Stover country park.

 This morning we decided that it was time we gave the Mobility scooter a good run out. It was a cloudy but dry and mild 8c, so location was the next question. We decided to stay local by going to Stover Country park.This park is only 6 miles away and close to the market town of Newton Abbot.The park consists of 114 acres (around 46 Hectares) of Lakes, Conifer woodland, Shrub lands, Grasslands and plenty of Marshlands. This then is an ideal wildlife area. This includes Birds of all sorts, Animals, Snakes, Reptiles,Butterflies, Mammals,Plants by the hundred and even the odd Roe deer.So we put the scooter into the car (ramps) along with sandwiches and a Flask and off we went.The park has a very reasonable pay and display car park (£1.50 all day)situated close to the Ranger and visitor centre. This centre also contains a Nature Interpretation Centre (???)(see www.devon.gov.uk/stover_country_park.htm)The centre contains Toilets, including Disabled, these are probably the slight "Blot on the landscape" as the Gents urinal could do with a good scrub up.Stalls, Sinks etc are all fine though.The parks numerous paths are 90% hard ground fully suitable for Disability Scooters and Wheelchairs,also the park is very flat with only very slight inclines.All around there are benches, seats and Picnic tables so ideal for older or for the not so fit amongst us to rest a while.All around the main lake are large wide wooden platforms for watching (or feeding) the many Water based Birds. All in all an ideal place for the amateur or professional nature lover to visit.
Sue takes nearly all the pictures on these blogs with her Fuji Finepix HS 10/11 Camera.
Please click on any picture to enlarge it. 
Below, several Terns at roost.

 Below, These two i believe (not an expert on sea birds) are Terns too.

 Below, This is one we all know the friendly (to us) Robin.

 This picture (below) is of a Great Tit, most of the Tit family are found here.

 This Grey Squirrel was playing peep oh with us. (below)

 Below, here is the cheeky chappie again, he came up to within 7-8 feet of us while we ate our food.
On the ground beneath one of the large Peanut feeders were 8 more of these, lured out by the mild weather i suppose.

 This Moorhen picture originally started as the 3rd picture but how it ended here blessed if i know.

Joke of the day.
Dear claire,
I am very much in love with my wife, to be honest she is the reason I gave up drinking and gambling and its fair to say she saved me from a life of addiction and poverty.
We have been happily married for the last ten years, but lately Ive started noticing little things that make me think she might be having an affair.
Two or three nights a week she goes out with the girls, or so she tells me and comes home at all hours usually 5am or later.
She has started hiding her mobile phone from me and when she gets a txt she says its her sister and leaves the room to read it.
I am at my wits end to be honest.
A few days ago i decided to wait in the garage to see what time she came in.
So i hid behind my bike and waited, it was nearly 6am when she got out of a flashy sports car and proceeded to kiss the driver full on the lips, she then took her panties out of her purse and put them on before she entered the house, it was then I noticed it!
Oh my G** a small oil leak just behind the cylinder head!!!
I really dont what to do for the best claire, so thats why im writing to you, should i bring it to a bike shop and get them to sort it?, or try to find out the cause of the leak myself?
Signed, worried out of my head.

Wheelchair Blues.

 So what are things coming to? Yes an Electric mobility Scooter. A couple of months ago i had terrible breathing difficulties, a trip to the Doc's had me being sent to the Heart Lung dept for Electrocardiographs etc.They found i had part of my Heart not working properly and two leaky valves, now waiting to see specialist Cardiologist. Meanwhile my Hip (been playing up for a year) is really being a P I T A, of course no Surgeon will even look at operating until after my specialists visit. So when i was browsing the paper a couple of weeks ago i came across this quite reasonably priced mobility scooter (its 5 years old) i decided to buy it.At the price i paid i don't expect miracles but on the couple of short trips we've done so far its been OK. The problems will probably come when we try to go on long road trips.The model is a Ugo 8, from new its supposed to able to carry 23 stones for up to 18 miles at speeds of up to 8 MPH, it has indicators, lights and wing mirrors. i must admit i expect to have to replace the batteries quite soon (about £70)we will see.

