Saturday 28 September 2019

The Last Saturday in September

It was good to get some rain at last during the week, far too late for plumping up apples or beetroot but it will help the trees. As usual we didn't get as much rain as other parts of the country, so no flooding, just muddy fields which will mean muddy roads as soon as the sugar beet harvest starts
There were enough dry spells to get some more garden clearing done, still rather a lot to do.

During the week I made a few jars of Redcurrant and Rosemary Jelly with the 3lb of redcurrants I got off the bush earlier in the year and fired up the bargain bread maker to try a malt-loaf. The instructions said "add sultanas at the bleeps during second kneading". I think the bleeps must have been much earlier in the programme than I thought, so I ended up with sultana-less malt loaf. Next time I'm going to swap the black treacle in the recipe for more malt to give it a bit more maltiness.

I've been dithering about ordering more peanuts etc. for bird feeding as it's getting quite an expensive business, costing over £200 in 2018 - for feeding all year round. Going out to top up the feeders was always Col's job and when I was feeling a bit down it seemed like just one more thing I had to do. Anyway I've not been feeding through the summer and wondered if I started again would the birds return? The feeding station was in the front garden, positioned for Colin to watch them from his chair but not in my direct eye-line so I moved it closer to the living room window, cleaned everything and filled up and waited. It didn't take long, first a Great Tit, then Blue Tits, followed by the Long Tailed Tits, Sparrows and finally the Coal Tit. Just waiting for the Goldfinches on the Niger seed. They do all fly off in a rush if Polly decides to sit on the window-sill but seem to know that she's behind glass and soon come back.............she quickly gets bored with watching anyway.
So fresh peanuts and some suet blocks have been ordered and they are coming with a free gift of pre-filled jumbo insect feeder - whatever that is.






Last weekend Needham Market boot sale was HUGE, Stonham Barns on Sunday was much smaller but between them I had some good book finds and a couple of other bargains.
Someone had a box with the sort of books I love and at 50p each I soon snapped up one about Wassailing, another called the Treasury of Tree Lore and The Spirit of the Hare.

Tom Tiddlers Ground was a good spot, luckily the spines of the Furrowed Middlebrow reprints are quite distinctive. It's another of these books from Dean Street Press that the library haven't bought for stock. I paid £1.
I was pleased to find a decent road play-mat to keep here for the grandchildren - paid £5 and it looks hardly used. I bought the doll feeding bundle for 50p and the Frontline for the cat - 5 doses in this box and well in-date for £3. The box labelled 'Start Saving Water in the Garden' is full of pouches of crystals and mats that hold water to add to containers for next years basket tomatoes. I expect they were originally given out for free although not from the water company here, but I was OK with paying 50p.


This week I am grateful for
  • A lovely quiet swim
  • Watching the birds feeding
  • My granddaughters close enough to see each week
  • Car boot bargains



Back Tomorrow with Michaelmas Folklore
Sue




26 comments:

  1. As always, you have found some amazing bargains.
    xx

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    1. Just occasionally amongst all the tat, there is something that will save me money!

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  2. Brilliant books, and the playmat is sure to get a lot of use. I love watching the birds feeding, but you are right, it gets jolly expensive.

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    1. I was so pleased the birds returned so quickly once I started feeding again. I've got enough feed for a few months now

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  3. The year just keeps on rolling on doesn't it! Digging up potatoes around here, the roads and tracks are a right mess.

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    1. I'm not sure if the sugar beet harvest has started yet, thought I heard the rumble of beet into a lorry the other day but haven't seen any giant heaps beside the road yet.

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  4. Filling the birdfeeders is now very expensive, and it's on my list of things to cut back on. My feeding station has to be taken down every time the winds blow over 45mph or else it bends at the base. This is happening all too frequently, and somewhat defeats the purpose. Also, when the wild west winds of winter blow the feeders go sideways and all the seed spills out, so wasting much and giving an interesting selection of things growing underneath in Spring!

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    1. I've just moved my feeder into the heavy cast iron parasol base that I have, hopefully it will be OK. Not quite so windy here in Suffolk. Luckily all the pheasants always pick up the seed on the ground

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  5. Interesting books and the water saving package is good - water crystals and capillary matting is not cheap to buy even in Wilkos.

