Gill and I both woke fairly late, 9ish, as our eldest son had requested that he see in his birthday, and stay up til midnight. This meant that his little brother was also up... and they didn't get to sleep for quite a bit after that. Excitement!
So, a birthday, and we now have a teenager! He hadn't wanted to go anywhere or do anything in particular, so it was a low-key day.
I did a variety of jobs... went to get bread from Thomas the Baker, and was lucky with a good selection of Yesterbake, unsold bread from Saturday, available at half price and two for the price of one, essentially quarter price. Better for the company than having to pay to throw it away, though!
On my way back from the baker, I noticed a big branch in Hull Road Park, so a bit later, I cycled round to the 'Fast Pack' shop on Lilac Avenue which sells all sorts of nuts, bolts, tools and much more, as one of my unicycle saddles had lost some nuts fixing it to the metal shaft. I got the right size nuts and then went on to the park to chop up the branch with my bowsaw. This was a trailer-full of nice Ash logs.
Later, I used a climbing rope I found a few months ago on a road near Durham to pull the walnut tree more vertical; Gill asked me to do it as it is leaning over, and there are so many walnuts on it that it is weighed down somewhat. Oh, the squirrel trap has had it's first victim. So, more nuts, fewer predators!
I spent a bit of time pruning the tomatoes in the conservatory... taking out unwanted side shoots and the tops of the plants, so they put more of the energy into fruit. I picked about 20 tomatoes too.
I got a Fiddlesticks booking for late September at a Housing Association do, and got a reminder from Book of Green about a bill for the iPhone application.
After tea, which was a lovely nutloaf, tagliatelle, green beans and tomato sauce creation, I cycled round to Nick, a Freecycler, who had put a large television up for grabs, and we'd asked for it as our small TV in the front room is not that good for doing the Wii with... and this reason was enough for him to choose us as the lucky recipients. I took an old duvet with me and this meant I could balance the huge TV on my trailer.
Later in the evening I chopped up more pears for drying. They are SO tasty!
Showing posts with label squirrel trap. Show all posts
Showing posts with label squirrel trap. Show all posts
Tuesday, 24 August 2010
Wednesday, 11 August 2010
Wednesday 11th August 10
First popped into GP to pick up a repeat prescription which whilst packing I found I needed.
Then onto the Dentist for a tooth clean.
Then I called in on Barnitts to get a padlock for the garage as the old one has started playing up, and I bought a squirrel trap too, which traps larger animals alive so if it's the wrong animal (a hedgehog, say) it can be released, and if it's vermin, drowned, which seems the quickest way to dispatch a live-caught rat or squirrel. I prefer using rat traps with the instant spring action for rats, but on a couple of occasions I've caught a bird or a frog, so they have to be very carefully placed. And this wouldn't catch a walnut-eating grey squirrel. So the live trap will be put into use when we get back. I'm determined to protect our nut harvest from these cute but non-native 'tree rats with bushy tails'.
Then home to pick beans, courgettes, tromboncino squash and tomatoes to take with us, although I gave a courgette to Debbie over the road too.
Gill and the boys were picked up in a taxi at 12.15 and I left the house 5 minutes later by bike. I cycled over to the GP surgery and picked up my prescription and then over to the station where the family were waiting for me... but there was also a steam locomotive in with a very long carriage set bound for Scraborough. I scooted over the bridge to see the loco, and was delighted to see it was my favourite steam locomotive, the Leander. Back in the 1980s, possibly 82 or 83, my Uncle Robert bought me a really lovely present... a trip behind the Leander, which took us from Guide Bridge near Manchester, over to York, then to Leeds, Settle, Carlisle and dropped us at Carnforth where we got an electric loco-hauled rain back to Nuneaton and then a Diesel Multiple Unit back to Leicester, which is where I lived at the time. I've never forgotten this trip. I'm not a train spotter now but am still an enthusiast as train travel is quick, comfortable, usually more eco friendly than bus or car and I always seem to have good conversations in trains.
However, when our 12.58 came in, we got on and looked for our seats, but before we got to them there was an announcement that the train had been cancelled as there was vandalism in the Leeds area. So we got the next one, 30 minutes later, and had our lunch whilst waiting.
The train journey from here onwards was very straightforward, just a detour around the cable theft area, and got into Manchester at about 3pm. Our Shrewsbury train was at 3.30 and we got into there at 4.50, got a taxi to Sophie and Danky's house. Lovely to see them.... I'm an uncle to them, despite being a similar age. and their three lovely children, a similar age to our two, I'm a Great Uncle to!!! (well, this is what they say, haha).
Then onto the Dentist for a tooth clean.
Then I called in on Barnitts to get a padlock for the garage as the old one has started playing up, and I bought a squirrel trap too, which traps larger animals alive so if it's the wrong animal (a hedgehog, say) it can be released, and if it's vermin, drowned, which seems the quickest way to dispatch a live-caught rat or squirrel. I prefer using rat traps with the instant spring action for rats, but on a couple of occasions I've caught a bird or a frog, so they have to be very carefully placed. And this wouldn't catch a walnut-eating grey squirrel. So the live trap will be put into use when we get back. I'm determined to protect our nut harvest from these cute but non-native 'tree rats with bushy tails'.
Then home to pick beans, courgettes, tromboncino squash and tomatoes to take with us, although I gave a courgette to Debbie over the road too.
Gill and the boys were picked up in a taxi at 12.15 and I left the house 5 minutes later by bike. I cycled over to the GP surgery and picked up my prescription and then over to the station where the family were waiting for me... but there was also a steam locomotive in with a very long carriage set bound for Scraborough. I scooted over the bridge to see the loco, and was delighted to see it was my favourite steam locomotive, the Leander. Back in the 1980s, possibly 82 or 83, my Uncle Robert bought me a really lovely present... a trip behind the Leander, which took us from Guide Bridge near Manchester, over to York, then to Leeds, Settle, Carlisle and dropped us at Carnforth where we got an electric loco-hauled rain back to Nuneaton and then a Diesel Multiple Unit back to Leicester, which is where I lived at the time. I've never forgotten this trip. I'm not a train spotter now but am still an enthusiast as train travel is quick, comfortable, usually more eco friendly than bus or car and I always seem to have good conversations in trains.
However, when our 12.58 came in, we got on and looked for our seats, but before we got to them there was an announcement that the train had been cancelled as there was vandalism in the Leeds area. So we got the next one, 30 minutes later, and had our lunch whilst waiting.
The train journey from here onwards was very straightforward, just a detour around the cable theft area, and got into Manchester at about 3pm. Our Shrewsbury train was at 3.30 and we got into there at 4.50, got a taxi to Sophie and Danky's house. Lovely to see them.... I'm an uncle to them, despite being a similar age. and their three lovely children, a similar age to our two, I'm a Great Uncle to!!! (well, this is what they say, haha).
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