Family Day!

It's really difficult for me to get any birding in at the moment, which is frustrating, but that's how it is. Looked at some care homes yesterday, not impressed with any yet – need to visit more. Watched 'The Revenant' on line last night – what an incredible film!!!

Spent today with all of my family for Mother's Day. Vivien took Mother out to Ringstead Nurseries (the only place Mother wanted to go). Lucy sat and supervised Father, whilst I made a start on removing all the willow branches and logs that a tree surgeon had left. My Mother paid a team of three tree surgeons to cut down a massive section of her weeping willow tree in late 2015 and asked them to cut it into 'manageable pieces'. I don't call branches that are around 15 ft long 'manageable'!!! Some I couldn't even drag and they had to be sawn into sections, before I could even move them. Those three men could have chainsawed those up in seconds – they wouldn't have left so quickly if I had been there! It took me around three hours to sort. Also cut some leylandi branches hanging over the greenhouse and finished up with my hair full of sawdust and covered in bits and pieces from head to toe, cut my thumb and ripped my trousers! My weekends are such fun at the moment!

Father was very emotional today, but generally quiet. Mother had received an exciting package of photographs from a distant relative last week, which included fabulous pictures of my father as a little boy, that none of us had seen before, pictures of his father Bert and a picture of Bert's Mother, of which none of us had seen this picture either! As Lucy and Vivien sadly pointed out though, who's going to have them after we have all gone, none of us have children to pass them on to, very sad indeed.

I had a phone call from Mother at 11.15pm saying father refused to get into bed again! I presume he has now, as I haven't heard any more. Roll on Easter, when I have booked some extra days off. Good Night!