Not as planned

The boiler wasn’t working this morning. I had assumed that it was cold over night and that the condensate pipe was frozen. After four kettles of boiling water it still wasn’t working.

As I’d loaned my oil filled radiator to someone the first trip of the day was to buy another one. After a cold shower of course.

Last autumn HtP and I had planted some new tubs for by the front door. As it’s been so mild the old ones were looking so good that we left them there. The don’t look so good now so we’ve moved them to a sheltered part of the garden and moved their replacements into their spaces. The frilly pansies are looking lovely.

After lunch we went to look for a local starling murmuration. As their roosting tree was cut down last year we weren’t sure if they would still be there.

Once there we realised that we were too early as they only fly for about 30 minutes before sunset and it was an hour to go. While we sat and watched we were checking the internet for other local sightings. There was one by Ringwood which is about 30 minutes away. So off we went.

The end destination was Blashford Lakes. They are old gravel pits and are now home to lots of wild birds. As the light faded we were watching the lake for any activity. Away in the distance we could see the starlings. Having seen them we tried to get closer but without success. We’ll try again.

The boiler man is coming tomorrow. Fingers crossed that he can fix it.