Sunday, April 25th - Summer in April

[Sybille Weber]

After a bright and sunny spring day yesterday with temperatures around 20 degr. C, today has been a real summer's day with the temperature going up to 28 degr. I hope the weekend was as sunny and nice over in the UK, although today was almost too hot. I hardly managed the walk along the river today because of the heat, but we really enjoyed our walk in the woods and fields yesterday with so much blossom around everywhere, birds singing and butterflies flying about. Saw my first swallows, too, also two swifts, but ours haven't returned yet.
Clouds are beginnung to draw in now though, and according to the forecast thunderstorms are possible tonight.

[Darkfarmowl]

Hi Sybille - Almost *too* hot? I bet you'll wish you hadn't said that when you are dithering in the cold and driving rain (next week according to the weather forecasters). Still it HAS been a glorious few weeks hasn't it? I took advantage of it and spent some time walking in the English\Welsh borders. Sadly I'm too far away from Cornwall to have made a weekend trip down there. August will be my next visit and I pray the BBQ summer we have been promised, yet again, actually arrives - especially since we will be camping.

[Kath Mulligan]

It's been a real April showers day here today. Dry at the moment but the showers have been quite heavy at times, still it has watered in my new plants nicely so not complaining too much. I am hoping it is going to be nice tomorrow evening though since the girls and I are heading for Lyme Park after tea with our cameras in the hope of getting some good sunset photos.

Kath

[Mary Young]

As the weather was supposed to be good today we decided to get the bikes out and do our first bike ride of the year. Luckily we played safe and took waterproofs which we needed for part of the way but the rain didnt last to long. Dont know how many of you know the kent coast but we cycled from reculver towers to westgate on sea where there is a convienient cafe (thank goodness) where we had a hot chocolate and then cycled back again. In total 15miles. When we got back to reculver towers where the car was we then got a picnic out and ate it by the towers. We enjoyed this bit of the day as weather had improved by then. Only problem is bike ride has now left me feeling my age and all my joints just ache!
Kath hope you have good day tomorrow and get some good pictures with the cameras.

Mary

[gloria townsin]

Got to tell you the weather hasn't been at all good in this bit of Cornwall. Chill wind and yesterday the weather was so iffy and cold I didn't go to Porthleven Food Fair as I had planned. Went today thinking there might be a few things still going on but it was all being cleared away. Slightly better today but not great. So we have been left out of the nice weather so far.
Have a good time tomorrow Kath.

[Annette]

We could really do with some rain as the garden is very dry. Its pretty grey looking at the moment so might have a shower later perhaps. The weather has been lovely though for the last week, its so nice to be outside in a tshirt.

[Liz]

Haven't been able to post recently - I've been taking advantage of the beautiful weather to finish various garden projects. Although we had some rain yesterday it wasn't really enough to give the seed beds a good soak so I will be continuing with hand watering for a while which takes an age! No doubt when it does decide to rain properly it wont know when to stop.

I'm looking forward to my week in Cornwall - only 18 days to go.......

[gloria townsin]

Not sure if we'll still be here then Liz.......might stay for Flora Day which is the 8th or it will be yet another year before I have a chance to see it.

[Kath Mulligan]

Are you going up to Padstow for Obby Oss Day on 1st May, Gloria? I've always fancied seeing that but we were never down there at the right time.

Hope you make it to Flora Day this time. I seem to remember last year saying "oh well, never mind, you will definitely be there at Bryher for it next year"!!! Little did we know!!

Kath

[adesmith]

Whereabouts are you staying Liz? It will be lovely if this weather holds out for you. I would love to go to Flora Day. Will you take some pictures Gloria, if you do stay.

I was listening to Classic FM and they had an advert for the CD by the Fisherman's Friends from Port Isaac. The advert said a taste of the Cornish coast and so I decided we had to get it. Rachel treated us to it today using some of the Tesco vouchers. Havent listened to it much but it does sound really good - perfect for the long drive to Cornwall!

[gloria townsin]

Hadn't thought about going to Padstow but maybe we will. Will take pics if we stay for Flora Day Adrian. Brilliant to have the CD will have to look out for it here. They were on TV again tonight......excellent.

