Matt Peskett

What a beauty

I thought the cat had caught it, because she's been miaowing at the pigeons from the window all week. But now I suspect the sparrowhawk is coming and going. He better make the most of it before the fox comes around tonight.

Sparrowhawk outside in the garden enjoying a winter meal of pigeon. I don't know if it caught the pigeon or just got lucky, because that pigeon has been lying out there since lunchtime.

Travis' version of the Wonderwall intro there.
#totp

Almost got drawn into the Winter Olympics opening ceremony coverage but got so bored listening to the preamble I thought there's no way this is beating Eminem or TLC on BBC4 #totp

If the beeb had asked me I could have supplied a lovely local giant pumpkin photo for that #bbcqt panel display 😉

Quick! It stopped raining!

Not really loved Monty's latest series, it's got some nice highlights but it feels a little too Michael Palin to me. Too much road and river filler. Maybe I'm just getting old and grumpy 😂

'I'm gonna touch you in the right spot baby'. Shakespeare himself couldn't have written it better than East 17. #totp

The Whitney garage remix of this was a banger. #totp

I don't think that fella wanted to sing that bit 😂

Thanks Laura, yes life is certainly throwing its challenges at us lately. But as we remind ourselves often, we had some excellent perfect years when the kids were small and growing up. Thankful for those.

An afternoon spent investigating funeral costs after the unexpected death of my mother in law on Thursday night. It's not a cheap thing death, £3k to £6k between cremation and burial options.

An afternoon spent investigating funeral costs after the unexpected death of my mother in law on Thursday night. It's not a cheap thing death, £3k to £6k between cremation and burial options.

A surprise GW of 2025 reflections.
#GardenersWorld

It's crazy, is there any aspect of the natural world we are not destroying? Kind of depressing.

They most certainly do and we won't go near horse manure anymore. No just earth worms either Matt, there's a lot of microbial life that can get affected/wiped out..

Day 28 today post bone marrow rebirth, doing OK. Blood counts excellent for this stage, had my central line removed Monday (nice to be free of cables). Walked a mile yesterday, stairs no longer a challenge, but putting on my shoes still requires a chair 😂. Thank you for asking.

Spot of reading about horse worming medicines today. Always known that aminopyralid weedkiller can go through a horse into manure and harm allotment crops but never thought of the worming meds doing harm to earthworms... and they do 😬

I watched Zero Dark Thirty last night, the story of the capture and killing of Bin Laden. That involved an illegal special forces raid into Pakistan to get the world's most infamous terrorist. That feels very different to jumping over a border to kidnap a foreign head of state.

Whatever you might think of Maduro, the seizure and kidnapping of a head of state takes us to a very dark place. Vast, arbitrary, extra-legal power, which could be exercised almost anywhere, regardless of the character of the target government.

I don't disagree. But in the current geo political climate where the world is inventing trophies and medals to appease an elected megalomaniac, saying the right thing could be very costly economically. It's a lose-lose situation from a popularity / reelection perspective.

For a man with a long legal career at the highest levels, it must be a very difficult place to find himself. We all know what he needs to say, he knows too, I wouldn't want his job.

podcasts

I don't have a lot of luck with them. But willing to keep trying at those prices. Thinking pots this time until they properly develop.

And you can add multiple singles. They don't restrict you to one £2 per variety.

£2 peonies at T&M today. If you buy yourself 6 like me and pay £6 delivery they come in at £3 each.
www.thompson-morgan.com/newsletter-s...

For the best chance of success, try planting "in-the-green" snowdrops. These have leaves, (and occasionally old flowers), and are still active when you plant them.
If you plant them as soon as you get them, they are more likely to succeed than dormant bulbs, which often dry out/die in store.

Nothing says Merry Christmas like a meter reading reminder SMS from British Gas.

Went for a very short walk. Spotted a snowdrop in the front garden. I've been putting a few in the ground every year for 3 years but to no avail. The year I don't bother, some old bulb decides to wake up 😂