Saturday 22nd November 2008

Apologies for the absence of any news since October. We have been away on holiday to New Zealand and Australia. Had a great time but the weather was terrible everywhere we went. In the whole month we only had approx seven sunny/hot days, so I don't want to hear anyone ever complain about the British weather again!
Unfortunately, while we were away, that evil fox got into the compound and killed another 3 geese. We've only got 7 left now and we have had to start penning them up in a shed at night for their own safety.
There's lots of tidying up outside to do. Everywhere is thick with leaves which need sweeping up and all the tubs and baskets need replanting with winter flowers and foliage. We must get it done by next weekend as the Christmas lights will need putting up shortly.
No further progress on the hide yet but will keep you informed.
Went into Liverpool on Tuesday evening and walked around the new shopping precinct 'Liverpool One'. It's fab, even though the shops were shut it was really lively and energetic. There's loads of bistro's, bars etc and it was great fun.

Saturday October 11th 2008

The great Firework Competition in Southport last weekend was disrupted a bit by the torrential rain but they managed to get the show completed eventually. It really is a spectacular show and can be seen from miles around but you need to be along marine gardens to get get the full effect of the music as well.

Sadly, a fox killed two of our geese this week. It's a shame that those people who think foxes are cuddly & cute and should be protected at all costs, couldn't see how they rip apart a poor defenceless goose. So, while foxes have the run of the countryside, the geese, who used to roam freely around the fields, now have to be penned up in order to save their lives.

Everywhere is looking very autumnal now and the garden hoover has been working overtime to clear the leaves. The Bramleys have all been picked and frozen but we still have a few tomatoes left in the greenhouse.

Tuesday 1st August 2008

Have had a very busy weekend. Our son was 30 so had a family BBQ in the garden. Fortunately the weather was great and so everyone stayed outdoors. Had a few braziers and the chimenea going so it was really quite warm and with all the fairy lights in the trees it was quite magical.

The difference a few days make. Today it is absolutely freezing and the wind is howling, feels like the deep midwinter!

Our guests this week are walkers and they don't seem to mind the weather at all. Of course they have all the right gear and so they just don't worry what the weather is like they just enjoy getting out and about.

Also have a visitor from Belfast so I took him into Liverpool yesterday to see all the various art installations for Capital of Culture year and then we drove to Crosby beach to see the 'Iron Men' as they are known locally. He was very impressed with it all.

Princess Anne was in Liverpool today opening the second phase of the 'Liverpool One' shopping centre. Unfortunately I didn'tt get a chance to go and see her.

Monday 15th September 2008

Yet another wet week. A good job the cottages are warm & cosy because all our guests spent most of last week inside. I think its about time I bought the sun umbrellas in, doesn't look as if they will get any more use this year.

The geese are enjoying the lake that has formed in the field but the sheep don't look too happy!

The air show in Southport was a great success. Luckily it was one of the good days, warm & sunny so a good time was had by all. Lots of the air displays flew over our house so we saw the Red Arrows and the Lancaster bomber from the back garden.

Just got news of a farmers market which is to be held once a month in Burscough Village. This will be great as we have such alot of good produce in the area that it will be nice for our visitors to have somewhere to get it.

Monday 1st September 2008

Apologies for the delay in postings but I have been having trouble with my computer .....All very technical but got it sorted at last !!

Well, what can I say about August !! The weather has been awful but, on the whole, this little corner of the world seems to fare better than most. Our guests have all managed to get a few good sunny days in although, with hind sight, I think buying the sun umbrellas for the patio tables was tempting fate a bit!.....Still, they'll do for next year.

Two of our guests in August, Terry & Liz were so determined to see the owls that they sat in the big barn with a glass of wine and waited for them to return from their evenings hunting. They were well rewarded for their patience when two barn owls returned and perched, for quite a few minutes, in an opening in the eaves of the barn. Liz said that they almost appeared to be 'framed' against the dusky evening sky.

The ground has now been cleared for the 'hide' and the camera is, hopefully, being installed this week. It wont be filming directly inside the owl box but will be trained on the entrance and hopefully catch the owls as they take flight.

