Birdfood

From Facebook Archives

19 March 2023 at 11.43

Two greenfinch on the seed feeder

and Miss Doozer reports a pair of bullfinch on hers.

Miss Doozer  TITS!

Bentonbag  …"like coconuts and robins like worms" 

Great, blue and long tailed.

Miss Doozer  and coal tits too.

Drummerman  We’ve got great tits here.

🐦🐦🐦 

My mother used to repeat the, possibly apocryphal, tale of the early BBC newsreader 

Richard Baker who, from time to time, would host radio programmes.   

A lady wrote in to the Home Service (now Radio 4) to complain that on switching on her wireless set she had heard him say “tits like coconuts” and immediately turned it off in disgust.   

He apparently replied that that was a shame because had the lady listened a little longer to the programme she would have realised it was about attracting birds into one’s garden and the full phrase was “tits like coconuts and robins like worms.”

 

Middlesister was quite amused a while ago when during a phonecall I suddenly cried 

"There's tits on my nuts!"

To which she replied 

"Better than the other way around." 

Mother Ladies Hedgehog

From Facebook Archives

18 March 2012 at 10:28

"You can get a lover any day, but never another mother" said by Elsie Ward Boyd, with annoying regularity to her teenage daughter.   

Not exactly sure what that says about my mother, or her judgement of her daughter's attractiveness ....

18 March 2017 at 17:39

Afternoon tea at The Grand Hotel with Pearl, 

Mrs Mobilephone and Mrs Leftfoot.   

Sandwiches, scones, cakes, chuckles, chat, gossip, a soupcon of bitchin', tea and a lovely view of the sea.  What else could ladies d'une certain age ask for?

Tuesday 18 March 2025 at 08.00

Coming home late last night from the WI AGM I spotted something small scurrying down the drive.  

For a moment I thought it might be a rodent - but no - much to my delight I realised it was a hedgehog.

It scurried along the pavement by my front wall but, as I was concentrating on parking the car I didn't see where it went next.   

Either into Miss and Doozer Esquire's garden, or up their drive.   

But that is why, Ernextdoor, my car is parked at a funny angle.

Ernextdoor  Thank you for letting me know and I will be extra vigilant for the HH XX

Birdfoodlady  Unashamedly plugging Jools' table here, will be at Killingworth Shopping Centre this Friday and Cullercoats Creatives Market in Cullercoats Methodist Church next Saturday (29th) with really good hedgehog and wild bird food hand packed in reclaimed plastic containers.

Bentonbag  Talking of which, I must get my stash of reclaimed plastic containers over to you somehow.

Miss Doozer  Thank you for leaving space for the hedgepig.  I shall keep a look out for it.

Bentonbag  tbh I realised that if I didn't stop watching the hedgepig I was going to drive into my own garden wall (again), so there was a bit of a swerve and, in the words of my oldestbestfriend Henffrind, I thought "Bugger it, I'll park here."

 

 

In July 2007 tidying the garden we found this little hedgehog, curled up asleep.  

I wanted Thunderthighs to see one close up. 

We returned her to a dark, quiet corner behind the compost heap.

 

Once A Catholic

Assuming I have the same ancestry as Bigbrother, who had the DNA test, our blood is 24% Irish, probably entirely from our mother’s side.

I am using my full Christian names as the story won’t work without it.

From Facebook Archives.

St Patrick’s Day 17 March 2017 at 12:07

Shortly after Mum brought me back from Tidworth Military Hospital (where I was born) the parish priest called, presumably to organise the baptism.

"Hello Mrs B and how is the baby?" 

"She's very well Father"

"And what are you going to call her?"

"Brenda Mary father." 

"Holy Mother of God!  And what's wrong with Bridget Patricia?"

Woolwoman Did you know any Bridget Patricias when you were growing up?

Bentonbag  A couple of Bridgets (one my oldest best friend Henffrind’s gran) and a Patricia but no Bridget Patricia*

Woolerwoman  So the Priest was thwarted!! Well good for your mum!

Bentonbag  I think the Priest was taking the mickey at Mum's overtly RC selection.

Paddington  I like the way you had to explain it was when you were born in case I wasn't sure if it was due to coming out of rehab.

 

* That being said I was brought up in Carmarthenshire where Catholics are thin on the ground, and those Bridgets and Patricia were Methodist or Anglican. 

I’ve encountered more since coming up to university and living in the North East.

I suspect that at the third daughter Mum ran out of inspiration and just plumped on same first name my (Irish) godfather gave his daughter, who is a few months older than me.

 

See also https://bentonbag.blogspot.com/2022/10/whats-in-name.html