SHETLAND BIRD NEWS, PHOTOS, BIRDING, LIFE AND MORE! MY 14th YEAR ANNIVERSARY 2024!


Ring RARE BIRD ALERT with your sightings to: 01603 456789 or Hotline: 0207 0382820 or Text: 07520 634324
All Bird News & Megas via The Rare Bird Alert Website – Subscribe To RBA For Detailed News & Much More!

OVER TEN MILLION VIEWS! If you would like to advertise here, please contact me at [pennyclarke@talktalk.net]

Sunday 2 August 2015

Lazy Summer Day!

I eventually crawled out of bed with the usual aching limbs from my walk to Blakeney Point yesterday. Another gloriously sunny day and I decided to spend it with my parents and sister Vivien. The traffic heading to the coast was insane – you have to leave early morning to avoid queueing to Hunstanton in the school holidays, but I didn't rise early and I was now paying the price. However, when I arrived at Heacham, I diverted through Ringstead and then had the road to myself!

I stuck to my diet all day and watched my parent's enjoying their posh fish 'n' chips at £6.50 each from the Thornham Farm Shop Fish 'n' Chip Restaurant and Take Away, whilst I had my salad lunch. Vivien had also bought her own food. We attempted to get Father outside in the wheelchair, but we just couldn't manage it, so he had to make do with sitting in the hall by the front door. Vivien discovered two balls of black fluff.... two tiny Moorhen chicks at the top of the garden learning to swim in the pond, very sweet.

Later on, whilst I was on Father watch.... Vivien hurriedly came into the house to say Mother had found a Banded Demoiselle in the garden. I flew to the car, grabbed camera and shot down the garden and managed to get some half decent shots as it perched on a weeping willow branch – they really are wonderful to see, with their iridescent blue wings. I spent most of my time helping Mother to prune her large Buddelias.

Vivien left to go for a walk along the prom at Hunstanton on her way home. I was going to Titchwell, but changed my mind at the last moment and decided to join Vivien in Hunstanton. As sisters we hardly ever spend any time on our own together, so this turned out to be a lovely evening. Hunstanton was packed out with day trippers and people watching the sun set over The Wash. Lots of gulls were loafing around on the roof of the Pier Entertainment Centre – mostly Black-headed Gulls, but also one Herring Gull and a couple of Great Black-backed Gulls. We reminisced back to our childhood and talked about the playground in the cliff top gardens where we used to play – there is a rocking horse type ride, which has been there since I was a toddler! The pitch 'n' putt next to the playground has a good variety of bushes and shrubs which can be good for migrants in Spring and Autumn, but today it only held House Sparrows chirping away and a Wood Pigeon. Also the water fountain with the bright orange fish swimming amongst the water lily's, has also been there forever, very fond memories of this, when walking through the gardens with my Grandmother Hess (my Father's Mother). Vivien and I ambled back to our cars and left to join more traffic to get home.

3 comments:

  1. Beautifully written Penny. So descriptive re the coastal events. Glad you had some sibling time.
    Take care David.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you David, much appreciated.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Penny...
    a collection of disjointed thoughts for you...

    Very glad you had the weather with you for the w/e...
    and were able to enjoy some family time...
    rather than struggle with it!
    It was also nice to read that you'd been able, at least to get your Dad to the open doorway...
    he would have enjoyed feeling a different air than one gets in a room... and hearing the outside world.

    I hate the 149... terrible road!
    Personally, I would have taken the long and winding road via Gayton and then up... it is also more attractive if you do get stuck!!

    Aren't baby moorhens wonderful... especially on land!
    I was pushing grass around with the mower two weeks ago and spotted a "blackbird" that came towards me as I pushed a pile.
    Odd that, thought I... injured?
    It did have a sort of waddle...
    no, not a blackbird... it was a lone moorhen chick.
    As it needed to be nearer water than it was, I put my hand down on the ground in order to 'herd' it on with my other...
    didn't need to... it waddled straight on and began peeping at me.
    "I'm not your mother!" I said to it and carried it to the long grass by the edge of the millstream and put it down...
    facing the water...
    "Peep away fluffball... mum will find you!"

    Far safer there than in a low grass open area...
    we've a sparrowhawk around at the moment!
    Nuff said!

    So glad you had some time to go back in time with your sister...
    I'd really love to get my bro out here... but he's not a good traveller... so I've resigned myself that he won't!

    Keep well,
    Tim

    ReplyDelete