We saw a huge big bird of prey at the bottom of our field yesterday. Unfortunately, by the time we got the binoculars it had flown but we'll keep our eye out for it and hopefully be able to identify it soon.

Saturday August 9th 2008

Our old friends from Glasgow have just gone home after spending a week with us. They have been coming here every year for the last 18 years and , over the years, we have become good friends. Last year we spent a long weekend in Glasgow for Helens 50th birthday and we had a great time, they all made us so welcome.

Just discovered a baby barn owl sheltering in the timber store. As soon as it saw me, it flew out into the garden so I wasn't able to get a good photo of it. It's fully fledged and is just trying its wings out.

Friday August 1st 2008

The weather was glorious at the begining of the week so we managed to get lots of gardening done. Almost stepped on a baby hedgehog which was sleeping in the sunshine right in the middle of the yard !!. lucky I found it or it could have been run over.

At the bottom of our garden we have a 'pill box' which was built during the war. When our children were small they called it 'the fort' and spent many hours playing games in and around it. Over the years it has become totally overgrown with ivy etc. We have finally had all the excess foliage removed and so it now makes quite a good viewing platform to look out over the surrounding fields.

Hope the weather is good tomorrow as we have a wedding party here. The 'Bird' family (good name for someone staying here!!) are here for the wedding of their son Russell.

Monday 21st July 2008

Went to the Albert Dock yesterday to see the 'Tall Ships'. Absolutely thousands there and the queue to get on the quayside was horrendous so we had a look from the distance and left!. Went inside the Town Hall which I have never ever been in before and it was magnificent....well worth a visit if you're in Liverpool..

News of the owls. Found another baby owl in distress. This time it was a baby barn owl which was not completely fledged. It had (fallen/flown/been pushed?)out of the owl box and didn't have the strength to get back up to it. It was all night on its own in the barn and was looking very distressed so we called in our local 'owl man' . He has taken it back to his sanctuary to feed it up and, once it is fully fledged, it will be released back into the wild.

Once all the baby owls have fledged and left the nest, we are going to fit a camera in the box so that visitors can see whats going on in there. Work will hopefully be starting soon on our 'hide'....will keep you posted.

Saturday 20th July 2008

Had a really busy week this week at 'The Open'. Walked the course on Monday with Garcia, Jimenez & Larrazabal. They were great fun and had my photo taken with each of them.....I'll only bore you with one !!! (I'm the blonde one). Although the weather has been absolutely dire, it hasn't stopped the fans turning out and Southport has been 'buzzing' all week. My guests for the Open have been really impressed with the area and one couple, Jane & Neil from London have decided to stay on for an extra couple of days.

Sunday 13th July 2008

Just returned from spending the day at Royal Birkdale. http://www.royalbirkdale.com It was great. Weather has been fabulous all day and its such a relaxed atmosphere following the players around as they practice. They seem to be enjoying themelves laughing and joking together as they played. Boo Weekly even stopped to buy his group an ice cream each!

I am acting as a scorer on Thursday & Friday so had to attend a 'teach in' today. Think I'll be Ok but going for a practice tomorrow just to make sure.

Saturday July 12th 2008

Busy day today getting all three cottages ready for our 'golfing' visitors. Southport and all the surrounding areas are bedecked with 'OPEN' signs....its such a big event for the area.

Sadly we found one of the young 'Little Owls' had drowned in the Geese's water trough. Can only assume that it had been getting a drink and lost its balance! I suppose young owls are a bit like young humans.....very inquisitive, tend to go places they shouldn't and then get out of their depth!

Thursday 3rd July 2008

Can't believe its July already!. The guests in the Granary have visitors staying for the next few days, had a nice long talk to them today as they were sitting out in the sunshine. They live in Bristol but their daughter and her young family live in Glasgow so, the Granary, is ideal as a 'half way' house

Our regular visitors from Libya are due today. This is their fourth annual visit. They wanted to stay for two weeks but, due to 'The Open' at Royal Birkdale, I can only accommodate them for 9 days.

Saturday June 28th 2008

Changeover day again ! Its amazing how quick they come around. Mr & Mrs McManus have arrived today all the way from St Ives in Cornwall. They're here for two weeks so I hope the weather is kind to them.