[Kath Mulligan]

I looked for the Fishermen's Friends CD on Amazon this morning and have watched a couple of videos on there about them. I was going to order the new CD then I read a review from someone who has got their original album from 2002 and they recommended that one instead so I am now undecided. The original has more tracks than the new one but also contains quite a few of the numbers on the new release - of course, I could always order both but that would just be greedy!

Kath

[Janet Swan]

Fishermans Friends really are great. They are old friends of Steve Knightley and Phil Beer (Show of Hands - did I ever tell you how much I love Show of Hands' music?!!!) and have appeared with them on numerous occasions. including a couple of times at The Royal Albert Hall. I didn't like the way The One Show almost poked fun at them last night - they are good enough to be taken seriously.

Janet

[adesmith]

I listened to the CD on the way to work this morning and really enjoyed it. They are really very good.

[Sybille Weber]

Hi Sybille - Almost *too* hot? I bet you'll wish you hadn't said that when you are dithering in the cold and driving rain (next week according to the weather forecasters).....................

:haha: , but Mark, the weather has changed now, from 29 degr. yesterday to just 15 degr. today, (driving rain, too, although just during the night), and I have to say I'm more than pleased about it. Moved about like a snail yesterday, but now I feel more alive again.

[gloria townsin]

Nina and Jeff are on their way to Germany right now........hope it won't be more of the wet stuff for their long weekend.

[Sybille Weber]

Nina and Jeff are on their way to Germany right now........hope it won't be more of the wet stuff for their long weekend.

I'm sorry to say but the forecast for Germany until Monday is :rain::rain::rain: , but then, the forecast has repeatedly been wrong, so fingers crossed for Nina and Jeff.

[gloria townsin]

Oh dear.......think they are headed for K Town......Kaiserslauten (sp)?

Got my Fisherman's Friend today......love it!!

[Sybille Weber]

Kaiserslautern is approx. 2 - 3 hours' drive south from here. Haven't been there yet.
The good news, Gloria, is that the weather forecast was wrong (at least so far). It's dry with a lovely mixture of sun and clouds and the temperature is at 20 degr. C at the moment. So that's perfect weather. Hope it will stay like this a little bit longer. Then we will be off to the river meadows to see the crebes' nests later today.
Now off to have a look at your photos.

[gloria townsin]

Hope it stays fine for them after the dissapointment of a few weeks ago, not to mention the rest of Germany and we could do with a bit of nice weather right here.

[Sybille Weber]

It was a bit unsettled today, Gloria, with a mixture of sun, cloud and rain - very mild while the sun was shining and rather cool when it started to rain. Not too bad on the whole though.

[gloria townsin]

Well it's good they have had some reasonable weather while in Germany.....they are flying back tomorrow, I'm sure they will have had a good time seeing all Nina's old K Town friends.

[Sybille Weber]

If Nina and Jeff have been seeing old friends, then the weather is probably not that important anyway.
Today has not been so nice. Overcast all day and just 8 degr. Funny after last week's 29 degr.
Hope Nina and Jeff have arrived back safely.

[gloria townsin]

Jeff rang a short while ago to say they are safely back, tired they enjoyed the party they went over for, so all good. Seems as though there are more flights delayed due to more volcanic ash......more disruptions. Still a cold wind here, heavy showers but bright sun inbetween, no warmth however.

[jane jackson]

Hate to rub it in Gloria but you should be in Mullion. I sat until 8pm in the lounge yesterday evening with one of the large glass doors fixed open and it was lovely. The sooner you get to Cornwall the better ~ but then you know that. I'd 'phoned a friend in Garston early afternoon and he said it was cold and had rained that morning and the previous day. It's really amazing in this small island that the weather can be so different in all the areas. Hope you're faring better today.

[Kath Mulligan]

It wasn't bad up here yesterday, and today (what I have seen of it) has been lovely too. Unfortunately my plans for today were scuppered early this morning when Mum phoned me to say she was having another massive nosebleed, so we have spent the day in A&E and she has now been admitted to the ENT ward to see the surgeon in the morning about cauterisation - not before time in my view, since this has been happening far too often of late. I am now absolutely shattered, which is ridiculous considering all I have done for most of the day is sit in a cubicle next to her, and drive to and from the hospital a couple of times.

