Putting the Cat Among the pigeons?

Hi Lily, I still find that this 'improved' site is slower ( your lovely photo's took ages...) and it takes so much longer just to check my news without looking at new blogs or lastly questions-- I used to enjoy that but the time seems to go just waiting....
I do agree there seems less birds but also pets & wildlife, I hope it settles down soon,,,,

Fantastic Lily, Im almost fond of them now!! lol!

You are a great poet. Great shots too.

loved your blog lily and i still love to see birds here to, even though im on ispyabird also, like you say its part and parcel of gardening and i love the wood pigeons, its the common pigeon i dont like, to many in a group but woody and friend i can cope with, lovely looking birds :o) great verses to made me laugh :o)))

Lovely blog, Lily, the pic where the birds are almost staring each other out is brilliant! Growsonyou is, and I quote, 'a website for garden lovers to show off all their garden pictures' so, if a pic includes a bird/cat/dog/frog/squirrel/hedgehog et al I don't see why it can't be posted without worrying. I look in on Ispyabird too, some wonderful pics and blogs with many interesting and informative facts. Oh dear, have I ruffled some feathers now?

lovely photos, and thinking about it you certainly have a point ~ birds and gardens go together like strawberries and cream, my garden wouldnt be the same without the blackbirds scurrying through the leaves, the jays screaming and the robin tweeting away supervising the digging.

Loved your poem and photos, Lily...most welcome :) I like the variety on GoY and wildlife/birds are lovely to observe and photograph for our blogs. No problem with that, despite there being another site for bird photos/blogs.

We seem to have some very talented people coming out of the woodwork recently...painters, sculptors, craftspeople, card makers....lots of variety :)

I agree Stickitoffee. My bird visitors are very important to me, even the birds of prey. I was gardening last week only a metre away from a robin. I threw him a huge worm but he wasnt interested. We have at least two couples of wood pigeons who entertain us a lot, even if they do eat our brassicas!

we have wood pigeons but im afraid im not too keen, i like the little ones.

I hope not Shirley, that wasn't my intention either. Glad you like the blog and yes I love that pic too, it's part of a sequence of them. Those birds were so funny!
I can't imagine my garden without birds Sticki, they bring it to life somehow especially in winter :o)
Thank you w'lass, I've noticed that too, it seems as if gardeners tend to be talented in those directions. Alan Titchmarsh for one.
What an ungrateful robin Rachelsmum, you must be feeding them too well! What's a brassica or two between friends eh? Including the feathered variety!

I so agree with you Lily, birds in my garden are an important part of it. I dont want to join the bird site and will continue to post wildlife photos on here if they come in my garden, This site would not work for me if they were stopped?
I do think GOY is quiet and has been for sometime? The more animated conversations have been lacking for sometime, we all seem so polite now! I think as in all groups the dynamics change from time to time as members try to control the site and then leave because the majority wont let this happen and as others join its bound to get more interactive again.

i like the interactive bit best ~ i certainly hope that doesnt go.

Well I have joined Ispy Denise but I find I can't manage to follow both sites properly. Somehow when I'm on GOY I feel like I'm in a garden environment where birds (and other wildlife) belong. It makes it a very enjoyable and complete place to be and as you say, makes it work.
Well, polite is obviously better than rude but I know what you mean! The balance changes all the time, inevitable as members come and go I suppose. This is not the best time in the gardening year so bound to be quiet?

I agree with the birds being part and parcel of our gardens too.Often ,they are the main interest in the long dreary winter.. most of us encourage them,and although I know about the 'I spy a bird',and believe it is very good,it takes most of my time catching up on GoY.I love to see them,and members pets on here..

I agree Lily. Birds are part of a garden ( but not mine lol ) so I think they should be included on GoY
Just like pets, the weather, etc etc. - it's all part of the same thing as far as I am conserned.
I just don't agree with those who think gardening means nothing but cultivated plants in a bit of ground by your house. -- That's horticulture.
Gardening is much broader than that.

Brilliant blog Lily, I agree entirely, gardens being my main priority I tend to stick with GoY, but I do like to see the birdies, so keep up the good work with the photography and the poetry.
I don't get many pidgies in my garden, so you can tell your lot that they can come and have a "little " nibble on my plot any time they want.;0))
ps Daisy is lovely.

