Love is stronger than death

After we returned from Scotland a few weeks back we resumed our daily jaunts up to the park. Sadly the condition of Lilo the goose (the angel-winged bird that we had been feeding throughout the winter months) had deteriorated drastically during our week away. Needless to say I logged another query with the RSPCA and also contacted a local wildlife rescue center for advice. They told me that if I could bring Lilo in they would get their vet to treat her and then re-home her with a wildfowl sanctuary. I spent a sleepless night going over in my head how I would borrow my neighbours pet carrier, catch Lilo, jump in a taxi and whisk her off to the wildlife rescue center. However it wasn't to be, we made several trips up to the park loaded with seeds, water, blanket and a pet carrier but we never saw little Lilo again.

I don't like to think that she's gone from this world, she was a tough cookie and despite her handicap she survived a particularly grueling winter. I hope that someone else contacted RSPCA and got them to act on the query, or that somebody did what I was planning to do and took her to a vet or a rescue center.  Mark & I were by no means the only people that looked out for her, she had stolen many hearts in the park, so maybe one of those other people came to her rescue. It's a hopeful thought that makes me happy and one that I think is worth clinging onto.

I just have to sing the praises of a dude on youtube called Scott Coddington, he catches geese by hand and removes fishing line that has been tangled around their legs or captures injured geese to take to the vet. He's amazing. Here are two of his youtube clips...

What an absolute gem of a man, he deserves a medal for his kindness.

Despite Lilo not being there anymore we still make our jaunts to the park.

It may sound all hippy-dippy but our little daily park stroll and wildfowl interaction restores my inner peace.

Speaking of hippy, how do you like my hand knitted poncho?!

No, I didn't knit it myself, I'm absolutely useless with knitting or crochet needles. It was bought from a charity shop a few years ago and it has a rather sweet label that reads "From fleece to finish by Norma McCall". The yarn that Norma used/made is absolutely amazing, the colours are like a rainbow of mottled pastels.

I've actually nicked a dress off the Frocktasia rail today, isn't she a beauty?!

It's an Afghan frock that has been shortened. Most of these dresses reach well below the knees but I think this is a far better length for let say a muddy summer festival, would look swell with the quintessential wellies too. This frock will be back on the rail for my next market.

Hand-knitted poncho, Afghan dress, layered tights, 70s boots, Balinese earrings that were a gift from gorgeous Vix

This is my friend Mr Grey...

We hit it off straight away when I told him that I'm not a fan of North Face. He is so incredibly gentle when he eats the seed out of my hand and he even lets me stroke his chest from time to time.

Mr & Mrs Grey only have one little gosling...

A week ago there was a pair of Canada geese with ten goslings but apparently this breed of geese are well known for forming gosling creches. From what I've seen the average gosling number to a pair is around three. These three get a daily dose of healthy seed from us, with any luck it will prevent them from getting angel wing in the future.

The ferocious winds that have been battering London over the past few days have finally abated but it looks as if the blanket cloud cover is here to stay for a wee while longer.
The sun will find a way to break through eventually and when it does I shall be ready with my picnic basket and barefeet...there's a patch of grass underneath a blossoming lilac tree in the park with my name written all over it ;)
Here is 'The The' to sing us out with their beautiful song 'Love Is Stronger Than Death', enjoy :)

Happy Friday beautiful people...
May the sun shine on your path and happiness fill your heart.
Loads of love,
Jennie
xXx

Has spring sprung?

Today was another beautiful day here in North London.

Is it safe to say that spring has sprung now?!

I started reading my First Aid book this morning, Mark says it's all pretty straight forward, common sense stuff which means I'll probably have to read the book twice before the information anchors itself in my flibbertigibbet brain. These are all very valuable skills to have and I am really happy to be doing this course. Last time I took a First Aid course was at school about three hundred years ago, so if someone collapsed in front of me today, I'd be hoping that someone else could step in and help but hopefully by Saturday night I'll be more than confident to intervene myself should it ever become necessary.

Vintage 70s lurex dress, 70s suede jacket, 70s boots, Indian block print chiffon wrap,  Egyptian carved alabaster ankh, retro sunnies & handmade earrings.

 Remember Lilo, the angel winged Canada goose that stole my heart back in February? Since the first time I spotted her, Mark and I have been making regular trips to the pond to feed her and her friends. In the middle of the pond (or boating lake as the council likes to call it) there's a little island and whenever Lilo wasn't about that's where I gathered she'd be as she obviously can't fly. I'd never actually seen her swim until the other day though. She'd been "missing" for a couple of days and I was starting to worry about her. I went up to the park as per usual, took a spin round the pond but no sign of her however as I was leaving I spotted her bobbing across the water. It's very good to know that the birds have a safe roosting place, away from the local foxes.

Wearing my vintage 70s lurex dress today made me feel all disco and had me searching YouTube for the funkiest tunes from that era.

I'll leave you with one of my faves, enjoy :)

Loads of love,

Jennie

xXx

Titsicles, winter's back!

What an absolutely freezacious Monday it had been!

Some time ago we set up a bird feeding station on the balcony and earlier today our little feathered friends were sent tumbling when caught by strong and icy cold gusts of wind.

I chopped up a suet & seed ball and stuck in a bowl on the floor, in an attempt to make it slightly easier for them but then it started snowing, och!

I'm chuffed to bits with the amount and variety of birds that are regular visitors now...

blackbird, chaffinch, robin, sparrow, starling, wood pigeon, blue tit and this morning we were even visited by a very inquisitive magpie.

It's lovely to just sit with my cup of coffee, watching the birds pick away at the seed balls outside.

 Yes peeps, it's official, I am a birdwatcher.

We're going through bags of seed every week so it's just as well that you can pick them up from the pound shop. 

I do want to try and make my own seed balls though and I've found a good tutorial on a blog called Dry Seasonings, so I'll give that a bash at the weekend.

Lilo and friends also get their daily visit without fail. 

On a day like today one could be tempted to give the pond a miss but I don't want my angel-winged pretty going hungry especially when it's as Baltic as it has been today.

They were filming something in the park, there were loads of lorries and one of those double decker catering buses parked on the basketball courts. 

I didn't spot anyone famous but I may have done?

 Especially if the celebrity looks like a hairy gaffer, cause there were a fair few of them about.

We were interrupted three times by crew peeps as we were trying to snap the outfit pics. 

I was standing there thinking...

"Excuse me, can you hold on three bleedin' seconds please, I'm getting titsicles standing here!".

'Titsicles' is pretty self explanatory I guess but just in case you are perplexed, it is the word my husband chooses to use for a pair of extremely cold boobies :)

Vintage 60s psychedelic print dress, 90s faux-fur jacket, 80s boots, tights, mohair hat, gloves & Frocktasia earrings & horse brass necklace.

In the pictures above you can see me clocking bearded men just about to walk right in front of the camera... you would have thought being in 'The Biz' they would know bleedin' better but I guess not.

Today's tune is by lovely Leslie's very talented son Erik, enjoy :)

Erik will be playing a six song gig at The Old Queen's Head on Sunday the 24th of March.

Mark and I will be going :)

Loads of love,

Jennie

xXx