Kath

[gloria townsin]

How odd Jane re weather.......I spoke to Gerald and Jennie today and they both said how cold the wind is around their area which is just how it is here. But great you have had some warmth........have to say the pic on the theatre web-cam today looked lovely. Yesterday we had so many heavy showers one minute you could think it would be fine to get out in the garden and the next dropping down, Eddie managed to mow the back and front lawns and have a general tidy, which was good as the HIPS were done today and photos of the bungalow taken, should be properly on the market very soon I would think. Needs to be it's taken over two weeks to get this far. Bet they scrap HIPS in a short while, I had to answer a questionaire on line, to tell the truth you wonder what the heck you are paying for in the end. When the chap came he didn't want to see any of the guarantees we had sorted out so he was here and gone in under 30 mins and the fee is well over £300.......

Kath I am so sorry to hear your Mum is still having nose bleeds, my Grandmother had those in later life, they are very distressing and miserable for the sufferer. I do hope they are sorted out soon for her. There is little more tiring than sitting in a hospital cubicle waiting to be seen and treated. I did it so many times with my Mum and Dad, you are sitting uncomfortably, don't know when you will actually be attended to, the tea/coffee is usually rubbish and you are concerned for the patient..........no wonder you feel exhausted.

[jane jackson]

That is strange Gloria re the weather. This evening we've again had the large glass door fixed on open until 8pm as it was still 12c outside and 21c inside. I was on Long Rock beach with the dogs at 4.15pm and did wear a fleece waistcoat and medium jumper but was very warm. Our lounge/dining room does keep the heat if the sun is out as there are 3 sets of double glass doors. We will wait and see what tomorrow brings!

Kath, so sorry to hear about your Mum's problems. It must be really distressing for her. NO wonder you're tired with all the hanging around. Hope she gets some answers and action tomorrow.

[Kath Mulligan]

Just phoned the hospital, Mum is going to clinic shortly for the packing to be removed, then probably cauterisation of the offending blood vessels, and hopefully I should be able to bring her home this afternoon.

On the weatherfront, it has just started to drizzle here and is looking very grey and uninspiring. Am hoping it will be better tomorrow for Claire's birthday. The plan was for the three of us to go to Chester Zoo for the day, that is now likely to be just the girls going as I think I shall need to stick around here for Mum, but then we are going out for a meal tomorrow evening, and hopefully Mum will feel well enough to be able to come with us.

Kath

[gloria townsin]

Pleased to hear your Mum is on the road to recovery......hope you all enjoy the meal and the girls enjoy the Zoo. It's still chilly here, the heating is on......we must use our heating most of the year, possibly only three months without.......that's terrible when you think of it.

[jane jackson]

Hope by now Kath you've been to the hospital to collect your Mum or perhaps you're about to go soon. What a shame you might have to miss the Chester Zoo visit but I know what you mean about perhaps needing to stay with your Mum. Enjoy the meal out.

Jane has been here again and we've been out and about. Sennen beach before 8am as it's now May but it was lovely Kath! We had coffee at The Pottery and then lunch at The Minack where we sat outside looking down on the beach so Gloria no central heating here ~ you'll be sending knives in my direction at this rate if I keep telling you how warm it is here!!!!!!!!! OK there is a bit of a breeze but still warm enough to eat outside. On the downside there were some horrible flies with long tails whizzing about around The Minack particularly near the cliff edge where Jane took her dogs for a brief walk to stretch their legs as they were with us in the vehicle. Just think Gloria of all the money you'll be saving when you move to Bryher with no having the heating on so much.

Lots of bluebells in the fields and hedgerows along with the gorse and the blackthorn plus the occasional patch of late daffs.

[Kath Mulligan]

Got Mum safely home and tucked up now, thank you and she seems to be fine, although very tired because she didn't sleep very well last night in the hospital bed. Both nostrils were cauterised so hopefully now that problem will be cured, certainly hope so, it's a bit of a traumatic experience all round when she suddenly haemorrages so badly.

