Things that have made you happy today 2025

Went for a walk and came back with some mushrooms, now cooking with the chicken

 

Is the chicken a good cook @Jiffy?

 

In the past, when I cleaned the greenhouse, I used the hosepipe to get the final cleaning inside and outside. That's why I didn't clean it in late Spring/Summer time to save water.
Because of the hosepipe ban, I put the hosepipe into the shed when it started raining 10 days ago.
This time, I only used washing up liquid to clean it in and out side and applied the window cleaner directly.
I have never had such clean windows as this time. I'll keep that in mind for the next time.

Disadvantage: I woke up at 1 o'clock and had pain in my arms and fingers from this non-typical hard work.

 

It cooked very well and very tasty

 

I went to a not-far-away town and didn't see any pigeons - Not one single pigeon did I see !
There's usually lots there and I have to zig-zag from one side of the road to the other, in order to avoid them, because they don't fly away like proper birds ... (bird phobia )
but today I could walk in a straight line and it took less time to go around

 

Always nice when something goes better than you anticipate, @Michael Hewett.

I had an appt with a new hygienist today. Oh my, what a relief. The previous one was really bossy and always insisted on running through every single tick-box on her screen before torturing me for the requisite 20 mins. This new one was a breath of fresh air. Didn't want to check every detail of every tee-pee I've ever owned before starting ... and was much gentler! The only moment of pain was the cost! £72!

 

That's a very good reason to be happy, I'm happy for your moment of happiness @Michael Hewett Phobias and even just dislikes can be very hard to cope with.

Perhaps the word has gone around in the local bird community and from now on the birds are giving you are respectful distance? "Oooo... look, it's Mr Hewett there, everybody on your best behaviour now! " I'm remembering a book from Terry Hatchett where a truck driver was cursing that it's always raining, but it turns out he was a God figure for rain clouds who adored him and followed him everywhere

 

I'll not post a pic of my latest garden resident @Michael Hewett , due to your phobia, but the young wood pigeon I rescued from outside the back garden a few days ago, is doing well and is even poking around the ground, so hopefully he'll be able to fend for himself quite well soon. He still can't fly, but he can flutter enough to get up on the nest box and raised beds, so I'm hoping that will improve. He's vulnerable to certain animals just now, so I've got the water scarecrow set up at the likeliest spots of entry, and I've blocked other holes, so I'm crossing my fingers that he can get through the next month or so without coming to harm. The Mum is feeding him, and Dad seems to be around too, but they're obviously novices at this breeding malarkey!
We have a very large opopulation of woodies all around here, but I couldn't just have let him get attacked and eaten when I was able to help a little bit.
Re your phobia Michael, have you ever thought of getting some cognitive behaviour therapy for it? It's such a shame you can't get pleasure from seeing birds. I remember a wee girl my daughter used to play with, and she was frightened of butterflies. That always made me really sad.

 

Wood pigeons here seem to be terminally stupid @fairygirl. For 3 years we had a pair nesting at the top of the main wisteria growing along the annex wall. That's fine but that's the route our huntress cat takes to get onto the annex roof. Doh! This year a pair is nesting in the same wisteria but on branches away from the trunk but also near the door which we use as our main entrance as it's closest to the garage so they get kerfuffled as we goin and out.

My reason to be cheerful? A new rose and clem bed.

When we bought this house I had an immediate vision of turning the 3 concrete posts with washing lines stretched between them into supports for climbing roses and clematis. Tried digging out a bed on one side but the ground is full of broken tiles buried after taking the roof off an old barn.

Asked OH to try the other side but he refused but I knew it would be good as moles were getting in and making hills so this summer I used up some old weedkiller I found when clearing out the shed and waited. And waited.

This morning, without saying anything, he's gone out and dug it all over!! Only 8 years of waiting. Now to source some well rotted manure and get my roses planted out.

Happy days.

 

I am working my way through the damsons, bullace, sloes and blackcurrants in the freezer.
Hedgerow jelly fruits are basking in a muslin bag, ready for the final boil up tomorrow.
Autumn fruit season has been bountiful.

 

The wee fella is now managing to do a tiny bit of flying. I'd put food out at 7am for Mum, and went round to see if he'd managed overnight. He was still on top of the leaf bag and bits of wood on the chairs there, where he'd been yesterday evening, but he'd clearly tried to get higher as he'd dislodged a few bits and pieces around him. While I was there [talking to him ] he gathered himself and 'flew' up onto the shed roof- which is several feet higher than where he was. Result!

I always stay a good distance from him, as I don't want to interfere other than putting food out and making sure he's survived overnight etc, but he's clearly quite happy for me to be around.I took lots of pix of him earlier, but yesterday when I couldn't see him after putting the morning food out, I discovered him here



King of his Castle

 

He's coming on then @fairygirl with a little help from you . And I do admire your toadstools/mushrooms you being 'have a go 'person I guess you crafted them ??

 

I just came in for some lunch, and to transfer more pix, so I looked in here as there was an alert.
He's now managed to fly from the shed roof, about 10 - 15 feet down to the gravel path beside the border he tootles around in.
Yes - the toadstool are my own creations @Valleysgirl . I've just made another one quite near the back door, as it provides protection from hoses etc going around the edge of plants there. The girl who does my windows is very good though [she has one of those long reach hoses/brushes for doing windows from ground level] and we chat about plants sometimes too.
I don't think they'd be as tasty to eat as @Jiffy 's ....

I've just realised I did what I said I wouldn't do - and posted a pic of Bob. I'm so sorry @Michael Hewett . I'll try and change it.

I've made it a thumbnail, so it's easier to overlook.

 

Don't worry about it @fairygirl ! If I see a bird photo I quickly scroll past it. I don't usually read comments that are for other people anyway.

 

Sorry wasn't Terry Pratchett, it was Douglas Adams in the 4th volume of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy "So Long and Thanks for All the Fish". When Arthur meets Fenchurch on a rainy night in Southern England.