A bit of Charity Shop Shopping and an Unusual Visitor

It's been a while since I last blogged, been a bit busy and a bit ill. Had the most corking migraine sunday through monday and was even off work for 2 days! Thankfully I don't get them very often, once or twice a year at most.
It turns out there is some manner of virus going round that seems to cause bad headaches or migraines in those who suffer them and then turns into the sniffles - nice!
Thankfully I am on the mend, back at work and back on the computer, mostly catching up on everyone elses blogs.

So last wednesday I had lunch with an old work colleague and as we had to finish up about 3pm I headed home via my local charity shops and the police station.
The police station bit is like something out of a t.v sitcom! Seriously you would not believe it if I told you all the ridiculous details. Surffice to say we have an abandoned car outside our house, they have managed to establish that much, it has been there over a month now.
Basically the police have been behaving in the manner of bungling t.v. comedy dectectives in their efforts to deal with said car. Apparently it was going to be moved on monday........it's still there......
but I digress.
The charity shops were sparse to say the least, (must be time for me to have another clearout lol) However I did get 2 bargains.




A lovely satiny effect blouse in black with little white stars. It has lovely little cap sleeves and a gathered effect on the shoulder.

Find of the day was two Alfred Meakin serving dishes, with this wonderful autumn/winter hedgerow design on them. Sorry picture has come out a bit yellow!

Anyway after a weekend of not much except not quite feeling right and then definitely not being at all right with the migraine, I finally started to feel a bit better yesterday afternoon and went outside to get some fresh air and refill all the bird feeders in my garden. I heard a Red Kite calling and look who was sitting in my neighbour's tree.




I can't quite believe I managed to get back in and get my camera before he took flight. I think it must have been about 15 years ago now that they released Red Kites back into this area and what a success story it has been. I was still living with my parents then and we were only a mile away from one of the secret breeding sites. It was wonderful to spot the first 2 or 3 birds and watch as they slowly became more and more. Now they are seen everywhere in Oxfordshire, mostly due to the high use of cars by modern man, they are carrion and happily live off all the roadkill!

Here are 7 that were circling above my garden yesterday, and I live in a town.

My mother likes to feed them, with raw chicken I hasten to add. You would make them extremely ill/ kill them if you gave them cooked meat. Cooked meat = an absolute no-no.
It takes your breath away to see a bird the size of a full grown male landing in your back garden I can tell you, we are talking 2ft tall.
She has one bird who roosts in the willow at the back of their house, it had a bad leg last year. She felt sorry for it, hence the feeding. Now it will pretty much take the chicken piece from her hand!
No joke, she goes out into the garden with the meat and the bird launches himself from the tree and catches it mid air as she throws it. I was toying with buying her one of those big leather gloves bird of prey owners have as a joke.