love this time of year...I completely lose track of time...what day is it? The roads are quiet, the shops are quiet and the television is unpredictable....sat and watched Only Fools and Horses this afternoon. And as for the birds....the garden feeders are alive with finches....word has spread. The sparrow colony has increased in size and reed buntings have started to visit from the reservoir......all we need now is snow....not hopeful......

is determined to see a jack snipe on the mud in front of the hide at Weston Turville......it just looks so perfect. Surely before the winter is over one will appear.......

had an amazing experience the other morning...got up early to do the shopping before it got busy and drove through Weston Turville in the morning half light. Sitting on top of a hawthorn hedge by the side of the road was a beautiful tawny owl just looking down at the car. As I pulled away a little owl flew across the road and a few seconds later a barn owl landed on a fire hydrant literally a few feet away parallel to the car. Three different owl species in a matter of seconds only a few feet away was a great Christmas present and a reminder that there is a whole parallel world out there while we're asleep......

had a strange encounter this morning...decided to go to the hide at Weston Turville at first light. Lovely, still - windless - morning. And dark. Very, very dark. As I went through the gate a huge fox - the biggest I have ever seen, with thick winter fur, stood in front of me, lit by the dull streetlamp light, and just stared at me. Straight at me. I stood motionless, not more than five feet from it and it walked forward and sniffed the air before turning and walking slowly in to the wood and disappearing from view almost instantly. A surreal experience indeed....

Enjoying fantastic food in the company of great friends.....whilst learning to use an iPad...nudge nudge Santa......

How appropriate that a snow bunting should arrive today with the first real arctic flurries of winter...the first snow bunting since 1981 apparently. Had lovely views of it but funnily enough was just as pleased to see the small flock of house sparrows on the bird table in the garden...magic.....

Are you sick of highly paid teachers? Teachers' hefty salaries are driving up taxes, and they only work 9 or 10 months a year! It's time we put things in perspective and pay them for what they do - babysit! We can get that for less than minimum wage. That's right. Let's give them £5.93 an hour and only the hours they work; not any of that silly planning time, or any time they spend before or......... after..... school. That would be £41.51 a day (8.00 am to 3:30 PM with 60 min. off for lunch and play -- that equals 7.5 hours). Each parent could pay £41.51 a day for these teachers to babysit their children. Now how many children do they teach in a day...32? So that's £41.51 x 32 = £1328.32 a day. However, remember they only work 180 days a year!!! I am not going to pay them for any holidays . LET'S SEE.... That's £1328.32 X 180= £239,097.60 per year. (Hold on! My calculator needs new batteries). Wait a minute -- there's something wrong here! There sure is! The average teacher's salary (nationwide) is £25,000.00/ 180 days = £138.90 per day/ 32 children = £4.34 / 7.5 hours = £0.58 per hour per student--a very inexpensive babysitter and they even EDUCATE your kids! WHAT A DEAL!!!!

I've just got a feeling that our weirdly mild Autumn will have a sting in it's tail...the weather forecast for this week looks ominous......

traffic slow along the A413 with sheep wandering along the road near the Deep Mill Diner.......

Is it me or are the comments being made by the Met Office and BBC weather Centre about today's weather accurate,  alarmist or a genuine attempt to avoid a Michael Fish 'I can assure you there will be no hurricane Madam' scenario....not sure but the meteorological maps look menacing for later today....