Sleeping owl...

Had a great day out with my friend A from the Photographer's Corner.
And her lovely daughter I aged three. We went to Blakemere Craft Centre and the Falconry Centre as well. We saw a very interesting flying display and learned an awful lot about owls. I was quite sad to learn that owls really aren't wise at all; in fact they are quite stupid! Also that many owls aren't nocturnal at all. I think the owl above probably is as he was fast asleep all the time I was there!


Snowy...
We had a good wander around the craft shops and had lunch and coffee too. The hours just fly by when I'm with A; we always seem to have loads to talk about and I still manage to come away thinking "Oh I wish I'd asked her about that" or "told her about this..."!

I found a beautiful shop selling Thai crafts and bought a beautiful jade-green laughing buddha for my collection; he now lives in the dining room which has a green theme. Phil will go mad; he said "No more buddhas" but my laughing buddhas have come to mean a lot to me this year...I can't really describe why.

This little barn owl was very cute. All the birds flew so low over our heads we were hit by the trailing leathers on their feet! The barn owl was very chatty; talking to us all the whole time.



This female Harris Hawk was called Brandy. Apparently Harris Hawks are the only hawks who will work in packs without tearing one another apart!

It's been a really busy day - I made strawberry jam this morning using Picperfic's recipe below:

500 grammes Strawberries, hulled and mashed with a potato masher. Add juice of one and half lemons, and one and a half cups of suger, mix and put in microwave on high for 4 min. Stir and then cook on high for 15-20 mins (I found 20 mins was needed). Time to do a few rounds of sock knitting maybe? Half fill a couple of small jam jars with water and microwave for 3-4 mins to sterilise them. Fill the jars with the jam.

The only difference was I didn't mash the strawberries as I like some whole-ish ones in my jam. It worked out really well, thanks Marianne!

I am doing another wedding this weekend; you'd think I'd be less scared after the last one but no, I'm just as terrified! Still, I'm going to try NOT to think about it tomorrow but enjoy another day off and the last RDA before the summer holidays. I would like to get to the point when I'm just nervous enough to have an "edge", not stricken with terror for the two weeks proceeding each one!