Still waiting for a few more hens to arrive so that we can offer our guests some lovely new laid eggs.

Wednesday June 25th 2008

The weathers not been too bad this week. Yesterday was warm & sunny so managed to get all the tubs planted up at last! Today its a bit cloudy but still quite warm. Hope it doesn't rain as I'm playing in the Ladies Open at Beacon Park GC.

7.30pm. Pleased to say that the weather did stay fine and the team I was in came 2nd...How about that ! We won a really nice hold-all each, I'll get plenty of use out of that.

Saturday June 14th 2008

John & Rosemary Horsnall arrived today. They first came to stay in 1990 to celebrate the first Christmas of their grand-daughter Jessica. They have been back many times over the intervening years and are back again today to join in the celebrations for Jessica's 18th birthday.

Friday June 20th 2008

This afternoon, Alan & I went to the official opening of 'The Farm' http://www.thefarmburscough.co.uk/ The ceremony was performed by Will Sargeant from 'Echo & the Bunnymen'. Our friends Freda & Bill Neale, their daughter Cathy and husband Dan have created this fabulous farm shop and tea rooms. It really is lovely. The produce on sale is all locally produced, much of it by the Neales themselves. Their award winning home made cakes, jams & chutneys are not to be missed.

Its a lovely walk from our cottages down to The Farm and apart from having afternoon tea you can also do their mile long farm walk and see the local flora & fauna at close hand.

Wednesday June 18th 2008

Absolutely pouring down today. Still, it will save having to water all the garden, baskets, tubs etc.
Last night we took the offending 'egg eater' out of the chicken run and have let her run around with the geese. Consequently, today, we have one lovely fresh egg !! Once we get a few more hens we will be adding new laid eggs to our welcome baskets.

One of our visitors this week is a great guitarist and sits practising outside the cottage. It really is lovely to listen to and I have my lounge windows open so I can hear while I am working.

Saturday June 14th

Changeover day today and the weather is lovely so I'll be able to get all the sheets etc dried outside. They're so much easier to iron after blowing in the wind and they smell so lovely and fresh as well.

Moved some of the overgrown pots from outside the Granary and the Shippon to make way for the new patio tables and chairs. They look so much better than the old ones and they're big enough to sit and eat outside.

Got 2 new hens last week but one of them is eating the eggs as fast as they are laid. Will have to try some of the old fashioned methods of deterring it otherwise its 'for the pot!'

The geese are waddling around contentedly but the cockerel (that has appeared out of the blue) is really annoying the hens!

Wednesday June 11th 2008

Tom Howard and his wife from USA left today to travel to the south of England, they've enjoyed their stay in the North West tremendously and hope to return one day. David and Jan plus their lovely daughter Jessica arrived today from Melbourne, Australia. They were very tired when they arrived but its so quiet and peaceful here that they were able to catch up on some much needed sleep.

Sunday June 8th 2008

Went to buy the hanging baskets today. They're so cheap to buy now that its not worth the trouble of planting them up yourself!


Went down to the Pier Head to take a look at the 'Ark Royal' which is berthed up until Tuesday at the new landing stage in Liverpool. It really is lovely now down there. There's still lots of work to be finished but it will be fantastic when it is complete, pity it wasn't all finished for this year which is of course European Capital of Culture 2008

Saturday 7th June 2008

Easy day today as theres only one changeover. Weather is glorious again. New guests, from the South of England, arrived for the Dairy. They are visiting an old friend locally who hasn't the room to put them up. A lovely couple from Northern Ireland are in the Granary. They have been here for two weeks and leave on Tuesday. This is their second visit, they've had glorious weather and have already told me that they will be back next year. The young couple who have been in the Shippon were here to visit old haunts from her childhood.

Wednesday May 28th 2008

Attended Merseyside Tourism awards ceremony as we were on a shortlist of three for 'Best Self Catering' on Merseyside. Unfortunately we were piped at the post by 'Premier Apartments' which is a new concept in accommodation for business men visiting the city......very smart but also very expensive!

Anyway, had a good evening as you can see from the photograph of our table. thats me third from the right.