Travels with my camera

Few things to catch up on first, not much that's very exciting or worth mentioning really that's why I've not written before. Main thing of note is that my old laptop finally decided enough was enough and refused to boot up on Saturday. Spent all day trying to get it going with the help of some wonderful guys on digitalspy computing forum, to no avail. It was suggested that I may be able to retrieve the stuff from my hard disk by buying a device that you can plug into the usb socket on my new one, so I did this on Sunday, and thankfully it worked. Serves me right for taking my time really and not transferring what I wanted sooner. Good thing though is that this new device just acts like an extra hard disk, I don't actually have to transfer the stuff, I can just click on what I want, like my music or photos when I want them, so I in effect have increased my hd on here by another 20GB to 80GB YAY! The only thing you can't save is the emails in Outlook Express, I think they don't actually go onto your hard disk, they are stored elsewhere in the computer. In a way it was lucky I had something to do on Saturday, because the weather was horrendous, lashing rain and gales all day, never went out except to do the birds and got soaked each time.

Sunday was better, went to town and bought the above device, went to McDonalds (again, tut) and then took Emma round the reservoirs - that place is just so handy, lovely walk, sheltered, peaceful, interesting, and for Emma - water, whoopee! She was so funny. Because of the rain, the bits she can get in were a little deeper than before, but she got in anyway. Now she doesn't like to swim or go out of her depth, but the water came right up to her chin, so she was like walking along snorting like mad like she does when she is panicking, her ears floating, and it looked just like she was swimming, lol.

Yesterday, Pat came for the day as her car was having pre-Mot work doing, and we went to Newcastle Emlyn, took dogs round the Castle and then had lunch in the riverside cafe which was nice. The weather is so strange at the moment, it's very grey and overcast, but so warm, (not complaining) T-shirt weather, but occasionally need a jacket cos it pees down with rain!

I'm just back from the vets with Ryan. He's still pretty much the same, he doesn't actually appear ill apart from his snotty nose, and the occasional shuddering breath. He is eating like a horse, last night he ate a whole chicken drumstick (minus the bones and grotty bits *puke* ) and a 100g cat food portion, plus lots of peanuts, sunflower hearts, suet pellets and sultanas! He's eating more than Snuffles did when I had him here ill, and he's only half the size. Today was the bad day where he has to have 3 injections, poor little bugger. Have to go again tomorrow and Thursday with him, but he just has one each time then.

I got my appointment through from the Hospital for the hearing assessment - the letter came the next morning after I called in! How's that for speed? It's for the 19th September. I had to go to the doctors for something yesterday, so had her check my ears first because they need to make sure you ain't bunged up with ear wax (ergggh) All clear, so I am just half-deaf. Great. Doc thinks I won't be put on the bottom of the list, but will probably get my hearing aid in about 2 to 3 months after the appointment, so something to really look forward to then!

Okay now to the sad decision bit. I bet you are all dying to know what it is, and have probably scrolled through the above bit, so eager to find out. Well it's no joking matter really, but I have decided to stop putting food out for the birds all day every day. The reason for this is I have been so upset this past few days now, having to pick up the thousand feathers from poor Collared Doves that the Sparrowhawk is picking off at will here. I know Hawks have to eat, but I just find it too distressing for words. Three afternoons running I have come home and found feathers in various parts of the garden, huge clumps of bloody feathers. Cleared them up as best I could, so that I don't have to keep thinking about it, and then this morning, at 8 oclock went out to let the chickens out and there was another load by my back door. The hawk is taking them in flight, they have no chance.

Apart from that, I have now had three sick greenfinches again, huddled and puffed up, and have read that trichomonias is setting in, and I can't go through all that like last winter again. So sadly I have come to the conclusion that the pleasure I get out of watching the birds in my garden is outweighed by the stress I get from seeing them suffer. And of course there is the expense, I spend around £20 a week at least, it could even be £30 feeding wildlife, I really must cut back on that anyway, I'm nbot wealthy by any means.

Now of course I shan't stop entirely, I intend to still have three peanut feeders, one of fat balls and the sunflower heart one, (the new silver one I bought last week,) but I am doing away with the window feeders, the bird tables and the ground feeders which have the wild bird seed out all day, and the sunflower heart carousel that is up the top of the garden. I feel sad, but if I gradually do it now whilst it's still warm and there should be natural food around, it won't be so hard. For the time being I shall just halve what I am putting out, then do it only once a day. My two chickens aren't eating that much now, and I shall just give them a dish of food first thing and in the afternoon, and I shall put out a handful or two of sunflower hearts on the ground and some suet pellets for the robins and dunnocks a couple of times a day too, but no more non-stop food supplies so that birds are hanging round here from dawn to dusk. In all honesty, I hardly see them anyway now, it's mainly the jackdaws, doves and finches and sparrows that need to look elsewhere, the tits and other little 'uns will still get some food. If there's no big birds here, hopefully the hawk will sod off elsewhere. The birds are so nervy at present, the slightest movement and they are instantly off, so I'm not seeing them anyway, and it's only going to be a matter of time before I see that hawk actually taking a bird, and I can't bear that, I've seen and heard it a few times before, and the screams of those birds is just too awful to bear. It's also going to help slightly with the feeling of being tied here too, in fact if I didn't feed the birds here, my friend would have the two chickens for a few days, and the birds in my aviary could survive for at least 4 days with extra food and water without suffering, so it's the bird and hedgehog feeders which are my main tie as it is, so I would be able to get away to see my mum a bit more often I think without having to rely on anyone else. Oh well, wish me luck. I don't like it much, but I think it's for the best.