Is This a Partridge?

[appledore]

Hi Will. I hope you and hubs are well. I bet you thought I'd left the country. We've had a very busy few weeks moving house. We've thought about it for a long time, but we've done it at last. We have a small garden, but it's lovely.
We can't wait until the weather picks up and we can get out there. We have lots of shrubs in pots from our last house so we'll plant them and it'll be more like home. We have a garden room too, so we're looking forward to sitting in there when we get some furniture. We're waiting until the shops calm down a bit.

We asked the new people to feed Pirate and left some food. We couldn't bring him with us as we think he belongs to someone. We miss him though.

I expect you'll have finished your Christmas shopping now and be all ready for the big day. Christmas seems to be taking a back seat here this year as we have had so much to do with unpacking and getting sorted. We're spending Christmas Day with our family so we're looking forward to that. Are you going to visit hubby's mum?

I'm pleased you still have your visiting foxes and hedgehogs. We haven't seen many birds since we moved here, but we saw some blue tits the other day so we've hung some fat balls on one of the trees and hope they come back.

Happy Christmas to both of you and all the best for 2019.

[WILL*REMAIN*STRONG]

Hi apples, and Happy New Year! I hope you are all doing very well.
I am thrilled to hear you have moved, and love your new home. A smaller garden will be much more manageable. And those birds will come, they just need to find all your feeders, it does take time.
I bet you do miss Pirate, he'll be ok, but I am sure will miss you a lot too!
I hope you had a lovely Christmas, what a great time of year to move. I would like that when we eventually move to a country home, be in just before Christmas.
We had an amazing time, CP was excellent. We stayed in the honeymoon lodge again, and have booked for next year. I am mourning Christmas, just want it back! I love every minute of the crimbo hols, and hate them coming to an end, such a long time before the next one. Oh I wish it could be Christmas everyday!
We are looking at booking another holiday now, but can't decide on where to go. Ireland is top of the list at the moment, just looking at whether to take car, or rent one there. I have always wanted to go to Southern Ireland, so hope we do go.
Our little Rudey is doing great, he has completed the next stage of mummy training..I am a complete sucker basically...he asks he gets...most of the time! LOL Bless him, he's such a happy boy, with cats you just want to spoil them..well any animal really. The foxes will be bonking soon, I have put my order in for 4 more cubs. It is Cookie the dominant male for a 2nd year, and his choice of female is between 3 as usual. I do hope he picks a mellow girly, because there is a skittish one, and last he picked the skittish one. But they do tend to calm down and brave up once cubs need feeding.
We have had goldcrest in the garden, still have bullfinch, thrilled to have a pair of nuthatches now and again. But I have only spotted the woodpecker once, need more of those. There are treecreepers, but no siskins yet. And I am still to spot a brambling here!
I can't wait to see some photos of your new home and garden, I do hope you are settling in well, and have nice neighbours this time.
We are off for a woodland walk now, I would like to go fishing, but hubby is still not into it. I will go next week.
Take care, hope to hear all about your new home and whether you have a garden full of birds yet...oh and a new feline visitor perhaps?

[appledore]

Hi Will. Hope you and hubs and Mr. Puss are doing well.

We're settling into our new home. Hubby is settling in better than I am, but I'll get there. We were in our last house for twenty years which is a long time. We're getting some jobs done. We knew we needed a new gas boiler, sooner rather than later, but didn't realise how bad it was. It was held together with rust so had to be replaced straight away, and the garage door wasn't much better. We've replaced that too.

You're right about the garden, it will be much more manageable. Judging from your photographs It's about the same size as yours. There are lots of trees round us. The birds are starting to eat the fat balls. We don't have as many birds as we did in our previous house, but we've seen some blue tits, and there are starlings and blackbirds. The neighbours are nice.

I'm pleased you enjoyed CP and the honeymoon lodge. You'll be looking forward to going back again. We haven't been to Southern Ireland. It's nice to go somewhere different.

We miss Pirate, and hope someone's looking after him. It sounds like Rudey has you wrapped round his little finger. Or maybe I should say little claw. We've seen three cats since we moved here. Big, ploddy cats.

What are the foxes up to?

I'll post some photos when we can get out in the garden and tidy it up a bit.

[WILL*REMAIN*STRONG]

Hi apples, glad to hear you are both settling into your new home, if a little harder for you. It will take time, 20 years in a home is a long time. But once you have it just how you want it, I'm sure it will be lovely. Nice neighbours, manageable garden, just a little more birds and a garden spruce and you'll be over the moon with it.

I managed to cut the grass in February, first time I have been able to mow so early in the year. Now it is sodden, and weather awful. I went fishing yesterday, caught a few chub on maggots. I was going to have one last fish on the river before closed season, but tomorrow will be gales, so that's off. I fished in the snow, it was fab! I caught 8 Perch in the morning, it was magical. I caught a lovely pike on the canal a couple of weeks ago, I got some nice lures for Valentines day, and I used one for the first time and a lovely pike came for a kiss. I doubt I will ever tire of fishing.

