Apart from my weekend outings to fascinating places, I’ve still been going to work and taking pictures when I get chance, the cats still strike a good pose now and then, and hubby still buys me flowers to photograph as a surprise.

So here are a few non-historic bits and bobs before I move on to the day trip to the Farne Islands.

The cats are thriving, sort of, when they’re not puking up, which is a common occurrence. They drive us mad mostly, we are not used to such needy beings! Cats are supposed to be self sufficient more or less, eat their grub, chase a bird in the garden then sleep for 10 hours.  Skye is just bonkers at wanting to play, wanting tickles, wanting to sit on Phil’s knee when ever he sits down, she goes out the front window, comes in the side cat flap, goes out the back window comes in through the conservatory door, but she is SO cute.

Storm is not so needy and also doesn’t bother going out. That’s because the food bowl is inside, and the cuddles at reading time. She lives for mealtimes, and starts yowling at you for about an hour before dinner time & has to have a snack to keep her from driving us insane. If I’m at the table reading she’ll jump up and plonk herself in the curve of my arm or sit on the newspaper so I can’t read, so I now read on a stood up iPad so she can have her tickles and I can read my book!

So they are keeping us busy/exasperated/entertained. 🙂

My lovely hubby bought me some beautiful flowers, which were photographed extensively for my SX70 project, the best one of them in the batch

But I also used them to test out my new 50-230 lens, the flowers are in my conservatory and I was in the dining room!

Phil decided to mow the lawn at the weekend, but I wanted to photograph a daisy patch that has appeared on it, and he mowed round them so I could photograph them in the evening light (best hubby ever!)

we also had our 1st BBQ of the year

and talking of food, Phil cooked breakfast and find a double yolk, that’s lucky!

and I cooked Sunday lunch.

Last week I took some shots of a poppy field near Hexam, and made a panorama

That one’s better clicked on. I did the pano in PS, even though LR can now do them, I think I prefer the PS way, not quite as quick, but more options.

Finally summer kind of arrived, and my Happy Eater tree has had quite a few new visitors which has been exciting, lots of youngsters I haven’t seen before.

Was surprised that Daddy Blackbird is still feeding his chicks, especially as  they are both bigger than him now!

I am pretty sure this is a juvenile bullfinch, I had to look on the RSPB bird identifier and it’s the only similar one. It’s about 4 years since I saw an adult bullfinch on my tree, he came for 3 days and never returned, so it is exciting if this is indeed one. Fingers xt.

This was a wow to see 2 of them at the feeder, I do get them now and again, they usually go for the niger seed I have especially for them, but these two are happy with common or garden (what a daft phrase) birdseed.

Another wow was to see a young one 🙂 🙂

another first! Crap, I’m turning into a twitcher!!! I don’t know why it’s exciting to watch birds on the Happy Eater Tree, I probably need therapy.

SO that’s Fraggles life when not being historical, (or hysterical when it comes to the cats).

Laters Gaters

😉