Weekend Update!

An extremely busy weekend, but alas no birding. Vivien & Ray, Lucy and myself started Saturday off with a very nice full breakfast at Tesco in Hunstanton at 8am. We then spent the entire day at our parent's house in Holme, clearing rubbish from the garden and emptying both large sheds and filling a massive skip, that Vivien had ordered and had delivered on Friday. Ray did a very good job of packing the skip – I don't think there were any gaps left at the end! Vivien and Ray stayed in a B&B in Hunstanton, in order to spend a second day at the house. We all met up for a lovely evening meal at Northgate Indian Restaurant in Hunstanton and then Lucy and I returned to King's Lynn. Slept well!

Today, Vivien, Ray and I returned to the house for round two! We burnt loads of wood that I had advertised free, but nobody bothered replying to my adverts. Richard B had already taken a massive wooden crate that the cat used to sleep in, which will now be used as an owl box (owl and the pussycat springs to mind!). Ray cut down all the massive buddleias that mother had planted in the road years ago! I had been putting off doing this, as sentimentally I didn't want them cut down at all, but they needed to go. We were not able to park in front of the house because of these, plus IF we sell the house, someone else will get rid of them anyway.  I dragged all the buddleia through the garden and stacked behind the big willow tree – I lost count of how many times I dragged stuff through the garden! Vivien was fire chief! Sold my father's Bembo tripod this morning to the father of an east coast birder – nice to know its gone to a good home!

Thousands of Pink-footed Geese flying over us all afternoon which was beautiful, however four Common Buzzards circling overhead in clear blue skies were the highlight for me. Mother's local Robin has been following me around all weekend and was very happy when I topped up the bird table with seed and cleaned the bird ponds out. Vivien and Ray left around 3.30pm and I carried on clearing up from the mass buddleia cull! Gary H. turned up to collect some items I had sorted for Alison and then a bit later Sophie turned up to collect a box of goodies I had for her too, including some old bird rings I had found amongst father's nail and screw box. Tina, one of the neighbours turned up to ask how I was, which was nice of her. I continued sweeping up all the mess until after dark and then went back in the house and had a coffee and sort out in the house.

John F. phoned me to ask if I had been let out yet.... I hadn't got a clue what he was going on about! John obviously hadn't realised that I had not been in King's Lynn all day and he told me there had a been a major 'Chemical' incident in King's Lynn – see here!!! I had turned the water back on for the weekend and went outside to turn it off just before I left. The handle in the stopcock would not turn off completely, however hard I tried to turn it on and off several times – it wouldn't budge any further and I have only manged to turn it off by about 97%! Oh well! I returned home wearily to King's Lynn. Phew!