MISCELLANY

I thought it was about time I did a blog, having collected some bits and pieces which might be of interest to - someone!
I took this nighttime photo which dates back to just pre last Christmas. My over-the-road neighbour always has this tasteful display of Christmas lights for a few weeks at the end of the year; it's just enough, as far as I'm concerned, so took this as a trial run then used it for the family's Christmas card. Reflections of lights in the road from puddles of - rain!

This frosty pattern on my car was taken about 12 days ago;I haven't seen 'Jack Frost' ice patterns like this for many years, it's usually just like frosted glass on the car windows. I remember ice patterns like these on the inside of house window panes when I was a child. Brrrrr..
My friend, Brenda, in Haddenham, lent me this book of stamps so that I could put it in the blog.She's a philatelist and she's used stamps which are ruined in one way or another, are duplicates or have very heavy postmarks. The box measures 4 1/2" x 6 1/2" and is made of 'brown papier mache/pressed cardboard'. The stamps are put on with a clear glue or with decoupage glue

and then the whole thing has two coats of varnish. That's what made it hard to photograph as the flash just bounced off the varnished surface. Do you remember this chap on the purple stamp in the centre? I must admit I've forgotten all about him!Even the ends are covered. Perhaps she'll put it in Haddenham Horticultural Show this year...
Since the current spell of cold weather I've been watching the birds in the garden as going out is hard work with my breathing-in-cold-air difficulty and I spotted this visitor in the oak tree about 60' down the garden.
I think it's a very young great spotted woodpecker as it didn't move from this spot all the time I was watching it, just looking round in all directions. I wondered whether it was a fluffed-up-against-the-cold adult but because of its behaviour with staying put I came to the conclusion it was a youngster. It flew away when I stood up (indoors) and they go very quickly.
The day before yesterday this female great spotted woodpecker landed on a half coconut shell filled with fat and mealworms which I bought at the local garden centre. It's female because there's no red on its head. I'm not a great fan of ivy but that piece in the background is a bird sown plant which has now draped itself over a rusty iron upright 'planted' by a previous owner of this plot and much too well concreted in to remove - so I've left it.
Now I've changed to a pop-up system of leaving comments my daughter can actually leave something from time to time, just to show she really does look to see what I've written. Just waiting for a reply to an email re a new matte-screen computer - or non-reflective, I think it was called. More trauma...