Advent Already?

Can it really be the 1st December? What on earth happened to this year? Well to be honest it was like any other year in terms of actual numbers of days in it, but I guess filling my spare time with DIY at Chez Dorset, has made the Tempest Fugit beat just that bit quicker. Anyway, today has been getting my Christmas cards sorted out. I'd been faffing about with a new design in my head, but in the end used one of the paintings I sold in the summer, as Festive Fare in the card department. I guess it does have a sort of wintry feel to it. So any of you unlucky enough to receive a card from me in December, this is it, with Merry Christmas written over it.

Anyway the last few weeks have seen yours truly following his other hobby, that of bobble hatted twitcher, mainly as I blew a month salary to buy a new telescope. So had better justify using it. I tend to ignore birdwatching in the summer and take it up again in the autumn. Gives me an excellent excuse to wander about in damp places watching minute objects from a great distance. I'm not selling this hobby very well am I?

However this year, a Glossy Ibis gave stunning views from only a few feet away on the Somerset Levels, which was wonderful, but I'll not embarrass myself with posting the photo I took. It could have been anything from a sparrow to an eagle. It was taking this appalling photo that finally tipped the balance to obtain a new scope and take up digi-scoping. I have done the former, the latter awaits another day.

I have though been enjoying the goldfinches which seem to be increasingly coming to the feeders, as seen here from the new pole feeder only 3 feet from the conservatory, I erected during the week. Within 2 hours it was awash with these glorious birds, otherwise known as a charm of goldfinches.

Well it's about 9pm on Saturday night and a man about town should be out and about not blogging on his site. Tomorrow promises to be a stormy winters day, just perfect for Christmas shopping in Sherborne.