Mice!

Savage isn't it, there can't be another sport like it.

My daughter asked the other day, can the other man not win?, the lead outs have been so strong Morkov looks like he could take the win, but I'm sure he'd have been gutted. Mark must be feeling so relaxed this morning, if he even slept?

They are still busy building, constantly adding to the structure, my daughter said there were 14 wasps on the front this week.

The finish looked routine yesterday but Cav must have been feeling the pressure with everyone talking about the record. Just hope he can survive the mountains now and take the record in Paris, but whether he does or doesn't he's still won 4 stages, that for most riders would still be a dream tour. Knighthood? Why not, he's a magnificent character, wins 13 years apart and simply loves riding and what he does.

Has it still got the new gun sticker on 😅😅

It made me look at what Eddie did, wow he has some records. Just a couple of hills in the way before Paris, he's certainly going to have motivation this time. Your not wrong, the effort day after day is amazing.

We do, health and safety courses, training courses, other stuff offered if you can be bothered, but thankfully we don't have 30 odd kids to deal with 😄 That was my comment not the heads, but hopefully after the last year or so England can win and give the country a real boost, although it wouldn't cheer up Scotland or Wales much 😅😅

Email from the kids school, and I'm expecting the worse, but its actually good news. ●●●●●●●●●● Dear Parents / Carers, You may be aware there's an important football match on Sunday evening.... Inline with other Leyland schools, if your child is a football fan and likely to be up until 11pm on Sunday, then let them stay in bed a little longer and be in school by 10:00am on Monday, so that they are rested and ready to learn. School doors will open at normal time but your child can arrive up to 10:00 and won't be marked late. If your child is arriving after 9am, please order their school dinner online so that the kitchen has enough notice to prepare them. This is a major event - the first of its kind for 55 years. As you know, school attendance is extremely important to us, however this is a rare opportunity which will be part of England's sporting history, and we would like our children to have fond memories of the event. We would rather children come late than miss the whole day of learning due to a later night. ●●●●●●●●●●● Its the last week before the holidays and given how much school has been missed an hour won't make any difference, but it means the parents won't be rushing around after a hopefully good night 😄😄🍻🍻

That was an attack done, run and hide they have found you.

Maturing female 1825

Same for me today, shot a new location at Big wood, one came in and down the feeder tree perfectly, fell off the feeder and rolled away down the slope, another came in 10 minutes or so later, took one look at the dead squirrel and wasn't seen again. Nothing else for the next two hours.

How does a rider go from finishing 2nd in a sprint finish then win solo on Mount Ventoux the day after?? Some ride by Wout Van Vert, while Cav is still peddling hoping to make the time cut off. It shows how good and how different the modern riders are.

3 big bucks 1823

Cheers Sam, the set up in this strip of wood is 18mtrs,( my feeders are all between 18-25mtrs often dictated by the ground) I sit behind some stuff I've positioned to further obscure me, it restricts my shooting options but when they go onto the feeder or the ground around it its fine. I used to be in front of what I'm now behind, I was a bit to close with not enough cover, this works a treat. This morning was perfect weather wise, but strangely quiet, I think this was because there was a sparrow hawk with young going through the wood screeching, it didn't stop the pigeons making a right racket clapping above me. Took almost an hour for the first squirrel to come in, but it was twitchy, sniffing at the new log before sitting up on it, PFFT CRACK number one. The next came in at almost exactly 7:45 30 mins later, which was the same time the day before on the camera, this one was again twitchy, I've never thought of squirrels being bothered by something new but they clearly were, after having a sniff around it again sat up on the log Pfft whack down hard, number two. Bit of a lull, the magpies were kicking off big time, every other bird in the wood was in full alarm mode, the hawk must have been sat up above me somewhere. A third came in, I just caught sight of movement, then a flickering tail, it didn't show again, the dead squirrel or the log or both clearly unnerved it so I went and moved it. I thought I'll give it till 9, I had plenty of squirrels on camera and was expecting at least 5 but it didn't seem like it was going to happen today. Probably five to nine, a squirrel came charging towards the feeder, no stealth like the last three, straight up onto the feeder, back down sniffing at the log, up down, circle around before settling above the feeder and starting to bark, it definitely wasn't happy. I couldn't quite get a shot, I was also sat on a log, I managed to scrunch down a bit, side on WHACK, it did the leg grab, hung then dropped and ended up 5 or 6mtrs from the feeder, shot clean through the head but still the nerves pushed it to escape. With that one coming in I had to give it a bit longer... but nothing else showed up, photo and pack up, I managed to see the Spar and two chicks before I left as well 🙂 Three big bucks. It did indeed 😉

Wonderful news, all the best and relax or don't, it's up to you 👍

You've obviously don't remember what people post, my two kids were isolating yet again just last week, I think that was their third occasion.

