Water on tap

A week has gone by and the weather does not improve. As I write, it's blowing half a gale outside and raining to boot. This means two things - I haven't caught much in the way of birds and the kitchen refurbishment has moved on and we now have the water reconnected. The cupboards are also in and primed and the worktop is on and useable. Right now, it's time to tile! plus another coat of paint after the evening meal has finished.

I was Shanghaied by David Ballance to attend a meeting of the Exmoor Bird Monitoring Project at the National Park's offices in Dulverton. Who should also be present, representing the Devon atlassing team, but Paul Madgett, an old friend from Bedfordshire now living in Braunton. Going there, I took the scenic route (main roads & River Exe) and viewed the autumn colours of the Beeches and Hornbeams towering over the road. Returning cross-country over the tops, I was held up for a while by a farmer and his flock of ewes. Such are the joys of Exmoor.


Back to the bird-ringing. In a word, "Duff". Three snatched moments at dawn while the wind/rain had abated yielded a mere 6 birds, of which 5 are garden 'residents' - Blue Tit (2), Long-tailed Tit (1), Blackcap 1 [a 1cy male], Blackbird (1) & Robin (1). This is the 6th Blackcap in as many weeks.

Now a couple of progress photos to shew that I've not been slacking the rest of the time.

We are getting there and apart from a few finishing touches (gloss coat and varnish, knobs and some external plumbing) it should be a working kitchen again before I leave for the BTO conference at Swanwick (Derbys) on Friday.