I hope all’s well…
So Christmas is behind us and we are already well into 2022 and with fingers crossed, hope for a more positive year ahead. So far, the new year winter weather at home has been relatively mild, although some cloud-free days have meant we’ve seen quite a few frosty mornings. I love being out on a crisp Alpine-like morning, blue skies, low rising winter sun and frost-dusted plants – as long as I’m well wrapped up and look where I tread! (More on that later 🙁 ).
As regular readers know, I love filming wildlife and I don’t always have to don my camouflage and wait for hours outside to enjoy it! I have a simple bird feeding station set up at home allowing me to hang four feeders on. I positioned it towards the edge of the lawn, not too close to my mature shrub borders but importantly within easy sight from my living room and kitchen. Many species prefer to perch on a branch nearby, checking for predators before flying onto the feeders. Some stay a few seconds, where others will hog the feeders for many minutes.
I only use two types of bird feed – two feeders filled with Richard Jackson’s Premium Bird Food and the other two filled with the Grumpy Gardener’s Fat Balls. Since regularly putting out food, I have seen a huge increase in not only individual numbers but species that now regularly visit my garden. I’m in a semi-rural location, adjoining woodland and heathland and the woodland species, such as Nuthatch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Long-tailed Tits and Coal Tits, which tend to be much more nervous than more common garden varieties such as Robins and Blue Tits. If you live in a more urban or suburban environment you may well find your garden birds are more comfortable around us humans and you may be able to place your feeders much closer to or even on your property.
The Grumpy Gardener Fat Balls are hugely popular with many varieties especially in the colder months and we’ve got a great offer available at the moment as they are featured as our Gardening Pick of the Month, meaning a great offer price and no postage and packaging to pay – which for an item weighing over 12kg is a further saving! There are approximately 150 balls per box and you can opt for an Auto Delivery option as well for up to six deliveries (total), 60 days apart, which you can opt out of at any time.
I was given a box to trial by “Grumpy Joe” (actually he tells us it was his Dad who was “grumpy” 😉 ) before the Christmas break and I filmed this short video through my living room windows. Since filming I have also watched Nuthatch, Greenfinch and even a cheeky Wood Pigeon tucking in!
Dales health and safety bulletin!
I was due to be working at The Q this week but over Christmas I tweaked my back, nothing too serious but I had to take things a little slower… so I went out into my garden one gorgeous frosty morning to replenish the bird feeders and slipped spectacularly on a frozen paving slab! My back really didn’t appreciate this, but my wife did, until she realised that I was in pain (at least that’s what she told me 😉 ).
I’m pleased to report, as I write, that I’m moving a lot better now and so will hopefully be back on-air next week – I’ll look forward to seeing you there! Talking of which, on the 24th I’ll be showcasing our Today’s Special Value (TSV), the Dyson AM09 Hot & Cool Fan. Now this has been a TSV many times before and has been a QVC customer favourite for many years.
We bought one a while back and have used it on and off throughout the years, winter and summer – a few minutes blast from its powerful fan can warm up or help cool down a room and more importantly… you. Its neat remote controller, cleverly magnetically stored on top, allows you to control fan speed, temperature settings, oscillation, timers and fan distribution! It’s a considered purchase, which is why our 60 day money-back guarantee coupled with interest-free instalments (EZ Pays) makes it an attractive opportunity to trial.
Toby particularly appreciated it during a recent hot summer… do you remember those? 🙂
Well that’s it from me for now, until next time…
Stay well and watch your steps!
Dale x