Absolutely right Hywel, 'gardening' encompasses so many things, that's why we all love it and love sharing all those parts that make the whole. (except the birds in your case ! LOL)
Thank you Val, so glad you enjoyed it, dodgy verse and all. :o)) Be careful what you say about inviting those woodpigeons....they do eat a LOT! PS Daisy is still asleep and she knows she's lovely! lol

Lovely blog, Lily, of course birds are part of our garden if they weren't I would give up my garden! I love them, all shapes, sizes and colours, they bring such joy. We must keep our photos comingm of all that we see out of our windows.

Hear! Hear! Im starting the rebellion by posting a pic!

Agree with all the above wholeheartedly! I'd love to put out food for 'our' birds but I might be leading them into a false sense of security if I did! I get my 'bird fix' by sitting quietly on the balcony after a hard days' gardening, watching the birds hunting for anything I may have missed - they find all sorts of tasty morsels amongst my brassicas! :o)

Same here as Nariz I agree with all ,I liked the way Hywel put it . I love to see everybodys animal /bird pictures there was even a Chameleon on yesterday!:o)

I finally had time to look at the photo's properly ( they loaded better today) they are so good and your dodgy verse apt and funny :o)) I belong t the bird site but prefer Goyand love the animal stories as much as the gardening ones ( and the food ones) my bird foods just outside the kitchen window and I recently bought bklack niger seed and had a goldfinch come

Showed this to my OH, he had a good chuckle, thoroughly enjoyed it.

Many thanks for your comments Grandmage, Nariz and Mavis. It seems that we are all in agreement then and love our birds as much as our gardens and like to see bird things in the 'garden environment' of GOY
Well done Pam, glad you finally managed to see the pics and that you liked them and the verse :o) Lovely to see the goldfinches again isn't it although they don't stay long on my niger seeds. I think they prefer my neighbours snack bar!
Tetrarch, I'm pleased this blog made OH chuckle too, it's good to share a laugh :o)) Well done on posting your bird photo but I don't know about a mass 'rebellion' as I wouldn't want to detract from Ispyabird. An awful lot of thought and work has gone into it's creation so maybe those of us who are members of both sites could post our favourite bird pics and blogs on Ispy too? There must be many members on there who haven't joined GoY and would miss out on seeing our bird contributions.

Sorry Bloomer, missed you out there. You're so right about birds being our main interest in the winter. What would we have to look at without them. :o)
I find it hard to visit both sites too, especially when time is limited.

Lilly i also agree with you, i am a member of ispyabird, but i do miss not seeing many birds on GOY as i think wildlife and gardening go hand in hand.

Dont worry I belong to ISB and post pics there under Dodo. But I still want to post them here too..and see those of other people who are Goyers only. Its just a wee rebellion, honest!

Thanks Lilly your photo`s and verse really gave me a good chuckle.
My OH laughs at me because we have so many wood pigeons visit our garden and I`m always moaning about them, yet I always wait till they`ve had a bit of a feed before I scare them off.lol.
I think there is room for our feathered friends to be included here, a garden isn`t a garden to my way of thinking if the birds didn`t make an appearance, after all they drop little parcels containing seeds, you never know what you might get growing.

Lovely blog Lily and a great poem too. I completely agree that birds are a huge part of our gardens and we need them to keep the insect population down too. At this time of year when we spend less time outside its nice to look out at the feeders to watch our feathered friends. :o)

Thats so true Stroller/LB, I have had some lovely things grow in my garden which I believe the wildlife brought the seeds and what gardener does not love the Robin who hops around while we garden?

Well done Lily for sticking up for our feathered friends.

Phew that's a relief Dodo (are you really that old?) LOL
Glad you agree with me Clarice :o)
Hi Stroller, I don't know where the verse came from, just popped into my head so I'm glad it made you chuckle. I'm just the same with the woodpigeons and the starlings, let them have some before shooing them away....they've got to eat after all haven't they. Yes you never know what presents they'll leave behind in those little parcels.....maybe even some brassicas???
Thank you Sandra, glad you enjoyed it. The verse and pics were fun to compile too. I'm quite new to feeding the birds and now I love it and the photo opportunities it provides, I became interested in it thanks to GoY. :o)

Ah yes the lovely Robin Denise and the cheeky blackbird too :o))
Thanks Bellflower, it's great to know we all feel the same.