Big buck, small doe. 1818

Hasn't Boris pretty much said that things are relaxing, isolating stopping for under 18s despite close contacts, isolating not needed for people double jabbed. I still don't buy the whole the young have lost their best years, it hasn't been a constant lockdown, it's been on and off, and that's likely why its gone on so long. But now those who needed the vaccine have been offered it, others have likely had it or again been offered it, and the vaccine is the reason that the numbers of deaths are so low thankfully. The things that bug me are being told that from August we can do.... from July the something we can do.. or don't have to do... Don't keep saying what's coming, just do it and get on with it, where is the difference between tomorrow and in two weeks time? That's it right there, there weren't as many deaths as predicted, the NHS learned to deal with covid, the vaccine has reduced the effects of covid so that means the measures imposed are too strict?

So the squirrels had a grace period, free food with no one shooting at them, end of last week was preparation and this week I'm back on it. when I left work this morning it wasn't raining much!! If I hadn't have gone this morning it would have meant only two sessions this week so off I went. It was a very dull damp morning, the rain was light but never stopped, I was under my brolley but somehow not that comfortable, probably because I was trying to keep everything dry. There were birds everywhere this morning, my guess is two new broods of blue tits, and they were camped out at the feeder, along with Nuthatch's and blackbirds and Robin's plus finches. The first squirrel just appeared on the feeder, with everything moving in the rain your eye is drawn all over, no real sounds could be heard over the dripping and rustling of the leaves, but at least the ground wasn't crunchy. The squirrel just sat on the feeder lid frozen, so after maybe ten seconds I shot it. I'd waited probably an hour for that one, then maybe 45 minutes later same again, me watching the birds and as if by magic up pops number two, I'm pretty sure they both came from below and behind me along the ground then up onto the feeder. This one took some food from under the lid and sat obligingly, I let it grab another morsel as I wasn't fully ready with not seeing it arrive, I was watching a young Robin, Pfft whack flop. Big buck and a female. When I retrieved the camera last week it was full, squirrels pretty much all day, dawn till dusk, I've still not been through all the images but from what I've seen there were between one and three squirrels at a time. I was expecting more but I think the wet morning had made them decide to stay in bed, this was backed up when I went out this afternoon to check another feeder a few minutes drive away, camera went up Thursday, first squirrels arrived around 4pm ish, after that its squirrels and Jays all day, the first squirrel didn't arrive till 7:45 though today, around the time the rain eased off. I've set the hide I ready for the morning so I can just turn up and shoot, added a log for the squirrels to sit on under the feeder, and one for me in the hide. Gave the gun a wipe down and left her to sunbathe and dry through the day. So ready for the morning and hopefully more squirrels to come, then off to big wood in the afternoon to prep there as well.

I think you posted as I was typing, he could equal the record tomorrow for me before the mountains punish him, but doing it in Paris would be something else, but you know that whatever happens he is delighted, the way the team is working for him though anything is possible.

I knew the response would burn them 😅😅 My old fella was always made up if he could get wasp grubs. Very sorry 😆😆 I won't be getting rid of them, I know they won't do any harm where they are, but can be easily dealt with if they do, we've had wasps in pretty much the same area before without any issues.

Great minds think alike 😅😅😅

Anyone watching? The race has already been fantastic after week one, Pogacar has pretty much said its mine take me on if you think you can. But Mark Cavendish, just wow, he's come in as a sub, possibly his last chance to ride this famous race, he loves this race, his interviews have been brilliant, and today was his third stage win, perfect lead out today with his team delivering him to the finish and he managed to sit up at the line. He's living his dream, wearing Green, and is one stage away from equalling Eddy Merckx's record, the best line from commentary being it's like Harry Potter and Voldemort you don't talk about it. 36 years old and in the form of his life, superb team working for him, you can do it lad.

Great picture Nath, I've still yet to see a Munty. Did it stroll off or bolt?

I know how popular wasps are on here, about two weeks ago I decided to cut out a cherry tree, or part of it, there are a cherry and a Rowan that grow by my garage that provides cover for a bird feeder, they had got carried away so needed trimming back, plus the Cherry as always was covered in black fly, making everything including the feeder sticky. It was a spur of the moment decision late one evening, out came the pruning saw, lots of shaking of the tree, cut a few bits out, few wasps around and bang one got me, my own fault being in shorts and t-shirt. Gave the area a good blast with the hose pipe, but reinforcements had arrived so I left it. I returned about half eleven, chop chop and done. Next day I cleared away and shredded the branches that I could, but despite looking couldn't see where the wasps were coming from so decided they must just have been feeding on the aphids. Wrong, I moved a small insect house, just tucking it out the way. This was on the 30th, there should be 9 holes in the front. This was this afternoon, busy little critters aren't they, this is one step off the patio, against the garage on the floor.