Travels with my camera

Well I just hope all the people that wanted some "rain for the garden" are now satisfied. It's bloody pissed down on and off for days here, and my garden is back to a squelchy muddy mess, which means either wiping the dog's feet every time she comes in the door, and removing my shoes (and I go in and out probably 20 times a day) or putting up with a filthy floor and marks on the carpets and rugs. Guess which option???

I woke up this morning to the sound of torrential rain. It was falling off my back porch like Niagara. I went out dressed up in my wax coat with the hood up to discover that the hedgehogs had returned in the night, moved the board and bit of perspex which was covering my webcam, and the rain was on the cam. I haven't dared test it yet, wiped it off and hope for the best, but knowing the sort of luck I am having lately, I don't expect much.

Everyday this week, the weather has been awful and cold in the mornings, and I've gone out with several layers of clothes either on or with me, and it's then turned out hot by about 3pm and I've been boiling in a t-shirt. Also a problem when popping into shops with Emma in the car.

I ran into an old friend in Morrisons car park yesterday and we got chatting and he told me about another walk I can take Emma on when I am in Carmarthen, sounds great, didn't even know it was there, so can't wait to take a look next time I am down that way.

Everything sorted at last with the Nokia too. I got all my money back yesterday for the bluetooth device from PC World and the cable from the Orange shop, and sent my memory card back to the dealers on eBay for a refund. I then took lots of advice from a couple of places in Carmarthen and bought a 512MB card, which after a heart-stopping, item throwing, swearing my head off moment, finally got to work and have downloaded two cds onto it (using a usb card reader) and there's room for probably 4 more. Hooray, at least thats one problem out of the way for now. And the bluetooth is fine for downloading off the camera to the laptop too, what a relief.

Took some pictures on the walk behind Morrisons, the place was alive with pretty little blue butterflies. Shame that I didn't have my main camera, as these were the placid variety that you could get close to, I could have got some great shots, the camera on the phone doesnt do clear close ups, but still.

I am still thinking about what to do with the rats, thanks everyone for your kind comments and offers of help on my previous post. I am still loathe to poison, its such a horrible death, but I think in the end it's going to be my only option. I am going to try and put up with it for a couple more months, till the hedgehogs have hibernated at least. Also with the cold weather coming, it does tend to kill off some of the rats naturally I think, I never notice so many of them around in winter. I've moved my sunflower heart feeder from the area near the kitchen, up to the main feeding area by my aviary. Enough was enough yesterday when I was preparing my tea, to see two rats in the lilac bush, hanging on the feeder eating my sunflower hearts! Not four feet from my face thank you. I was livid, they picked the wrong time anyway as I had just had a tantrum about the phone card. I went out with the hosepipe and ran it full blast down their hole in the bank!

Anyway a few pictures taken with the phone, I need to clean out the aviary really today, can't see me doing much else, it's horrible outside.

Oh the one of Emma here shows her particularly piggy face as we were waiting in the McDonalds drive-thru!