Big Garden Birdwatch

This weekend is the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch and as a member I dutifully did my one hour watch this afternoon. I always feel a bit put out if some of my favourite birds don't visit the garden during my hour but I was very pleased to be able to record these two (one is the other side of the feeder) Lesser Redpolls - they may have visited before but I haven't noticed them if they have.

It was a beautiful sunny day today even though freezing cold. The bottom of the garden remained frost covered all day, but it was perfect weather be be outside and busy and I was able to do a bit of general tidying. I could hear lots of neighbours busy in their own gardens around about too. If the weather holds I may even have another go at the birdwatch tomorrow and see what I can see.

A Monthly Make - January

Here's a thing..... I've made something! OK its not an exquisitely embroidered garment or intricately knitted lace but I like it a lot. Don't you just hate how everything looks bare when the Christmas decorations come down? When I saw Jenny B Harris' dotty-garland here I thought "just the job" and made my own version to take a bit of that bareness away until Springtime arrives to brighten everything up.

Jenny cut out her circles by hand but I'm not a neat circle cutter and I didn't have a 2" punch - but I did have a 2" scallop circle punch which made this a very quick project. I printed out four sheets of circles and strung them on some lovely thick bakers twine, sticking two of the same pattern back to back with double sided tape, sandwiching the twine between.

There are some other great ideas for using the circles on Jenny's gorgeous blog. They are perfect for use on cards and other papercraft projects as well as cheering up a post-Christmas room. AND best of all they are a freebie printable!

My garland is the first project I've made to add to Annie The Felt Fairy's Make a Month challenge. Phew - its nearly February already!

Signs of the Seasons

My crafting time has been severely cut over the past few weeks as my Mum has been seriously ill and I've been away from my crafty stash for much of the time. So please accept my excuses, and I offer instead something to look at from the garden. Here are two welcome signs of the change of season we are all looking forward to. These tiny spikes are snowdrops pushing through the debris of winter and I like these tightly budded hazel catkins looking rather arty against the rusty roof of one of my son's slowly decaying vintage cars.

I've been stalking the bird feeders again with my camera, albeit staying warm and pointing my lens through the window. We've lots of different bird visitors and I recently lured the Goldfinches closer to the window by offering them Niger seeds - something they can't resist. They live in little flocks and I must say are very prone to squabbling. They are so pretty and really liven up the feeders - as of course do all the tits. We've have bluetits, great tits, longtail tits and coal tits visiting for peanuts and fat treats. I still have to get a good image of some feeder visitors - the very shy woodpecker, nuthatch, and the longtails - and hope to post them here when I do.

One new visitor I was delighted to see was this little female blackcap - the males do have black caps but the female's is brown. This isn't a good photo but I'm proud of her and want to show her off anyway.

Make a Month Challenge

I haven't joined in any challenges for quite a while but I thought The Felt Fairy's make a month challenge is just what I need to get me started on creating in 2011. I'm sure I can manage one project a month and so I've signed up. I've still nothing finished that I can post here but its already nearly half way through January so I have to get my skates on - I really can't be late on the first month! But with three part time jobs and hospital visiting every day I'm quite tired in the evenings. Hopefully things will get back to normal soon so don't give up on me yet! ;o)

12th Night sadness

Sadly 12th Night is here and its time to put away all traces of Christmas until next year. I'll be taking down my collection of old and vintage decorations later today and again resolving to be more organised next year and start my present making in good time - ha ha!

Unfortunately I haven't been able to post much recently as we have sickness in the family but I'm really in the 'sitting by the fire knitting' mood at the moment and hope to post something woolly soon.

May I wish everyone a very Happy and Creative 2011 and lets all get organised this year!