Bills Posts

I kind ran out of time this morning. I was only able to take a quick walk around Walpole park, but at least I got out for a bit.

When Misty came in she was just very slightly damp, but there was no sign that it was raining. Luckily though I decided to put my raincoat on. Lucky that I did. I was about halfway through the walk when the rain started. It got quite heavy at one time, only for about a minute though before easing off.

The picture is from Mondays walk. The weather was quite different then. I’ll see what the morning is like.

The scene in the picture is the topic of tonight’s post. I say that because recently they’ve no connection.

The scene used to be the taxi stand and ferry pick up point. It was a most useful area, and it worked very well, being only a few yards from the ferry terminal. It is being changed, and will soon become the bus stop. It looks like there will be spaces for at least two, if not three busses.

The existing bus station is heading for demolition, to be honest, I don’t think people will miss the place. The building is looking very sad. What I am not sure about, is what is replacing it. I think there are a set of plans on show in the council offices. I really should make an effort to find out exactly what is happening.

It feels like an absolute age since I last walked down the high street. I meant to yesterday, but just didn’t get around to it. I meant to get around to it today, and as it happens I did, leaving the house at a much more sensible 0715.

I couldn’t find my flat cap, the cold of the morning wasn’t too bad, but it certainly was fresh and very bright. It was a lovely bright chilly day, just right for walking.

The development of the road that will cross the high street is progressing and is probably about a third done, but it looks very new. I carried on down to the waterfront. The taxi rank has gone, as have the few parking spaces that people used for ferry pick ups.

Knowing that the bus station is heading for demolition adds a sad, dilapidated air to the place, even in the bright sunlight of a chilled winter morning.

Through the fence at the back of Gilkicker.

Obviously, we didn’t really do nothing. Simply by existing, you are doing something. But, what I mean is I didn’t really do anything big like going for a walk which I had every intention of doing, but then never got around to it.

I suppose I spent a bit of time on the computer doing something reasonably constructive, we watched a bit of television – oh, and we did some ironing. Not much just a few T-shirts.

Even dinner didn’t require a lot of effort seeing as we had prepared it yesterday, all we had to do was stick it in the microwave for a few minutes. Even now, just before bed and just before I typed this, I must have spent 10 minutes watching youtube shorts. Hardly a productive activity. I guess, at least I’ve done this blog.

Fort Gilkicker is one of the Palmerston Forts built in the middle 1860’s. In 1898 the seaward side of the fort was completely reconfigured by covering it in mound of soil.

The fort stayed covered in soil for over a century. I found out late last year the soil had been removed and the seaward side works exposed. Today was the first opportunity to get a closeup view. I have to say that it was disappointing that the barrier is still in place.

I do hope that it is not re-covered because the structure was really quite graceful;

I was quite taken also, by a drone hovering over the fort. It was hovering and quite stable. It was a very interesting walk.

Took this picture in Malta. I’m guessing it’s a fire boat. It gives me though, a link

To the weekend which is upon us. We had a plan, which has changed because Elayne is poorly, which is sad because we were going have some dear friends visit us, and that won’t now be happening.

I was planning to go into town tomorrow any way. It seems that like an absolute age since I last updated myself on the progress of the roadworks on the crossways. I’ll see what’s happening there.

The seafront awaits me I very much doubt that ha changed. It’s even longer since I walked out to the end of the Haslar marina pier wall and had a stroll along the promenade.

I thought around lunchtime I would pay a visit to the GAFIRS car park and walk out to Gilkicker Fort, which is currently naked. It has had all of the huge mound of dirt removed, so should be very interesting.

It has rained pretty much all day. Apart from a brief trip down the garden to check the weather stats (I missed yesterday) so it’s for the last 48 hours, and that delivered 27mm of rain.

I put some food out for the birds and adjusted the anti-pigeon measure, which because I had only two barriers instead of the three, they would be totally ineffective. I had a busy day, so didn’t get to see the birds enjoy breakfast. It didn’t take the squirrell long to appear though.

Talking of the weather, on Tuesday the pressure was 1014 mb (Sorry, but I can’t bring myself to use hectopascals) today, it was 990mb, that’s quite a drop. 

Apart from that, nothing exciting to report.

The picture, from our trip to Malta, bears no connection to today’s post.

It’s been raining today where we are. I was fortunate enough to be downstairs when the birds arrived. I hadn’t put any food out, but there must have been plenty left from yesterday as the pigeons were desperately trying to keep the starlings off.

Trouble is the starlings are persistent little so-and-so’s, they don’t give up and will wheedle in wherever they can. I also noticed that they were paying a lot of attention to the fatballs which they don’t normally bother with, I’m glad I topped it up the other day.

There was even a police line of starlings searching the lawn for evidence of worm sign. That’s the effect of rain, it brings the worms to the surface. Even the magpies were strutting over the veggie patch.

Even the wagtail put in a brief appearance. I still thinks he’s frightened by the garden furniture.

Whoever it was visiting us, they are always a real delight to see.

I watched a wildlife clip on YouTubeTube today. During the clip he used camera that caught my attention. I have had something like it before, but the model I had lacked two key features.

The first is power through a mini solar panel. Very interesting and useful, the second key feature is accessible via wifi so I wouldn’t have to retrieve the sd card every time. Both of these are making me think that I might get one.

I’d love set it up that it would cover the bird table, and if possible some of the garden as well, that would be really good. One problem I can foresee if the camera were too close to the bird table, the birds would Pooh all over it. Wretched beasties.

Another type of camera I would very much like is a meteor camera. These point at the sky (obviously) and take a picture whenever it detects a meteor. Now that would be interesting.

I’m not aware of Misty chasing birds. I can’t recall her ever bringing one in. Now, mice are a different matter we assume there’s a colony somewhere in the garden as every so often we’ll wake up to one laid on the carpet. Presumably for us to top up our larder but we aren’t here for mice today.

I looked out of the conservatory this morning, just in time to see a full squadron of pigeons take off from next door. I was a bit late putting bird food out today, so I hope the starlings got their fill. I love that the starling I go visit us. I feel guilty that not all of them get a full meal, but I do what I can.

I bought a box of 150 fat balls for the small birds, would you believe it? They won’t eat them! I’ve seen the very, extremely occasional small bird at them. But, as did the two blue tits that were in the garden they completely ignore them. The get partially eaten if I put them in the blender.

At the moment, I’m on mealworms and sunflower hearts which seem to go down quite well.

Magpies are beautiful birds, but they don’t always have a good reputation. We quite often get a couple of them in the garden, marching about like they own the place. They are nervous birds though,flying off at the slightest disturbance.

Then of course there is the grey wagtail. It has been with us for three years now. But it disappears off when we put the garden furniture out. It’s beautiful, and we love it, we do worry about it though.