Identity of strange bird

The strange bird I saw a couple of posts down turns out to be a jay.

I've never seen a Jay before. I don't think they hung around the seaside on the North Atlantic/Irish Sea where I grew up. Now if it had been a seagull or a shag or something like that I would have called out immediately: Shag! Gull! Gannet! Come quickly and see them perching (awkwardly with their webbed feet) on the grid over the garden pond attempting to feast on the tadpoles and froglets.

On television last night we watched a programme that followed the adventures of two men from Leeds who bought a croft in Harris and turned it into an unusual camp site. The name of the quirky camp-site is Lickisto. Enter into your favourite search engine and you'll find it.

Very unusual and inventive pair. If you ever get to see the program you can see one of them earning their living expenses from a hairdressing salon and the other thatching the byres in the traditional island way - with heather.

I might look up the name of the programme for you later. It will probably be showing on a channel near you.

This is the info direct from a popular tv guide the information doubtless is copyright:

Build a New Life: Was It Worth It?

Tuesday 06 July
8:00pm - 9:00pm
Five

2/4

Property and lifestyle series. Charlie Luxton returns to the Scottish island of Harris to catch up with Harvey and John, who had an ambitious plan to turn a run-down croft into a campsite, only to see legal wrangles threaten the entire venture. How have the couple fared?

Hot and bothered

This is the longest period of warm/hot weather I have experienced. Mid to high twenties every day for the last two weeks. Drink plenty of water is the answer. Stay indoors. Do nothing!!

Moved again

We are now living in Hangman's Lane not far from our most recent address in Briary Lane. It took us about thirty minutes to move our belongings and two bicycles. Not bad.

The visible wildlife in the garden so far include a rabbit and a squirrel plus assorted birds - mostly blackbirds. The day's warmth is increasing and at 10.19 a.m I am indoors hiding from the sun. Not a daywalker.

The search continues for a permanent dwelling. I fancy Welwyn Garden City, Stevenage or Hitchin. Tomorrow we are visiting St. Alban's. Maybe we'll both like it.

Strange bird

We both saw an unusual bird in the garden of our current temporary domicile. The image is fading already.

Roughly top to bottom - there is a language convention associated with parts of a bird but I don't know what it is - strong short beak; small white tuft on head; green stripe on body; white dot or spot near its bottom.

Memory decay is now present. I don't remember the body colours. There was a blackbird beside the strange bird. it, the blackbird, was smaller.

Must get a film for the camera.

Well warm

We've been in England for over a week now. The bluebells are still blooming in the woods; wisteria still hangs blue flowers from house walls and gable ends - although my botanical wife tells me they are fading.

There's always a hurdle or two to clamber over when shifting countries. We had heard opening a Bank account was one of the hardest and (guess what?) it is.

Yes, yes just your passports and a bit of paper tying you to the address you say you're at and that'll be acceptable said the young man who made us an appointment for the next day with a well known high street bank.

No, no, that's no use said the young lady the next day when we turned up sweating from the bus journey - did I mention Hertfordshire is 'enjoying' temperatures of 21,22,23,24? The passports are fine but the piece of paper - an invoice from Avis, wasn't. Since she was adamant that we could proceed no further we left the bank.

Still every cloud has a silver lining, eh? We went to Muffin Break - oh sorry did you think that was just a kiwi thing? - and had a flat white and a chocolate chip cookie.

Now, it was surely always hard getting money out of bank but putting money in?

When I got home I did a bit more research about the phrase money laundering that was mentioned in the bank conversation. Apparently the banks and building societies, all financial institutions have been charged with vigilance over alleged money laundering accounts. As usual the innocent are caught up in the safeguards or overkill as one reviewer commented.

Luckily we have money with us and can survive until we can satisfy our putative account giver that we are who we say we are and we live where we say we live and that'll be an end to it.

Cripes, there's me bus.

New country

Hertfordshire, England.
Arrived on Tuesday morning, 11th May 2010 to a hung Parliament.
Woke up on Wednesday morning to a coalition Government of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.

On the plane I watched:

Shutter Island; Assassins and Bodyguards.

I watched more but I have forgotten already because I can't think with plane-brain fog.

Better sign off already.

Leaving

Gulp!

Leaving Dunedin in one and a half hours - forever.

Bye bye NZ.