Mice!

Just the one today. 270

Reynard to us Freddie fox to the younger generation. One chunk this morning, I added a handful of nuts to a feeder on my way home, then when it wasn't raining at half 7 I thought right get out. It wasn't raining then it did, I got soaked, but I got out 😁

I re watched Layer cake last week, I thought that was better, but The Gentleman was ok.

Outstanding sir 👍

That was being discussed this morning, apparently things are looking good but the science guys are urging caution, but then I went to bed??

You what? I could probably try and figure out the Latin but it would be much easier for you to just reply normally. So your perfectly happy that some people are meeting up for a party while the vast majority of people are following the rules?

Lockdown has to end at some point, those not following the rules now are far more likely to be the ones who continue to break the rules afterwards, not social distance etc

He certainly had a good innings and raised morale, hopefully his family were with him.

Gladly yes, that has to be why the rates are falling. No I think that is Sefton in Southport, it was reported as an isolated case with one person having the variant but there is mass testing going on to try and make sure its an isolated case. I wouldn't know how to find out how many fines have been issued, but every week probably every day there will be a report of police braking up parties, I'm sure many are simply saying we'll be fine we are young, but it continues the spread. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/covid-boat-party-acton-canal-fines-b918086.html I've just found this article, if you look through it there are people right across the country still ignoring the lockdown rules, maybe the £800 fines aren't enough. I've said the R rate and infections are coming down which is great, it means the Lockdown was right, but people are still deliberately breaking the rules which means the spread won't stop, see above links. To me the isle of Man is more relevant than Australia or New Zealand, yes its small but it shows that the virus can be stopped with strict lockdown and penalties. https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/uknews/13922586/isle-of-man-covid-end-lockdown-restrictions/ Imagine if instead of being fined people caught at parties were jailed for 21 days to makes sure they weren't spreading the virus, it will never happen, but if £800 fines aren't putting people off I'd say double it again. It will be very frustrating to have lockdown end then start again in a few months, and this will likely be because of the minority who are happy to break the rules.

I thought you were sick of the doom and gloom? It was nice to see some positive news on the news. They had a strict lockdown and now they have reopened, so those living there can carry on with their lives , I doubt there have been parties going on every week? It obviously helps that they are a small island and can control who comes in, with isolation on access. The point is that restrictions can work if they are taken seriously, the R rate is dropping but given the numbers not following the lockdown rules now, I wonder how long it will be before things escalate again after the lockdown is relaxed. Being in lockdown during a wet January isn't the end of the world, but as the weather improves people will want to go out.

I've just been looking at the figures for Lancashire. https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/lancashires-new-infection-rates-fylde-19723944 All but one area has rates falling which is a good thing. One thing that is still strange is that Knowsley is still so high. ........ Knowsley in Merseyside continues to have the highest rate in England, with 1,171 new cases recorded in the seven days to January 24 – the equivalent of 776.2 cases per 100,000 people. ........ Something obviously needs looking at in areas like this. Is there more testing being done or are the rules not being followed? ......... Of the 315 local areas in England, 13 (4 per cent) have seen a rise in case rates, 301 (96 per cent) have seen a fall and one is unchanged. ......... You would hope the rates would drop given we've been in lockdown for nearly a month, the only thing is is what happens when restrictions are lifted? They showed the Isle of Man on the news today, there lockdown had just finished and it was back to business as normal, I can't see us managing that here in England.

So what difference does another 2 weeks make? Or a month?

I must say I'm mystified, people need to go back to work to save the economy (although many on here say its too late), yet the biggest thing stopping many from working is the schools being shut. It was reported that everyone in a care home has been "offered " a jab, great stuff. I've no idea if all NHS have been offered a jab yet? This is definitely needed to get other treatments back up and running. We are also told that the kids education will never recover in some cases? So the kids need to be back in school, vaccinating the school staff seems the obvious step. As for who gets pushed back in the que, does it matter if they are safely isolating at home?

There was something on Facebook about these, people have said for a long time they don't work, the squirrels aren't interested in them, but someone changed it so the jar that has the bait in holds nuts the the squirrels can see, and started getting results. Trapping certainly works but is very costly and time consuming, that's why most trapping is done by contractors, I was also wondering what time of year they did the test, but because they weren't actually trapping and killing the greys , just feeding them it would have been far less time consuming. I had a similar morning, I worked O/T last night so should have been in bed but the forecast looked so good I had to go out. I topped this feeder up Thursday at BIG wood, I wasn't expecting much to have happened but wanted to get out. It was a glorious morning, lovely and cold but without any wind, I was actually caught out by how early it came light with there being no cloud, but I was in the wood set up by 8. I found the feeder almost empty! Probably 7kg of feed gone with a pile of wheat below the feeder. I then basically bird watched for an hour and a half, all the usual suspects including a pair of woodpeckers, no pheasant and no squirrels. I just couldn't work it out, it was perfect conditions so after an hour and a half I went walk about, @Sciurus knows what the ground is like here, I went one way up the hill but saw nothing then came back on myself, I probably wasn't as far from my feeder as I thought, 400-500 yards, and there were squirrels happily rooting around in the leaf litter, I put the gun up twice but they were a long way off and not settled so I didn't shoot, I'd come up to a deer fence, no way past but the squirrels seemed happy beyond it? Looks like its time to move the feeder.

Not just football, look at anything on the telly, most have still had their hair cut.

I've just shown the letter to my Mrs and she found it very funny, probably shocked that the head as said what many will be thinking. Vaccination for school staff seems a great idea if people want the schools open, on an interview last week it was suggested that the teachers/staff all be given the vaccine during the half term then get the schools reopening, I've no idea how long it would take, half a million teachers plus TAs plus other staff, then how long for the vaccine to take effect. The schools could reopen and half the classes/years be sent home a week later, that's far from ideal. I also know the teachers I and the wife have spoken to want the kids back in school, not to be doing zoom classes.

I was meaning if 90% came to traps, then they could be removed.

Last year, it tested special feeding stations designed so only grey squirrels can gain access in woodland in East Yorkshire. Instead of contraceptives, the hazelnut paste bait was dosed with a dye that, when ingested, causes squirrel hair to fluoresce under UV light. The researchers found that more than 90% of the grey squirrel population being studied visited the traps. They concluded that it was possible to deliver repeat doses of a contraceptive to the majority of grey squirrels in a wood. ............ I wouldn't worry about it, cost alone will probably prohibit it, then there will be areas where access is denied, feeders will get damaged allowing non target species to take the contraceptive. For me it's all about pleasing the cuddly bunny brigade, greys need controlling but control doesn't come easily. The quote above says 90% of squirrels came to the traps, great stuff 90% of greys removed would make a massive difference.

Its lovely isn't it, an aluminium one while maintenance free just isn't the same.

Still two sorted mate, and cold us better than cold and wet 👍

http://www.altongreenhouses-uk.co.uk There will be others available but our cedar greenhouse was great, so long as it isn't sat in water it will be fine. Much nicer than metal if you can afford it.

Its been agreed but I doubt it will happen?

Glad you and Lin are improving Mel, and that your sister is out of the hospital, she certainly paints a grim picture of what's going on in there.

They might be but I've yet to work anywhere where the union has done anything useful. These days most places are pretty good with H&S but those who aren't wouldn't have the unions in anyway.

The union were brought in at my last place and frankly did nothing, they've been at a few places I've worked at and made no difference, they've still shut.