The Retirement Thread

[monkers]

.........and I don't even like marmalade.

 

[Mo1959]

Forecast for today is light showers and wind up to 50 mph. Tomorrow heavy rain showers and winds up to 54 mph. My grass needs cut again as I seem to have a particularly fast growing strain on the front. I now know very little about grass but when I was a student many years ago I knew all about grass. How memory fades if you do not use it. The knowledge will be buried somewhere in my brain but so far down I cannot reach it.

Strange how that happens. I took higher accounts at school for some reason, never used it and have totally forgotten every single thing!

 

[Dave7]

No, it was the call. I often see and hear the Greater Spotted, but I'm sure it's the Green I am hearing.

Quite distinctive. https://www.british-birdsongs.uk/green-woodpecker/

Nice one.
I have never been able to say that but then again the nearest Greens to me (that I know of) are in Knutsford.......about 15 miles away. There must be some nearer but thats the place I know that you can see them.

 

[Mo1959]

Nice one.
I have never been able to say that but then again the nearest Greens to me (that I know of) are in Knutsford.......about 15 miles away. There must be some nearer but thats the place I know that you can see them.

I'm not too bad with bird spotting having grown up in the countryside. Much frowned upon now and illegal, but we actually collected birds eggs when we were young. Only ever carefully removed one, blew them out and displayed them in gorgeous divided wooden cases all named and under glass. Everything from swan down to the tiny little Goldcrest.

 

[pawl]

PS @monkers - as a recent arrival here you need to know Booth's is the UK's best and smallest supermarket chain. Largely we retain this secret to Lancashire though we have allowed the good folk in Cheshire to have one and those media types in Manchester. In fact I believe we have even been generous enough to allow that lot over the border a taste of Lancashire's finest .....😀

Hugely expensive and these days we can only afford to pop in for yellow label items and treats...... otherwise it's ALDI.

Your reference to Booths got the old grey cells firing.Did they sponsor a time trial a circuit of Windermere?

 

[Dave7]

I'm not too bad with bird spotting having grown up in the countryside. Much frowned upon now and illegal, but we actually collected birds eggs when we were young. Only ever carefully removed one, blew them out and displayed them in gorgeous divided wooden cases all named and under glass. Everything from swan down to the tiny little Goldcrest.

As kids we lived in the town of Wallasey (Wirral) but 65 years ago a one hour walk would get us into the country.
I also collected eggs though not seriously. I well remember walking the country lanes while checking the hedges for nests.
Sad to think they are so rare** now.
**though if you want some Sparrow eggs we have 100s of them nesting around our house and garden

 

[GM]

Morning all..Late again!...Haven't seen a Green Woodpecker for a long while, but we get flocks of Green Parakeets flying around.

Good afternoon peeps. Back from a lovely 5 mile walk in Hertfordshire partly along side the river Lea. Only two other people in sight.
View attachment 523885

Paul, is that up near Wormley? lovely around there for cycling!....did I ever tell you that my mum was Miss Broxbourne in her early 20's

 

[Dirk]

I'm not too bad with bird spotting having grown up in the countryside. Much frowned upon now and illegal, but we actually collected birds eggs when we were young. Only ever carefully removed one, blew them out and displayed them in gorgeous divided wooden cases all named and under glass. Everything from swan down to the tiny little Goldcrest.

I've still got a Swan's egg up in the loft somewhere.*

*Cue @classic33 asking why they were nesting up there.

 

[Mo1959]

Eeeeee by gum, it's getting a bit 💨 out there now.

 

[oldwheels]

I was given a display case of all sorts of exotic eggs sometime in the 1940's by Major Salveson who was my father's employer at the time. Sometime in later life I decided to get this back from my parent's house and discovered to my horror that he had dumped them all as they had become illegal due to some new legislation.

 

[Mo1959]

One band gone over. Nearly time for the next to arrive.

 

[Dave7]

I was given a display case of all sorts of exotic eggs sometime in the 1940's by Major Salveson who was my father's employer at the time. Sometime in later life I decided to get this back from my parent's house and discovered to my horror that he had dumped them all as they had become illegal due to some new legislation.

My Uncle had a glass case of butterflies. All pinned with wings out. As a kid I was fascinated. Now, my stomach turns at the thought.

 

[PaulSB]

Your reference to Booths got the old grey cells firing.Did they sponsor a time trial a circuit of Windermere?

I've never heard of this but they have always been known for community involvement and have a large Windermere store so it would seem a real possibility.

 

[Dirk]

@Dave7 - will be doing a stealth drive by of Ocean Heights this morning on my way to taking doggie for a walk at Mortehoe.

 

[Paulus]

Morning all..Late again!...Haven't seen a Green Woodpecker for a long while, but we get flocks of Green Parakeets flying around.
View attachment 524036




Paul, is that up near Wormley? lovely around there for cycling!....did I ever tell you that my mum was Miss Broxbourne in her early 20's

No John, near to Essendon. Do you know where the Candlesticks pub is at West End?
It is a nice walk down the fields from there.