Joke of the day.

Robot lie detector.

 

A bloke comes home from work with a robot, which can detect lies. When his 12 year old son comes home from school 2 hours late he calls him over. "Why are you so late?"The boy replies "I was in the library doing some homework." The robot rolled over and gave him a clip round the ear. "Ow" cried the lad. "What was that for?"The father said "It's my new lie-detecting robot. You'd better tell me the truth now.""OK Dad, I was at my mates house watching a DVD of Lee Evans." The robot gave him another clip round the ear."I said to tell me the truth", chimed the father. "Try again." 

"OK, we were watching a porno film."

The father says "I can't believe it. You've shamed me. I would never have lied like that to my parents". The robot gave the father a clip round the ear.

The mother fell about laughing and said "Like father, like son" and the robot gave her a clip round the ear.

Our Bird blog.

 I have always had an interest in Birds, i have to admit that as a lad i colleced Bird eggs, although in my defence i only ever took one egg from any nest.I think i ended up with 47 different ones.
Confession over, we now have several bird tables at the caravan although my neighbors 3 damn Cats prevent us from having a table at home. All the pictures taken here were taken with a little Fuji point and shoot Camera with only a 4X zoom so quality isn't brilliant.
Please click pictures to enlarge them.
Above picture...A Blue Tit at feeder.
Below....A Coal Tit.

 Below...A Hen Chaffinch and i think a Coal Tit.

 Below....A Cock Chaffinch.

Below.... We had a pair of Greenfinches (picture + Tit) visit right through the spring of 2009 but no sign of them last year.

 Below........The Nuthatch, we have around three pairs of these beautiful birds that visit our Table/feeders, they usually hang there for 5-6 minutes hogging the feeder until they are stuffed full.

Below.......the very beautiful little Robin, we had a pair nesting close by, when their young were first fledged they all visited us but after a few weeks the young ones were soon chased away by these very terratorial parent Birds.

 Below...... A very badly hit species, the Thrush has really declined in the past few years and are almost rare.Bird watchers put a lot of there decline down to Gardeners use of slug pellets etc which with Snails are the biggest part of their diet.

 Below.......A regular Winter visitor here in Devon are flocks of Redwings, these two's pictures were taken in a nearby neighbors garden. They are attracted to a wild part of his Grape vine which still retains fruit.

Below.......Here is a picture of the Redwing perched above the vine, Fruit just visible in the bottom left corner.

This will be an ongoing blog with eventually parts 1 - 2 etc to follow.

Joke of the day.
Todays is a very topical thing for the ladies at this time of year, (borrowed from Momma bears blog)
T'was the week after Christmas, and all through the house,
nothing would fit me, not even a blouse;
The cookies I'd nibbled, the eggnog I had to taste,
at the holiday parties had gone to my waist;

When I got on the scales there arose such a number!
When I walked to the store (less a walk than a lumber),
I'd remember the marvelous meals I'd prepared,
The gravies and sauces and turkey nicely rared;

The wine and the rum balls; the bread and the cheese,
and the way I'd never said, "No thank you, please."
As I dressed myself in my husband's old shirt,
and prepared once again to do battle with dirt,
I said to myself, as only I can,
"You can't spend a winter disguised as a man!"

So, away with the last of the sour cream dip.
Get rid of the fruit cake, every cracker and chip.
Every last bit of food that I like must be banished,
'til all the additional ounces have vanished.

I won't have a cookie... not even a lick.
I'll want only to chew on a long celery stick.
I won't have hot biscuits, or corn bread, or pie,
I'll munch on a carrot and quietly cry.

I'm hungry, I'm lonesome, and life is a bore,
But isn't that what January is for?
Unable to giggle, no longer a riot.
Happy New Year to all and to all a good diet!