David Currie

As Christine has already blogged, our free entertainment during washing up ceased yesterday when the blackbirds in our garden left their nest. I was pleased to read on the RSPB site that the young do make this strange dash from the nest along the ground although heading under the fence in the direction of the neighbourhood cat may not have been the wisest choice! Apparently blackbirds rear 2-3 broods a season so with any luck the nest may get used again.

270Looked out the window this morning to see a green woodpecker hopping about on our back lawn. On consulting the relevant text, I was heartened to read that it “uses long tongue to collect ants”. It’s welcome back any time to feast on our colonies. Sadly, as the guide book also says “if disturbed flies off revealing bright yellow-green rump”.

248Christine’s parents are down for the weekend and we headed out to the New Forest today to meet up with a friend of theirs from University who is over from New Zealand with his family. We walked the short Radnor Trail at Bolderwood. Sadly the deer weren’t in evidence but then they don’t get fed here again until Easter and the crowds enjoying the sunshine probably aren’t all that conducive. Last week’s storms had obviously felled a few trees. (Fortunately those self same storms had the decency to take out the fence panels in our garden that are the responsibility of our neighbours!)

Last week the washing machine decided that the spin cycle should look an awfully lot like the pump cycle. It wasn’t the motor as it would still spin during the wash. My suspicion was that it thought there was still water in the machine but, having successfully work out how to dismantle the case, I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what was the relevant sensor. Needless to say, having forked out the callout fee, the repair guy cleaned the pressure sensor and it’s all working again. He then proceeded to spend more time trying to charge my credit card than he had actually fixing the problem! I guess I should be pleased that I didn’t have to pay for any parts but I’m still kicking myself for not being able to repair it. Call myself an engineer? Should have paid more attention in fluid dynamics!

Chris blogged about BookCrossing which provides the ability to leave a book in a public place to be read by others and then to track it’s progress. If I leave one of Christine’s books at Heathrow every time I pass through then perhaps in a year or two her small library will actually fit on the bookcases!

I was sad to read in the latest issue of the newsletter for the Society of Oxford University Engineers that, from next year, they are ceasing to take applications for my undergradute degree in Engineering and Computer Science. As a limited resource, does that increase the value of my qualification, or does it decrease on the grounds that it is no longer sought after (at least by students)?!

Returned home from running last night to discover that the kitchen had been overrun with ants. Not content with undermining the lawn and patio these pesky little insects insist on regular raiding the kitchen. This invasion was more enthusiastic than most with hoards of the beasts having reached as far as the overhead cupboards. Not content to wait for the ant poison to do its stuff, I set about sucking them up with the vacuum which, if not productive in the long run, is certainly more satisfying. The question that this always leaves me with is: do the ants survive the journey to the hoover bag and, perhaps more importantly, if so, are they capable of finding their way back out?!