Oh No!

Today, with only working four hours I was home relatively early in the afternoon. The bird feeders again were full of the usual suspects, Goldfinches, House Sparrows, Starlings and Pigeons. However on closer inspection of the feeding station I noticed a little parcel on one of the mesh feeders. Wondering what it was I took a closer look and was horrified at what I saw!!

A Magpie must have been raiding a nest nearby and the package must have been dropped in my yard! (I can't think of how else it could have got there!) What I saw was a cracked egg! I first thought that it must have been laid by a visiting Pigeon but on closer inspection, inside the shell was the ready formed body of a bird. My stomach lurched! I have never witnessed anything like this at the bird feeders!

Then later, I got nostalgic and started rooting amongst the videos on my Sony pocket camera. I came across a video I took when the Lindt Big Egg Hunt was in Liverpool. The egg was designed by artist Mikey Georgeson and I share the video with you. I particularly liked the small poem painted on it.

My gift to you then is an egg,
Not mine to give nor yourself to beg
If you want it then it's yours
Hold it gently till it soars.

Yet Another Long Weekend!

David and I had another three day, long weekend.

Friday was filled with chores like shopping and going to the dentist. We had Rentokil out first thing in the morning and found that we have woodworm in the new house! The bathroom will have to have new floorboards! I am not best chuffed! At this rate we will never move in!!

Saturday we went to my favourite garden centre, Lady Green and spent £25 on flowers! I got lots of herbs for the new garden. Amongst the flowers I captured a small tortoiseshell butterfly.

Saturday afternoon, David and I spent 5/6 hours building the garden wall. My wrist aches with mixing sand and cement. I even caught the sun on my chest and shoulders and I was not even in the sun!! The only consolation was that a nice Saffron curry was awaiting the end of the day and we saw a Comma butterfly, though it flew away before I could take a picture! This summer really has been the best for butterflies!

Sunday was a bit of a wash out! With thunder and torrential downpours, so the garden will have to wait for another sunny day (that's if we have another?)

The bird feeders have been busy this weekend, with not only Pigeons and Starlings visiting but at one stage there were 15 Goldfinches, five were babies and four, yes four House Sparrows, three male and one female!

My Weekend Starts...Here!

Phew! What a week! I worked a full three and a half days! Believe me, my body has not been used to doing that for a good many months!

I worked my three days at the Royal Liverpool Hospital, meeting many company representatives and people who work in the admin side of Supplies and Nursing in the NHS and on Wednesday I 'chief' invigilated my first 'big' room exam! I usually specialise in 'extra time' exams for students with disabilities but this morning from 10am to 1pm I ran and conducted a medical exam for 20 students! To say I was amazed at myself that I could stand, talk and direct more than 20 people is an understatement. I really did not think I had it in me to stand before people and talk aloud! I am more stronger, more confident than I give myself credit for. I am surprising myself more and more as this year progresses. I always thought myself as shy but maybe I am now, finally coming out of my shell to fulfill my potential???

But today is Thursday and I have Friday and the weekend off! The UK is supposed to see some sunshine and summer like weather again, so I am hoping to spend tomorrow sunbathing before cheering on Andy Murray in his Wimbledon semi-final! On Saturday I hope the sun continues to bask down upon us and my family can enjoy a BBQ. Well that is what I have planned anyway!  :)

Below you will find two videos I have uploaded to my YouTube channel recently. One is of baby Goldfinches I videoed on Tuesday evening around 7pm. They were making a right racket and the rest of the 'charm' were all eagerly gobbling the sunflower seeds on offer in my garden.

The second video is of my Bengalese (Society)  Finches, Chocolate (female) and Romeo (male). This is the first video I have made of Romeo since Caramel passed. (I still miss her.) I think Chocolate is cursing my name as since getting Romeo, he has not left her alone! It is pleasant of a morning to sit listening to him singing. Now, Thursday evening as the sun sets, it is nice to see them finally bonded and sitting on their rope swing together.

Hope you all enjoy the weekend wherever you are! :D

Cake, Competitions and 'Jack' Sparrow!

My day off work was a bit of a washout! It rained more or less all day, though it brought with it much action on the wild bird feeders!

There were many Goldfinch charms visiting and bringing their babies along. I also saw a baby Blue Tit and its rather dishevelled parent but I couldn't get good enough footage of the new guy! I did manage to get some footage of 'Jack' Sparrow, he looks great! I've attached the video I made of the birds today. Hope you like?

Baby Goldfinches and Jack Sparrow!  

In the post today my new exercise bike was delivered along with my prize from Arriva, who all week on Facebook had been holding a competition for a free weekly bus ticket. I was Wednesday's winner and I am 'made up' as I don't have to pay for a ticket this week!!

Me and my voucher for free bus travel!

As planned I made my Strawberry Mousse Cake with Morello Cherry Drizzle today. It has three different types of cream in it!! Very fattening!

The recipe!

For the biscuit base

·         200g digestive biscuits

·         100g butter, melted

For the mousse cake

·         4 sheets of leaf gelatine or I used one 10g of vegetarian powder (to 6 sheets)

·         142ml carton single cream

·         500g carton fromage frais. I couldn't get fromage frais so had to use mascarpone

·         140g golden caster sugar

·         finely grated zest 1 small orange

·         4 tbsp orange juice

·         400g strawberries

·         284ml carton double cream

For the sauce

·         250g Morello cherries

·         3 tbsp orange juice

·         2 tbsp golden caster sugar

To decorate

·         mixture of strawberries (some halved), cherries.

·         icing sugar, for dusting

Method

• Put the biscuits in a plastic food bag and crush using a rolling pin. Melt the butter in a medium pan, then stir in the biscuits. Tip this mixture into a loose-bottomed 24cm round cake tin, about 5cm deep and press down evenly. Chill.

• Make the mousse: submerge the gelatine leaves in a large bowl of cold water and leave to soak for 5 minutes. Heat the single cream in a small pan until it just comes to the boil. Take off the heat. Lift the gelatine leaves out of the water and give them a good squeeze to get rid of the water. Stir into the hot cream one by one – they will dissolve immediately. Leave to cool slightly. I warmed up the single cream and then added a 10g sachet of vegetarian gel.

• Beat together the fromage frais, sugar, orange zest and juice with a whisk or wooden spoon. Stir in the cooled cream and gelatin mixture and the cut strawberries. Crush just a few of the strawberries against the sides of the bowl and stir again to ripple through, leaving most whole.

• Whip the double cream lightly to soft peaks, then fold it into the strawberry mixture. Pour into the cake tin and leave to chill for at least 3 hours, or overnight, until set.

• To make the sauce, blitz all the ingredients in a food processor or blender. Chill until ready to serve. (The sauce and the mousse can be made up to a day ahead).

• To serve, run a knife between the mousse and the tin, lift it out of the tin and take it off its base. Put on a serving plate and pile a mixture of fruits on top to decorate. Dust with icing sugar and serve with the sauce.

The Result:

An utter disaster! David, mum and myself all had a portion. The cream mousse didn't seem to have set very much. It didn't taste of anything really and then when putting the cake back into the fridge. It slipped off the plate and I tried to catch it with my hand.

Oh no!!!