Gloria, you are not alone in still having your heating on, I am snuggled up next to the warm radiator right now. It's been really cold here today, so am hoping it may be a bit better for the girls tomorrow.

Jane, on the beach at Sennen before 8am, coffee at the Pottery and lunch at the Minack sounds like my idea of the perfect morning. Pity about the nasty flies though, hope you didn't get bitten.

Kath

[jane jackson]

It was pretty good Kath I must say. Glad all is well with your Mum.

Happy Birthday to Claire for tomorrow!

[gloria townsin]

Happy Birthday Claire.........on voting day no less!! Glad your Mum is back home, bet she is exhausted poor lady. Horrible experience. I only had a really bad nosebleed once when I was about 10 - my Mum couldn't stop it and had to call the doctor home to me. Can't remember he did anything too amazing but it stopped, just remembered one other occasion, I would have been about 14/15 and had gone with the school to 'Ideal Home Exhibition' I was so looking forward to it. I remember feeling very hot not long after we got there and my friends bought ice lollies, I took the wrapper of one of them an put it on my forehead, in no time my nose was streaming and I spent the rest of the visit in the nurse's station - told my friends to go and look round and I didn't see a thing, every time they stopped it bleeding it promptly started again. Have no idea why as it didn't happen again........odd.
I'm really pleased for you Jane that the weather is so good.......nice to know there is somewhere warm. Nothing has changed here though, so Kath and I are still huddled up........

[Sybille Weber]

.............I'm really pleased for you Jane that the weather is so good.......nice to know there is somewhere warm. Nothing has changed here though, so Kath and I are still huddled up........

So am I. Frost at night again here and not above 10 during the day. We leave the heating on at night now so that the swifts who have moved into their 'appartments' above our sitting room and kitchen won't get too cold. They are not really used to frost. Will be difficult for them to find enough insects in this weather.

Kath, I hope your mother will soon be back to normal. All the best to her, and Happy Birthday to Claire!

[jane jackson]

So am I. We leave the heating on at night now so that the swifts who have moved into their 'appartments' above our sitting room and kitchen won't get too cold. They are not really used to frost., !

That really is amazing Sybille ~ you obviously really do love your swifts. I hope there will be lots of baby swifts to reward you with their antics.

[gloria townsin]

Swifts with a centrally heated apartment.........they will be telling their friends and you will be inundated Sybille!!

[Kath Mulligan]

What very pampered swifts you have, Sybille! As Gloria says, when word spreads on the birdie grapevine, you will have their friends descending on you from miles around!

Saw lots of swallows swooping around the other day when I was out and about, but not yet seen any swifts. Heard a skylark too when I was out for a walk last week but I couldn't spot where he was, must have been very high up - out of my eyesight range anyway, not that that is too hard these days!!

Claire says thank you very much for her birthday wishes. Both the girls have gone off to Chester Zoo armed with cameras so there will no doubt be loads of piccies to be viewed later. Mum is feeling much better today and is looking forward to coming out for a meal with us this evening.

Kath

[gloria townsin]

Read briefly a report that finches are decreasing in numbers due to eye infections they are picking up from dirty bird feeders and baths. Somewhat disconcerting.

[jane jackson]

Oh that sounds dreadful Gloria. Thankfully I have washed my feeders when they've got mucky as that would be awful to cause a problem when you're trying to help.

Enjoy your meal this evening Kath & "Mum" + girls too of course.

[Kath Mulligan]

Thanks Jane, we had a lovely meal and are all now full to bursting! The girls thoroughly enjoyed their day at the Zoo and Elizabeth has taken over 400 photos!! Claire has now gone home to pack since she is off first thing tomorrow morning with the Chorus to Gateshead where they are competing in the Sweet Adelines competition on Saturday for the chance to represent the UK in Houston, Texas in 2011, so all fingers will be firmly crossed.

Kath

[jane jackson]

Very best of luck to Claire then with the competition ~ how great if they can get to Texas.

[gloria townsin]

Good Luck to Claire and the girls.....hope they get to Texas.