Yes Lily I'm really that old!! At least thats what my dicky knee, my dicky tummy and my dicky back keep telling me...thought about sticking bits of me in the garden to see if they would grow better..LOL....

Might start with the head first...need a new memory...

Seems like we not only think alike but also have the same dicky bits Tetrarch....especially that very dicky old memory....now what did you say your name was?

Very good Lily,you`ve been having a few creative moments and the pics are really good, I love your verse..
I must admit I do miss the lovely bird blogs that we used to have on here, Goy without the birds would not work, especially at this time of the year, lets face it some days feeding them is the only thing one does in the garden, it is a very enjoyable pastime watching them visit, they belong in my garden pics ......

Very good Lily,you`ve been having a few creative moments and the pics are really good, I love your verse..
I must admit I do miss the lovely bird blogs that we used to have on here, Goy without the birds would not work, especially at this time of the year, lets face it some days feeding them is the only thing one does in the garden, it is a very enjoyable pastime watching them visit, they belong in my garden pics ......

Very sorry folks this is driving me to distraction !!!!!!!!! First it won`t load and then after an HOUR Of trying the flipping comment comes up twice.!!!!!!!!

I love seeing the birds also since our birds "across the pond" are totally different! UK goldfinches and US goldfinches are very different species, for example! (but we share many of the same butterflies). I have always admired the really colorful birds you guys have over there. GOY would not be the same site if it was strictly about gardening. I came across the site one day after searching around on the internet for a way to clear brambles, saw all the wonderful cat pics and signed right up. Great blog, by the way. I enjoyed it very much.

Lauram...the cat piccies do it for me too! :) I like all the variety on GoY and I think particularly this time of the year we are likely to see more variety, rather than less. I like the friendliness of the site and the encouragement. I love English Robins...they are so tiny and sweet compared to the huge (!) ones we had in B.C.....only having the red breast in common.

Fantastic poetry and pics, Lily!! :-)) Have nominated this for the goypedia Poetry page. Birds are ESSENTIAL for the wellbeing of our gardens. I enjoy watching the sparrows and bluetits "hoovering" up the bugs, especially along the fences and around the eaves of my shed. I can never manage to catch them on camera, though :-(.And, yes, they often leave little gifts of dropped seed, which means free plants! I'm looking forward to seeing, here, the lovely pics of robins, etc., which, I'm sure, will start to come in soon as winter sets in. :-))

Hi Sue, or is it Sue and Sue, thank you both for your very nice comments! The gremlin I have on GOY seems to be the opposite of yours. Sometimes when I post a comment then 'submit' it just disappears. VERY annoying especially if it's a long one and I have to try and remember what I wrote then do it again. Oh yes we definitely need our birds more than ever in winter, both in our gardens and on here. :o)
I think many of us came across this site by accident in our search for information Lauram and how pleased were all were to find such a friendly gardening site which included lots of 'extras' like birds and oh yes, all those lovely cats! :o)) I'm surprised to hear our birds are more colourful than those in US. So glad you enjoyed my blog.
Cats for you too W'lass? Seems we gardeners tend to be pet lovers and rather artistic in various forms as well as green fingered!
Well David, such praise and a nomination for my verse too......thank you kind Sir! It seems our birds keep us entertained in all sorts of ways while going about their business of staying alive and of course the camera is never handy at the right moment. :o( I hope there's lots of robin pics too. :o))

Lily that is what keeps happening to me, it takes ages to put a comment on as they disappear, most of the time my comments box is missing so I have to log on again only to be told I`m already logged in but thats the only way to get my comments box to show up, when I look at another blog the whole process starts all over again, its driving me up the garden wall and I haven`t got a wall,lol......

Lovely Lily - a genuine "cat among the pigeons" blog, with poetry too! I hadn't realised that there were "categories" of blogs here . . . one of these days I will join the 21st century and attempt one. Maybe there haven't been so many bird pics because there aren't so many birds in our gardens at the moment because some have sensibly flown to warmer climes?! (what a funny word - climes - have I just made it up? :))

I think it real Sheila and although the swallows have gone my bird feeding station outside the kitchen window is busy all day with sparrows watching the tits and can now hang upsidedown on the nuts!, the blue and great tits, collared doves,Robin and a female woodpecker and also finches--even occasionally a gold one, also the fieldfares and redwings should arrive soon. I would really miss them all, makes the washing up a pleasure !!!

