What are you doing today?

[Grandad]

I am still following the foxes activity. Normally at this time the cubs, if any, would be born but still in the earth, not normally emerging until well into April. We put some chicken scraps out last night and I have put together just a few of the many 20 second clips. The vixen is in evidence but what are those various sounds towards the end of the vid. BTW, I had not changed the clock so all times are one hour behind.
I had to do this via Youtube because I don't have any success via the E4U upload process.

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[LovelyLadyLux]

Good video Grandad. I always love seeing your foxes. I wish you still had the albino squirrels too.

I've thought about a trail cam and I inherited two super prickly rose bushes from the daughter. They were totally overgrown when they bought they house, cut them down repeatedly and these two are so vigorous they easily could put on 20' a year. When they had to replace their fence they asked if I wanted them as they're seemingly indestructible and I said yes. They're now planted on my back fence. My plan is to zip tie on of them onto the dead arbutus tree and the other to train along by back fence. If it takes it will make that part of the yard impenetrable from the trail down below.

My plan then is to possibly mount a trail cam on the fence but well out of the reach of anybody spying it and then taking it. Sadly THEFT is rampant here. I'm even considering bringing in my front wood patio set as I can see people absconding with it - even my plants. We don't get killings and murders like the USA but we sure do get theft and vandalism.

Anyway - that is just a though and the roses have taken here so I'm hoping to get them growing up the fence soon and if they grow like at my daughters house not only will I get gorgeous multiple red roses I'll also get a prickly barrier that would work well on Trumps southern border between the US & Mexico.

Today here is Good Friday so lots of businesses closed as it is a 4 day weekend. Already the Ferries are full and I'm getting service delay notices.

IF IF IF it would stop raining for a day I'd get the lettuce planted out back along with the onions and peas. We've had a couple sunny days but overall the weather has stayed cold and just not quite nice enough to get anything out there. I'm HOPING all frost is past but just keeping my fingers crossed on that one.

Garden centers are open hoping to sell those white lilies for Easter. Might go cruise them to see what else they're selling (or not).

Cleaned and set up the hummingbird feeder again this morning. Now that the plants have started to flower the hummers are not frequenting the feeders as much.

[Grandad]

Right now we are expecting our daughter to call round to show us her new car.....sadly her husband will have to drive until her arm is mended

[Horus]

Still busy on the chicken coop I have the basic

[Ruby Slippers]

We are in the middle of a food crisis! The chest freezer in the workshop has defrosted itself ( I don't know how!) and all the meat etc. is soft!

[Horus]

I had that happen to me, a panic order to Curry's for a replacement saved the day, but kept the lid closed all the time.

[Mad Dilys]

Poor Ruby! You have my sympathy.

My DH thought he'd borrow the extension lead in the dairy which was connected to a 6ft chest freezer. He put it back but didn't turn it on.

Amongst other things there was the butchered and bagged hindquarter of a Limousin heifer, and all of it completely defrosted and by the smell "on the turn".

I made a pyre of straw bales logs and anything that would burn to get rid of it.

The man in question was at work when I found the freezer off and he just looked very surprised and gave a brief "Sorry" when I taxed him with the work and waste he had caused.

The Pyre wasn't the only thing smouldering for the next week.

[LovelyLadyLux]

Today the daughter, son-in-law and troops are coming over for Easter. They're visiting with me inside while their parents hide Easter eggs with candy in them about my back yard. They'll then claim they saw the Easter Bunny run through (it is really only Aislyn who still believes in the bunny as the twins are wise to it BUT they do love the treats!)

My yard with the sheds and levels has many more places to hide eggs than does their yard so they'll be here to hunt this afternoon.