[Kath Mulligan]

They have some very stiff competition this year but if they sing as well as they have been doing over the past six weeks, there is no reason why they shouldn't acquit themselves very favourably. Should have the result early tomorrow evening, then they are planning to party - and believe me, those ladies really know how to party!! There will be some fragile heads on the coach coming home on Sunday I suspect!!

Kath

[gloria townsin]

Curtains drawn and slippers on then Kath........good to be young and let your hair down. Go for it girls!!

[Kath Mulligan]

Some of those "girls" Gloria are older than me!! It's a 50 strong Chorus ranging in age from late teens to early seventies with most being in the 30 - 55 age bracket.

Kath

[gloria townsin]

Well o.k. but as I get older I'd rather call them girls.....helps me feel younger.

[Sybille Weber]

What very pampered swifts you have, Sybille! As Gloria says, when word spreads on the birdie grapevine, you will have their friends descending on you from miles around!.......Kath

:haha: , but that would actually be nice, Kath and Gloria, although I don't think it will happen as there is only a limited number of "appartments" available beneath our roof.

Yes, Jane, would be nice if there were lots of baby swifts. This was the case in previous years, but the situation looks rather gloomy at present. Due to the cold and wet weather there are no insects in the air which the swifts depend on, and they are also not used to these low temperatures. Frost at night or temperatures just above freezing point and permanent rain here, and not above 5 degr. during the day these past few days. In the more hilly parts of our area, just 50 miles away they had several inches of snow yesterday, and much more in the Black Forrest. Can't remember having ever had such conditions in May.
There was a press release by the German Swift Society saying that the situation was getting more and more dramatic for the birds now for although they do often fly several hundred miles to find better conditions this is not possible when the general situation all over Europe is the same. Swifts can now be found clinging to walls of houses because it's a little warmer there, but they cannot endure this for long and will eventually become too weak. Others will fly low above the roads where it's a little warmer because of the car exhaust fumes, and will eventually fall victim to the traffic.
We haven't heard or seen anything of our swifts for two days now, when before we could hear them so busy in their nests. It is dry and overcast at the moment, and fortunately the temperature has gone up to as much as 15 degr. I saw two swifts in the sky this morning. Don't know if they would have been ours though.
Can only hope the weather will improve, although the forecast is not encouraging with more rain and lower temperatures again. :(

[Sybille Weber]

Read briefly a report that finches are decreasing in numbers due to eye infections they are picking up from dirty bird feeders and baths. Somewhat disconcerting.

This was in the news here some time last year, too, Gloria, and I was getting a bit worried as with so many birds coming to our balcony you would have to keep cleaning it all the time, which is just not possible especially if you go out to work. My parents already attend to it several times a day, but they are in their mid-eighties, and it does get too much for them. Fortunately though it seems our finches were alright as there were infact more coming during the winter than ever before. There are not as many coming now though, but this is usually the case as spring comes as many birds just come to our balcony for food in the winter when there is absolutely no other natural source available. So I do hope that this is the cause again and not a disease among the birds. We have one chaffinch coming to our balcony every evening just before it gets dark though (The Evening Finch). He is not as quiet as the Minack 'Evening Gull'. Infact he's just the opposite. We already know when he is coming, as you can hear him calling from afar. Then the calls gradually get louder as he hops from tree to tree and onto our balcony, where he will sit for another minute or so calling quite loud before actually flying to the feeder and then off again without a sound.

[gloria townsin]

That is so sad Sybille about the swifts.......nature seems to be going topsy turvy in all sorts of ways. It's always that little bit special when something wild responds to you - so enjoy your Evening Finch.

[Kath Mulligan]

Heard a little while ago from Claire that Heartbeat got the bronze medal overall, and gold in the midsize chorus category which is exactly the same as they got last year, except that this year they scored higher marks, and the competition was much stronger so they, and we, are all delighted. They are performing in the Winners Show tonight then partying till dawn!!

Kath

[gloria townsin]

Hey.......... Great.... Well done the girls. Bet that will be some party!!

[jane jackson]

Very well done to them all, they'll certainly enjoy the celebrating.

[Sybille Weber]

Great news, Kath. Congratulations to all of them.