Pam - I agree about the washing up! Our kitchen window looks right down the garden, and we enjoy watching the wildlife (have never wanted a dishwasher). I guess we do still have quite a few tits, dunnocks, chaffinches and robins; so yes, you're right, they're still around. :)

I bought one of the fat blocks rather than the balls ( they slide into a cage) and all the birds seem to love them

Get off that wall Sue and look in your inbox (if you can get it to show up!), sent you pm

Ah thank you Sheila, it's lovely to receive such nice comments. Writing a blog is not so hard once you've done the first one so come on and join us! You're right about there not being so many birds up until recently. They all seem to be coming back to our gardens now so hopefully they'll join us on GoY too. :o))
My kitchen window looks onto a 6' fence Pam so I'm glad I've got a dishwasher! Plenty of other windoews to enjoy the birds from though :o)) Been looking at those fat blocks, maybe I will get some then.

Bb has put a smashing recipe over on Ispyabird, our little feathered friends will really love it, well worth taking a look.
Lily at the moment my pm`s have done a bunk(sigh) will keep popping back to check, that also happens,lol.

Yes mine too Sue, such a nuisance. Does anyone else have these problems?? Yes I saw that recipe and thought I might have a go.

Nice poem! First, let me say I love wood pigeons - the sound of leather hitting willow (cricket) and wood pigeons cooing on a hot day tells me its summer, and its fab...
As for Ispyabird, well although I belong, my main interest isn't birds - it's gardening and plants, and by extension, anything that happens in the garden, including birds. I guess if you're more into birds than gardens, then Ispyabird is the thing for you, but for me, its okay, but not the focus of my interest, so I rarely visit. The last parakeet pic I posted was on here and not on Ispyabird - someone came on and suggested I put it on there, but I couldn't see the point - that site's already got 3 photos of my parakeets, what do they want another one for? So on here it went, and on here it remained, I'm afraid. Must admit my one regret on the Ispyabird front was it wasn't Ispywildlife generally...

Well Bamboo we seem to be on exactly the same wavelength here. Not only on woodpigeons but the extent of bird interest, i.e. as part of my garden and also as regards Ispy. I am a member but don't often visit or contribute partly through of lack of time, my main interest being gardening but also because my photos are only of commonplace birds and there are lots on there by other members, only better! Mmm Ispywildlife does sound interesting, more diversified which is, I think, one of Goy's greatest assets. Woodpigeons cooing?....I like it too but have a friend who hates it, each to his own eh!

My brother in law's a twitcher - talk about obsessive - no ordinary bird's worth photographing now, always has to be something special, and I suspect that's how it either is, or will become, on Ispyabird, lol! For me, its not so much the bird for its own sake, it's what the bird's doing when visiting the garden - they feel like friends, whereas a fantastic, beautifully photographed shot of a purple spotted martian reedwarbler with red polka dots or whatever is not my idea of fun, lol!

errr....I'll have to keep a look out for one of those then! lol. Again I agree completely with what you say Bamboo. On GoY the birds contributions are seen in amongst the gardening ones, just how things are in our gardens....

Agree to all we need our birds in our gardens so let us keep them! both feeding and encouraging! and keep the photos coming on here!

I'm afraid I am one who hasn't posted for ages, but having recently moved home, there's so much to do, both to get the bungalow sorted out and to try to get some semblance of order in the garden.
The garden has some really nice shrubs and plants in it, but they have been stuck in at random, without much thought to varying heights and space needed for each thing to grow. I love having a garden, but know nothing!
I have always hankered after a proper cottage garden, but haven't a clue how to go about it with what I have here and a limited budget.
Any advice would be appreciated - also help in finding my way round this site; I have problems in finding previous posts and replies !

Hi Julie....the site isn't too difficult to navigate. If you can locate your home page you'll find all the links you'll need. I'm not sure what you are referring to in your last paragraph about finding previous posts and replies. Are you referring to your own previous posts/replies?

