our garden birds last week.

One thing I miss here is so much blossom ... it is a lot colder here so takes ages to bloom and then the wind comes and its all gone!! We went over to my mums today, had a walk in the park and managed to snap these on my phone ...

I am sure you are sick of snow photos by now, but I wanted to share a few of ours. I meant to post them earlier, but my dad's been ill in hospital so this week seems to have got away from me!

These were taken on Friday 2nd March, when we woke up to some pretty crazy snow drifts. We get a lot of snow and often when others don't, but these drifts were crazy! There were patches of not much snow, then drifts as high and deep as a house!

We braved it out into the blizzard like winds ...

Timber of course loved it!

This is actually a lane. There are some houses further down there and I don't think they were dug out for over a week. This lane is where my mother-in-law grew up. When she was about 15 they were snowed in for 16 weeks! It's quite romantic as it's how her and my father-in-law met. He was working for the council and spent weeks digging them out! He often talks about hanging their coats on the top of the telegraph poles!! I can believe it now :)

The gate thing sticking up on the left hand side is actually the back of a tractor trailer that was buried. Opposite that, we climbed over the fence ... our legs sinking in all the way, and we rolled down the other side to get into the field to see the pool!


This is the same lane only in the other direction.


The pool was frozen apart from a little patch in the middle where the swans and ducks were all facing the howling winds, poor things.


This photo doesn't even begin to express how cold and biting the snow and wind was on our faces!


Timber loved every minute though ... he was born for it!




This photo was taken a couple of days later when we snuck down the main road (that was still closed as they hadn't finished clearing it) and this was how deep one of the snow drifts was that they had to dig through.

12 years ago I got my little baby ... my fluffy heart beat at my feet. My constant companion, by little faithful friend. She really changed my life and filled a hole in my heart.

{ Here } is a link to my post 12 years ago about getting her!

Looking at her eyes back then they were so beautiful, pools of amber. It is sad to see them so white now, and know she can't see me.

Here are some photos of my furry-baby :)

so we had a sunny weekend!!
I really hope its going to last!
We bundled Billy and Timber in the van and popped down the road to the pool. (We left Dilly as she has ulcers on her eyes at the moment and didn't think dirty pool water was a good thing for them!)




Billy did get out the van and have a wander about, this was just while we grabbed a drink!



Timber decided the middle of the pool was a good place to howl!

Most weeks I travel 40 mins to go and visit my parents. Yesterday as I was driving, the sun was shining and it really felt Spring was on it's way! We are pretty high up and usually it's a lot cooler where we are. It felt like traveling through the season! Our daffodils are up with buds but only a couple have burst into bloom. As I drove, even just a few miles down the road the colour hit me and soon all along the side of the road was full of yellow. By the time I got to Mum's, we were in full Spring and her garden was full of pretty primroses, daffodils and other lovely flowers.

It made me really feel like I am stepping into something. God made me a promise back in January, and even gave me a time. I really had a moment driving over there yesterday that like stepping into Spring, I was stepping into His promise!

Outside, this morning looks so different. Yesterday everything was so clear. Today although the sun is SHINING LIKE MAD there is a  white mist down the valley and its just like a glowing light and the dew drops are like diamonds on the hen pen!