My family of house martins left three days ago. The last night that I saw them in their mud nests under the eaves was Sunday night. That's really late for them. they normally leave at the end of August. It's due to the much better summer this year that they stayed and produced a second brood. The first brood left with older siblings from previous ( Read more... )

My Mum lives with me and she is starting to get a little forgetful. She's 80 next year but sometimes when I talk to her she looks like she's fighting back to where my voice is. Sometimes she looks sad or angry or frightened. And,I hate to admit it, but I get annoyed with her at times. When I have to explain something to her a few times. Then she'll ( Read more... )

They've boldly gone: a team of Scots scientists have helped to create a type of light beam that has only previously been seen in the Star Trek movies.

They've boldly gone: a team of Scots scientists have helped to create a type of light beam that has only previously been seen in the Star Trek movies.

A real-life miniature version of the "tractor beam ( Read more... )

Feeding the birds religiously in the garden now since end of October. Slowly my early morning first footers have increased in size and variety as word has spread through the sky pinned. I even have three large corbies (a murder of crows who sinisterly dog my footsteps afield cawing short insults with each wing flap), an unkindness of blackbirds, ( Read more... )

Spoke to Phil who, amongst other things, like 'Katie Morag delivers the mail' around here. Phil was delighted to indulge me in my football enquiries and confirmed he was a football pro and played in Canada for Toronto Argonauts ("way back when Noah was a boy") amongst whole lot of other teams with weird football names. Phil played against Warren ( Read more... )

Ross & karin went to New York last week. They are both huge movie fans so of course a visit to the Empire State Building was a 'must do.' Karin was engrossed in the view, then she turned to speak to Ross but he had disappeared. Then she looked down to see him on his knees with a ring and proposing to ask for her hand. Aww... She accepted. His hands ( Read more... )

Met a weird old man recently. A neighbouring house had lots of old furniture to be removed so the house could be 'dressed' for marketing. To cut a long story short, I arranged to let this man into the house to collect various items. He arrived quite late and with a large young German shepherd. I love dogs and this one had a sweet temper. I helped ( Read more... )

Fingers crossed, whatever was fighting Moonstone seems to have caught the stage out of Dodge. Moonstone fine and back to his truculent best, if a little bald on one side... Weather is getting colder by the day. 'Winter is Coming.' Mom is knitting me an Aran jumper. Now I know how the Weasleys felt. The last jumper she knit me was a Norwegian ( Read more... )

The great cat saga continues. Moonstone came home last night with a really badly bitten face and I could not believe it, but it was in exactly the same spot as the bite he received two nights ago! This time there was blood, easily seen on his white fur.A Lot of Blood. It was at 11.30 p.m. so I could not call the island's only vet. Cleaned th wound  ( Read more... )

Moonstone's face still swollen so went to get cat basket to take him to vet. I swear, that cat is psychic. Came back with basket and he had disappearred from his bed and no amount of calling brought him forth. He only came forth from his still unknown hiding place after hours as if he knew when the vet would be shut. Still he is eating OK, walking ( Read more... )