Wildlife week

It's been a week for wildlife this week.

On Tuesday I saw a Red Kite flying over the field behind where I work. Red Kites are becoming quite a common sight in the area but it's the first time I've seen one in this particular location. Also on Tuesday I saw a Great Spotted Woodpecker in our grounds at work. Again, they're not an uncommon bird but it's the first time I've seen one at work. We get lots of Green Woodpeckers though.

On Wednesday I saw a Slow Worm in the woods behind work, and I rescued a fledgeling Bluetit who launched out of a tree and crash landed at my feet. Luckily both dogs were on leads! I just moved Bluetit to the wall at the side of the foot path in case he got stepped on.

Saturday night at my brothers house there were loads of Stag Beetles. I'm not a huge fan of Stag Beetles and prefer not to get too close, but they are amazing creatures to watch. We also caught a newt from their pond, I think it's a Smooth Newt but not 100%....

Today on my dog walk I rescued a Lime Hawkmoth from a pond. He'd fallen in and was desperately trying to get out but wasn't going to do it alone. I fished him out on a stick and left him resting and drying out. Hopefully he survived! He was exhausted and sitting very still, so I was able to take quite a clear photo.

Is it wrong....

....to find it hilariously funny, watching small children falling off donkeys?

Bank Holiday Monday was the local donkey derby and as usual, the donkeys ran the show. They know the game, they ditch their riders as soon as they can and wander off to eat grass....

No serious injuries were sustained by the kids, just a few bumps and bruises.... mainly to their pride I think!!

Treadmill running.

I have got a treadmill. It's old, but it works and I do use it.  The only space I have got to keep it in is the conservatory so some days it is too hot to use it, but most weekends I can have a run or two. I try and run on the days when I'm not doing anything else exercise-wise.

I've started off slowly and have been building up both my distance and speed. I also bought a proper pair of running shoes which has made a difference too. The treadmill only measures in miles but that's OK, I can run in miles and convert to km later if I want. It counts laps, and each lap is a quarter of a mile. So now, my running plan looks like this:

Lap 1 @ 3.5 mph walking warm up (need to extend this to 2 laps)

Lap 2 - 9 @ 6mph running (2 miles)

Lap 10 @ 3.5 mph walking cool down

Lap 11 @ 3mph then 2.5 mph walking cool down 

As with most exercise I don't look forward to it and I have to make myself do it, but once I get going it's ok, and I'm always pleased with myself afterwards. I have been building the speed up slowly and today was the first time I did the full 2 miles at 6mph. I'm going to stick with that speed for a while now and work on distance I think.

 This is Woody's idea of a good use for a treadmill....

Feeling sad.

Today would have been Pippa's 14th birthday.

Pippa.

30/05/96 - 22/02/10

Baking again

I made pretzels today, the soft American style ones, not the little crunchy ones you get here in packets. I first tried these in Las Vegas in 2007 and loved them, so finally got round to having a go at making them. It took me ages to find a UK recipe since I don't understand USA recipes, but today I found one and here is the result!

The shapes aren't quite right and I used a bit too much salt. I also forgot to oil the baking tray and they stuck. Apart from that though they're great! I've eaten two already...

Spam

The only acceptable form of spam is the kind you put in sandwiches and eat.

I have re-enabled comment moderation which is a pain, but necessary.

Why do people have to be so annoying?

Another migraine.

I hate migraines. They're better since I cut artificial sweeteners out of my diet, but I still get them. I take medication when I get one, but that makes me feel weird too. I can't win.

Anyway, this is a bank holiday weekend so I get an extra day off work. Not sure what the weather is going to do as reports are mixed. Sunday I suspect will be a day to stay home alone, it would have been Pippa's 14th birthday. I miss her so much.