First Frost

This week when I rolled out of bed and looked out of the window and WOW. Jack Frost had paid us a visit cos the garden and our car were covered with frost, our first this year. The casa was freezing and I’d to turn on the heating, again for the first time after about 8 months. Aaah, it was heaven. Then a quick workout with the ice-scraper to clear the frosted car-screen before Babe drove me to work.

I don’t mind the cold frost because it meant clear skies and sparkly sunshine. And the weather got better and better as the day goes. This was the view outside my window.   Just simply stunning with reds, oranges, and yellows nearing their peak color. A pity the fallen leaves were cleared regularly :-)

I took another day off to recover from this lingering cold. I was soo exhausted that I just wanted to sleep and rest.  And it did helped. After about 4 hours, I felt much better, especially when I spotted this delightful Dunnock feeding among my spent sunflowers. I was thinking of clearing them up but I think I’m just going to leave them alone for my feathered visitors.

As usual, after a good sleep, I was feeling a bit restless. Although it was chilly, there were lots of cheery sunshine outside. We took advantage of the clear, crisp day and unbroken blue skies with a drive to Groby Pool. We’d a lovely surprise when we spotted this delicate beauty, a Snow Goose, among the Greylags. Isn’t she utterly gorgeous?

Then straight to Bradgate Park. Another surprise. The car-park was full even on a working day. Where did these people come from??? As usual, I was searching for my noisy mate.  I could hear his piercing ‘whee-oo’ from a distance. It was a delight watching him rushing for scraps of bread. What a super trouper.

We could hear the haunting bellowings from deep within the forest but that was it. A few young stags were spotted among the undergrowth. Since Bradgate House was opened, we checked out the grounds.  We spotted a few deer feeding at the end of the grounds but this grey wagtail kept us occupied.

We arrived back to the casa just before the football fans make their way to the Ricoh Arena. I could hear the roar, groans and boos from the casa. Hmm…Sky Blues had lost 2:1 to Cardiff City. No wonder the fans were in subdued moods as they walked back after the game.

What do you think about the spending review??? Where shall I start? The poor were clobbered the hardest by draconian cuts to the welfare budget, deep slashing of the social housing bill and council cuts affecting services for families and the elderly. The welfare bill slashed by £7 billion yet the greedy banks received only 0.04% levy, which amounts to only £2.5 billion a year!!! Osbourne took more from our children than from these b-----d banks!!! Breathe in-out very, very s-l-o-w-l-y…

Phew, I need a breather. What better way than a treat to the Noodle Bar for some serious slurpings to keep the frost and cold at bay, huh!!!. It was full when Cc and I arrived but we managed to find a seat. As usual, I ordered my favourite fried udon with the seafood special and Chinese vegetables washed down with steaming cups of Chinese cha. We then checked out what the Coventrians were wearing as they walked by. It was hilarious.

Then a trip to the shoe bar to re-heel my boots. We walked round and round the market to find this tiny stall. It cost me £6 and now I can use my boots again. I also had my eye-brows reshaped at a threading shop. Now, I’ve got perfectly shaped arch ready to face the world LOL.

Babe came over to meet me in town. He wanted to check out a WiFi memory card at Jessops. They don’t have it in stock but you can order it on-line and pick it in-store. The catch was it costs much more when you collect it in-store. Why was this possible? Babe decided to check out the Currys/PC World superstore next time we drove by.

There was also another home game. While I was waiting for the bus into town, police cars and vans were whizzing up and down Foleshill Road. Hmm, I guess they were getting ready for the influx of footie fans. Barnsley's poor away form continued as McSheffrey, Baker and Clarke gave Coventry three points. Well done to the Sky Blues which climbed to sixth place in the Npower Championship after defeating the Tykes. The fans were celebrating the win in the pub behind our casa all night long.

On Sunday was another early morning trip to Bradgate Park again.  A pit stop at Groby Pool where a flock of Pochard greeted us. Lately, I’ve been very impressed with our visits to this pool. There was always something new to see in such an unassuming place.

It was only 10.30am when we arrived at Bradgate Park and the car-park was nearly full. Man…these people were already here. We didn’t see or hear our favourite bird.  I guess he was having a lie-in but this handsome fella was thrilling the crowds near the footpath.

We walked to Bradgate House again to check out the herd of white deer. They were still there checking us out, checking them. As we were walking slowly towards them, we disturbed a few Green woodpeckers which were feeding on the lawn.  They were so well-camouflaged that we only notice them when they flew away.

We continued further on towards the visitor centre. There was a field besides it and we spotted herds of deer of varying ages. Hmm, has the rutting season started or were they still thinking about it? This handsome red deer was chilling out under the tree.  From time to time, we could hear the bellowings. But I want to see the head-butting clashing of antlers and pure testosterones out in the open.

As we made our back, the distinctive whistling ‘whee-oo’  drifted towards me. Oh yes, my  favourite bird was somewhere on the River Lin. I spotted him, as usual, chasing after scraps of bread. This lovely guy always makes me smile and I’m never tired of watching him.

When we drove past Groby Pool, Babe spotted this Great Crested Grebe swimming very close to the dam, which was just beside the main road. We made a quick  pit-stop and took a few shots of this handsome bird in its winter camouflaged. This was the first time we saw this elegant bird here. It was lovely to be able to see him this close.

I made fully use of the frosty week. I’d a lovely time with Babe despite my cold.

May you have warm words on a cool evening, a full moon on a dark night and a smooth road all the way to your door.

~Irish Toast~