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    1. I thought the matting and crystals would be good for next year's Cascade tomatoes

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  6. Some. Good buys again Sue. I remember my grandson had a play mat and had lots of fun with it. I am going to try and get some bird seed on line this year, I had a lot of sunflowers this year from the seed and they have been beautiful. The weather looks bad again I want to move a Clematis today.
    Have a nice weekend everyone.
    Hazel c uk

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    1. You have a good one too, Hazel :)

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    2. And I hope you have a better weekend than the weather forecast. Dry here so far - mid afternoon Saturday.
      I bought my Grandson a new playmat for his birthday or Christmas last year, this second-hand was a LOT cheaper!

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  7. Dear Sue
    I am so pleased that you decided to keep feeding the birds - they do rely on a steady supply of food, all year round, but particularly in the winter. It is an expensive outlay, but in my opinion, watching them more than repays the money spent and also knowing that you are helping to keep them alive.
    You always seem to find some good bargains - I am intrigued about the hare book - I love hares!
    Best wishes
    Ellie

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    1. I Feel guilty not feeding all summer, but it looks as if the birds have survived OK and I'll keep going all winter .
      The Hare book is fascinating. It's by Karen Cater and I just looked on Amazon where it's over £9!! so I'm pleased with that bargain!

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  8. I know its expensive to buy the bird food but they give so much pleasure in return don't they. Those suppliers know what they are doing sending a free jumbo feeder, probably takes a whole packet of bird food, lol
    I really miss going to the car boot but we both find it a real job now to walk around.
    Have a good weekend
    Briony
    x

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    1. The jumbo feeder has a jumbo suet block in it and so far the birds haven't even glanced at it! so I'm glad it was free!

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  9. We love the birds in our garden and like you order their food on line, cheaper and saves carrying it home.

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    1. I leave a wheelbarrow out the front of the house when I know the delivery will arrive then I don't have to carry anything. I can just about manage to lift the 12.5kg bag of peanuts into the storage bin.

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  10. It does cost a fortune to feed the birds Sue, doesn't it! The most expensive thing, I find, is mealworms. I've been feeding the birds all year and the mealworms go within minutes. Our Goldfinches go mad for the sunflower hearts here. You had a nice haul from the car boots this week. Those books look interesting :)

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    1. I found when I put out mealworms they just vanished so quickly, had to stop buying, so it's just peanuts, fat balls or suet blocks and mixed seed now

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  11. I am so pleased the birds have returned, I have been feeding all year round, but more have visited in the last week or so, they know the weathers changing, the chickens use to try and chase them off but they have given up now and the Robin goes right up to them and has a drink from their drinker and even goes inside their house. Lovely books, I don't read as often as I should but those are my kind of books, enjoy your reading.

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  12. I don't feed my birds in the summer, and due to the price of peanuts, didn't feed peanuts last winter either. Instead I ignored the mixed bird seed (so much waste with that, especially the sort I can afford) and just bought a sack of Sunflower hearts each time. No waste whatsoever with those, nothing growing underneath that I have to weed out in the spring, and all the birds come to them. I shall delay the feeders until it gets much colder as money is tight right now. I'm glad yours didn't take long to return. They bring such pleasure don't they? I saw a little Goldcrest in our Damson tree today - they nest somewhere at the bottom of the yard and we had a boy Goldcrest incandescent with rage at his reflection in mum's window last year! His good lady was not one jot bothered . . .

    I was delighted to see a dozen or fifteen Swallows from further North, feeding over the farm today on their way back to Africa. Cheered me up to see them.

    Love your choice of books - you had a lucky day with those.

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  13. Here in southern Australia I would love to have a bird feeder but as well as the pretty smaller parrots rosellas and the like it attracts the gorgeous and entertaining but naughty galahs and big sulphur crested cockatoos which tend to damage houses,fences etc so is very frowned upon by neighbours!

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  14. Some brilliant bargains here, especially the Frontline for Cats.

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  15. That Frontline was a HUGE bargain!! For 5 doses that would be around $100.00 in the US. When I had cats a few years ago I paid $20.00 per dose at the Vet's

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