BELATED JANUARY BITS AND PIECES

I sincerely apologise for the amount of material in this post. I've already edited out a lot of other stuff, even at this stage. So, here are January's bits and pieces. Prepare for snow.....

Christmas card?

Everyone loves snow:

This is a section of a cow's spine in Jack's mouth; lovely.

First ever picture of a fox on the moor here....it was a long way off:

Our very own glacier:

Snow bath:

Long shadows:

The snow in the garden lasted for weeks and if it's not raining, the washing goes out:

A couple of phone pics:

Tertia:

That lovely Dun pony:

Another bone being gnawed:

Hawthorn berries with all sorts of different lichen:

More frost flowers:

A frosty morning opposite OB's school

Frost trees:

Dawn skies:

I have nowhere to work where there's any light, so resort to drawing standing up in the kitchen...please note the trusty rubbing shield on the drawing board! Phone picture, hence appalling quality. OB's origami butterflies are hiding a crack in the glass; functional AND beautiful.  

Half term is dragging a bit. Only a term and a half left until OB leaves primary school for Okehampton College. Terrifying on so many levels. He's really trying to be more independent but finds it SO difficult. He'll be eleven in a few weeks and wants a guitar. He's teaching himself how to play a half size one that he was given years ago in the hope of musical interest, of which there was none bar the odd tuneless strum. I had it tuned to thirds to make it sound better but he's really getting the hang of it now and uses some kind of tuning app on his i-pod and is writing music. Way beyond me as usual. Another Aspergers related talent. I may be rambling a little as my blood sugar is a bit low thanks to an over enthusiastic insulin injection after supper and I'm currently quaffing some vanilla flavoured milk....liquid ice cream really, which kills two medical birds with one stone: sugar to raise the sugar levels and calcium for the dodgy bone density. Time to hassle OB up to bed so, until next time, here are the snow dogs, or at least I hope they're here as I'm having serious problems loading pictures. This should have been published two days ago....have a lovely weekend all. 

A GOOD WEEK FOR BIRDS

This juvenile Peregrine (probably male according to our local Peregrine expert) is just about the most exciting sighting I've had in a long time. I took this from about 100 yards away so it's not as sharp as I would like, but I'm just so pleased to have got anything. This is the second sighting but the first picture that confirms its identification. 

Almost as exciting, on a gloriously sunny Monday, was this Willow Tit. The reason I'm so sure about it being a Willow rather than Marsh Tit, is that it was singing; I saw it singing and was clear on the song coming from its beak. I ran the couple of hundred yards home and went straight to Google and compared recordings of both birds. It was unmistakable. I was about to claim two birds on the RSPB red list but have just discovered the Peregrine is on the green list. Great news, but not what I was expecting. The Willow Tit definitely is though. 

Having thought our Buzzard pair, who had two surviving chicks, had gone forever, it appears they, or another pair, are back in our shelter belt. I've seen them a few times now and am hoping they nest here again this year.

Here, I managed to get both of them as they chased each other and appeared to be playing in the sky. 

Just after the Peregrine sighting, I saw these two Canada Geese flying over. I can't say I've ever seen any up on the moor before.

This crow was sitting in a tree at the end of the garden and, for once, didn't fly away as soon as I came anywhere near it.

I love this. Strictly not this week.....a couple of weekend's ago when the snow was at its deepest on the road.

House Sparrow on the barricade built to try and contain Jack. Nothing is working there and I think we need to think along the lines of Colditz.

Trigger's Magpie friends:

A Meadow Pipit (I think) flying off

Stonechats. The first picture was nearly deleted but then I noticed him flying towards the camera

Robin:

And a metal bird for good measure. At least it has a wildlife based name. A Lynx Wildcat. 

Brilliant news from Great Ormond Street a couple of days ago. Devon CAMHS are sending both their child psychologists up to London at the beginning of March to observe OB's five ,hour long CBT sessions so they will be able to learn how its done, and help other Tourettes sufferers in this area. AT LAST. It took many phone calls from GOSH and a letter which I haven't read but was sent a copy of the reply from the head of Devon CAMHS which contained a sincere apology for the lack of communication. How long has it taken? Too long, but there's no point in doing anything but looking forwards. 

So, until next time, which should be the MANY bits and pieces from January that are really stacking up, here are those naughty boys fighting over a stick in the snow. The snow which was still two inches thick all over the garden until today. Have a great weekend everyone.