Three female foxes have had their chubbins now, I hope they will survive, we have one very busy male at the moment, we are putting extra food out. In 6 – 7 weeks we should have some fluff balls in the garden, can't wait! We did have a pair of nuthatch a while back, our favourite bird, but they stopped coming. Such a shame, we can't seem to keep nuthatch in this area, they always stick to the woodland just down the road. I saw a tree creeper this morning and goldcrest, but couldn't get a photo. I see Kingfishers every time I fish almost, opposite me on the river last time I fished, there were two across from me a lot of the time. So lovely to see. When I think back to a few years ago, I had never seen one and was dying to see one. Now they are almost like sparrows, but better of course.

Rudey is his usual gorgeous fluffy self, cuddly, lazy and demanding. He sends a belly flop.

Not too long till our hol in Ireland, very excited! The property we have booked looks lovely, I think we will be driving a lot.

Hope all is well, look forward to seeing your garden when you have had a bit of spring weather to get it how you want it.

[appledore]

Hi Will. I hope you and hubby are having a good Easter, and haven't eaten too many Easter eggs. Hasn't the weather been lovely? We've been gardening, there's lots of weeds, but we have lots of trees and shrubs. There are three Magnolias. One is a Star Magnolia, white with double flowers. The flowers are about finished now, but it's been beautiful.
There are Azaleas and Rhododendrons, and a Camellia and lots of plants that we haven't identified yet. We are going to get the Silver Birch cut down as it's far too big for the garden, and it's not tree shaped anymore. It's stopping a lot of light too.

We've been busy in the house. We've got a new roof and new windows and doors. There's still a lot of decorating to do, but we'll get there.

How's the fishing going? I can just picture you fishing in the snow. It would be nice and fresh. How are the baby foxes? We don't see foxes here, but there are more birds than when we came. We don't have a visiting cat yet, but we've seen a couple walking down the street. We couldn't understand why the traffic had stopped when we were out the other day, then we realised there was a cat on the zebra crossing. Just sauntering over like he had all the time in the world.
I hope Rudey is ok, give him a cuddle from me.

Have you been to Ireland yet?

[WILL*REMAIN*STRONG]

Hi apples, hope you are all well, we are doing great. Just come back from Ireland, it was wonderful and so much fun. I can't wait to go back. I'll upload some picture videos some time on YouTube.
Sounds like you had a lot of work to do on your new home, but how nice to again get it just the way you want it to be. Decoration and finishing touches are always the best bit, it is when a house becomes a home.
Your garden sounds wonderful, nice that you can keep some trees, I'm dying to see some pictures of it!
We haven't seen cubs yet, but I think it is only a matter of time before they bring them. We have four adults coming to the garden, three female and one male. All females have had cubs, but no idea how many will have survived?
Rudey is doing well, he says thank you for his cuddle and sends a belly flop.
We've had hot then cold spells haven't we! One minute it is summer, then it suddenly feels wintery again. Looks like we are in for a bit more cold weather yet, we still haven't turned the heating off. Although I don't mind the cold, it is the heat I don't like.
I really need to get a move on now and plant some flowers in borders and sow a few small patches of grass into lawns. The garden is looking nice, we have loads of tadpoles in the pond.
I have been fishing a bit, but not as much as I would like. But it is closed season on the river, and the canal is not as much fun. But I will go once the clouds come over. At the moment I am just getting on with a bit of gardening whilst the sun is out.
Are you feeling more at home now you have had a bulk of the work done on your house? I felt no end better once we had decorated here and made it all homely. I still love it, and love the garden too. But in five to seven years we will be looking to move to the countryside. That is a strange but wonderful thought, it is in my mind all the time to be in countryside. Peaceful surroundings, private and hopefully some good fishing. Hubby is desperate to retire, he would much rather be busy doing hobbies and having fun. I don't want to rush time as it goes by fast enough anyway. But I am so looking forward to Hubs being home and us being busy with all sorts together. I cannot understand people who say they are bored when they retire! Bloody glass half empty nitwits, must have boring marriages and no hobbies or interests. I don't think we would ever stop having things to do, we would be busier than we are now. Well I can't wait, not rushing time, just very excited!

[appledore]

Hi Will. Hope you're both well. We're both fine and full of busy. We're busy in the garden, so the decorating has had to take a back seat. We'll get there. We got the Silver Birch cut down, and it's made a lot of difference. There are lots of trees behind our garden, but they're not too close so shouldn't cause us any problems. We've been removing Wisteria from the back fence. It was taking up a lot of space, and I just don't like it. I can't really explain why, it's just creepy. It's like you and Daffodils. I've been planting some bedding plants this afternoon. It's nothing like the marathon we had at our last house. Have you planted some bedding plants in the borders? I prefer this garden to our last one, it's just the right size. We feel more at home now, and it's much more convenient for shops etc now that we're getting to be a couple of old fogies.

I hope Rudey is well, and being a good cat. Please give him a cuddle from me. We don't have a visiting cat yet, but we live in hope. We've seen a couple wandering down the street. There are more birds than when we came, and a lovely Robin. Have you seen any fox cubs?

We've had some very cold, wet weather. It was pouring down this morning, but it's warm and sunny this afternoon.

I'm pleased you enjoyed your holiday in Ireland. You'll be wanting to go back.

I can imagine you both living in the countryside. I hope you find somewhere peaceful. There's always plenty to do when you're retired. We don't get bored. We often wonder how we found the time to go to work.