Having a freezer fail is a major downer! Particularly if everything is thawed. I've never had it happen but the daughter did a few years back as they'd inherited a small freezer from somebody in her husband's family. Worked well for about a year 'til it didn't. Nor did they discover it until it was too late I have a freezer (although I'm not too sure why)

As for chickens - I like what is known here as Dual Purpose (meat + eggs) Production birds. I like RED Stars. The last 3 ladies I had starting laying at 14 weeks and each one laid 1 egg/day every day. I was able to give the eggs to all the neighbours and have way more than I could ever use. Chickens are definitely fun and I love to watch the hierarchy. I named them and periodically let them out to wander about. I also spent some time creating interesting things for them to eat i.e. they loved to peck away at a large cabbage suspended on a string, would take them quite a while to eat out a pumpkin etc. They do get bored and if boredom is severe they can start to amuse themselves at the expense of the lowest man on the totem pole who could end up losing tail feathers.

My ladies also become my recycling bin and I gave them all my table scraps (except bones). They loved them. Had them trained to come to me soon as I banged the tin pan I'd take the scraps out to them in.

[Grandad]

Invited for lunch with #1 son, his wife and daughters with their boyfriends. All very enjoyable with chocolates and easter eggs exchanged all around.

Most interesting to me was the car that my son has at present as his company car. It is a Hyandai iONIQ plug-in hybrid. An extremely nice large family car, automatic, with a very efficient dual fuel system. But what I found intriguing was the Lane Departure Warning System. Using this, the car drove most of the 8 miles without my son touching the steering wheel.

I know this system is becoming more common in new car design but it was my first experience of the system and it is a step towards driverless cars or, at least, driver present automatic driving.

[LovelyLadyLux]

@Grandad - I've not even seen one of those cars yet but 'wow' I don't know if I could trust driving in a car and not grab the steering wheel. I don't think I even want to be a passenger in a car without somebody driving it. Maybe I'm a chicken but I dunno.

I'll grant the technology is amazing and probably the wave of the future but there are so many variables one faces when driving down a road I kinda like the idea of having a person with good sense in charge and an ability to actually assess what is happening on the road.

Talked to the daughter in Quebec this morning and I told her today would be a good day as the sun was shining and we talked about me planting the garden. After hanging up within an hour it turned to rain and then actually SNOWED for about 20 minutes and now it is back to the sun shining! My lettuce plants are saved!

I also have two of these Christmas cactus that have decided to bloom for me for Easter. They also flowered a few months ago at Christmas so was fairly surprised to see them flowering again now. Mind they're not flowering heavily but a few flowers are nice.

[Grandad]

@LovelyLadyLux
LLL, this LDWS is intended as an alarm system if the sensors detect that the vehicle is leaving a lane ie. if the driver was nodding off. You get an alarm but my son let the vehicle go on its own to show how well it would follow well marked lanes. Like many cars today it also has proximity sensors that slow or stop the vehicle if too close to a vehicle in front. My other sons Mazda6 has that feature among others.
My point really is that there is continual use of technology to improve vehicle safety BUT in the very long term I am sure we will have driverless vehicles. That was set back just recently when a pedestrian was killed by such a vehicle in the USA.

[LovelyLadyLux]

@Grandad - yes I saw the clip on the news (which didn't add to my own trust level). Am sure come the future there will be driverless vehicles too.

[Mad Dilys]

I've discovered that Wallace and Grommit films are showing in TV in the morning so doing paperwork and writing this while watching with one eye.

I've seen them all before but they still have moments of absurdity that make me laugh out loud.

They showed W&G in Egypt a few years ago and they were hugely popular with the adults, like me.

Bless Nick Park and his team for spreading laughter without crudity or spite.

[Horus]

They are absurdly funny and Peter Salis had the perfect voice.
As for myself I am still busy working on wait for it .................. Cluckingham Palace as my daughter has named it
Every day it gets a little better and I keep incorporating new ideas into the design and to be honest I am enjoying making it. So far I have managed to scrounge or salvage most of the stuff. My son brought me a load of 70mm x 70mm square rough sawn lengths of timber off some pallets they had received some goods on and I cut it all down to 35mm square on my bench saw to make the frame work. Then between us we have managed to get together enough wood screws, hinges, handles, marine ply for the roof plus a roll of roofing felt, I even have a piece of 5mm thick clear polycarbonate for a window, for sure Cluckingham Palace will be a work of art.

[Grandad]

You won't need a run H, they won't want to come out of their cumfy abode.

I just brought the trail cam in to clean it and reset the date. Two bunnies are on their way so a special treat this evening. I still think the sounds I heard the other evening are cubs so I will see what I get this evening.

I nearly lost my sport cam on Saturday. Louis and his mum and dad are off to France for a week tomorrow at a centre park and Louis rather fancied using it on the water slides etc. I told him I need it for fox watching but I believe his dad will get him one. He has a new bike and would like to video his off road tracking.

As for Nick Park, I have always enjoyed Chicken Run. So brilliantly funny.

[LovelyLadyLux]

We're at close to freezing here temperature-wise right now. Hopefully it will warm up a bit so my lettuce plants won't freeze (really wondering why I bothered to put them out that early but usually here it is ok).

Today is a half holiday in that gov't & banks are closed but most everybody else open. Last day for kids to be off school as they've been off for the past two weeks between spring break, teacher break & Easter. They will also be going a week longer at the end of the school year so the teachers can get the break now.

Not too sure what I'm going to do today. Roads will be super busy with everybody coming home today & tomorrow.

[Horus]

We have just had the Easter Holiday weekend and as usual it was a washout weather wise The actual Bank Holidays here are Good Friday and Easter Monday, but many people take the Monday and Tuesday and shops just close on the Sunday as a rule with most DIY and liesure outlets staying open. Here in the UK Easter usually signals the start of the years activities as usually the weather has warmed up a little, but this year we are still getting a lot of wet and very cold weather although Easter is early this year.

[Grandad]

One of the jobs that I had to concede i could no longer do was cleaning the windows. A friend recommended her window cleaner and he comes around every five weeks. He came this morning and did all windows and doors and wiped all frames and cills clean in just 10 minutes for a tenner. He has to work quite hard to do the lot in that time and I could never match that even when I was fit.
Just another job like cleaning the gutters and pressure cleaning front and rear, that I now pay to have done.

[Mad Dilys]

I've made a support for my Mandevilla that I nursed through the winter. It got down to only one leaf left at one point and then new tiny shoots came that quickly died off.

However it now has two strong shoots. The biggest one is growing at 2" or more a day and now touches 6 ft. There are flower buds forming and one even showing colour. I love that plant so much.

My daughter's oldest dog had to be put to sleep yesterday. He was a mature rescue Spaniel mix that she had for over 10 years, estimated age was 16 years. I've been thinking of him a lot recently, always with a smile and chuckling.

He was nicknamed Dirty Dog and tried to find a new way of earning the title every day of his life, but his redeeming feature was his cheerful nature and love of life in spite of being run over twice and suffering one health problem after another. R.I.P. Buster.

[LovelyLadyLux]

Am heading down to the Therapist for the deep acupuncture. Has worked quite well in helping my hip and I'd give it an 80% improvement. Wish it would go for the next 20% but not sure it ever will.

All the kids are now back to school. The teachers took spring break plus another week plus the long weekend so nobody has been in school for the past 2 weeks. Guess the teachers all wanted a 2 week holiday away to get a break from the little guys. Means the world is now back to normal.

It didn't freeze last night but the temperatures really got down there. Usually Easter weekend signals time to plant and all the garden centers are full but we're staying wet and cold here too. It is ok for the onions and pea seeds but just a bit too cold for the lettuce to be going.

@Grandad - you've reminded me it is time for house cleaning and your price is an excellent price for window cleaning. Wish it was similar here. Our guys tend to only come once a year ($225 up). Guess I need to start thinking about finding them.