I know you'll get plenty of advice from others on developing your garden, Julie. It would be a good idea to post your own blog indicating your desire to create a cottage garden and maybe provide some photos of the shrubs/plants/trees etc. that you want to relocate them in your developing garden. I wish you lots of happy hours of making plans and bringing them to fruition. I'm in the process too except we are starting from scratch (no existing shrubs/flowers).

Welcome back to GoY. :)

Talking about seeing more birds in the garden, we had a visitor today..very early to go courting I must say, dont usually see him til very early spring..the male sparrowhawk. Darn it, wasnt quick enough with camera..luckily the birds were a darn sight quicker and disappeared in the blink of an eye!

i have a local robin in my garden but i have a springer so it has to be clever lol .

Talking of birds, I notice that the robin has started feeding around 2 a.m. already - 3 nights running last week, when I happened to be still up at that time. Usually only does that after Christmas...

Love the blog, great photos and lovely poem well done - I have pigeons they eat the corn that the other birds throw on the ground so not too much of a problem, except in winter there are hoards and hoards of them they come into the wood to feed and spot the bird seed and invade the garden.

I had the same problem Olive, I was inundated with them, so much so I had to stop feeding them because my neighbour complained they were messing up his car, --oops ! :0))

Thank you Olive, it was fun to compile the blog too. :o) I've wondered what the seed was that the birds always leave from bird mixes (apart from pigeons that is!). Why do they put it in? A cheap way of bulking up the bag to make it look big I suppose but as you say, it keeps the pigeons happy. I like them but in small numbers....
These men and their cars eh Val? What's a bit of bird poo between friends!

I really loved this blog, Lily! It was brave of you to put that poem up! :-)) I loved your photos of the woodpigeons, too! They look so cute! The two that are facing each other off was a delight!!!

I,too, like to see the birds around, though not many visit my balcony! I have been fascinated at times, especially early spring when the birds are building their nests, some come to my balcony to pull the threads off the coco lining of my two conical hanging baskets! They used to do the same with the other 5 baskets as well! I had to change their linings as they had become threadbare! (Not really, they were rotting & falling apart!)

I also watch a sparrow that comes looking for spiders in the corners of the balcony!

We get a lot of seagulls around here & sometimes the children from the flat above us throw out bread & the gulls come flying down & try to pick up some bread but without actually landing! It can be fun watching them! :-D

On the allotment I've had mum & dad Blackbird following me around while digging & in the last few weeks a Robin often keeps me company!

Robin! My favourite! I have one that is especially cheeky// In fact he nearly ended up halved in two with my spade one day! diving for whatever I was digging! He didnt wait and jumped in just as I was bringing my spade down. Don't know who got the biggest fright! lol

Hi Balcony. Many thanks for your lovely comments and as for the poem.......well, it was a first effort! LOL. Those pigeons keep me amused on the feeders as do the starlings. I was lucky to capture the 'stand off', I had the camera on burst mode which takes rapid repeat shots so there were quite a few funny ones.
It's good that you get some visitors to your balcony even if for the wrong reasons....I'm sure you don't mind really. :o)) That sparrrow would be very welcome around here!
It's lovely to have bird companions while you're digging, blackbirds and robins do seem to be the bravest. It's a good excuse to stand back and have a rest now and then while they help themselves!

Crikey that is a VERY brave robin Marydoll, I hope he's quick!

"It's a good excuse to stand back and have a rest now and then while they help themselves! "

That's so true! Digging can be exhausting work even when you are in good health but when you have a bad back it's even more tiring!

Well done you for still getting out there on the allotment Balcony. I've given up digging as such now, my dodgy back objects to even lighter garden jobs so it's little and often and see how far I can push my luck, unfortunately. :o(
Still the good side is that I have plenty of time to look at the results - and the birds! :o))

just a point about Goy, if you look there were only 13 questions yesterday.......

Balcony - I get loads of birds on my balcony, though admittedly they're mostly great and blue tits, blackcap, dunnock, robin, wren, starling, finches, but even the woodpecker feeds from the nut feeder, and also occasional visits from parakeets, plus a rogue magpie which has learned how to grasp the edge of the small bird table lashed to the railings and grab anything he fancies - I have a bird table tied on, plus a nutfeeder and a fat ball feeder, all dangling from the railings. I guess if your balcony is walled rather than railed, that's not possible.
Re the robin story above - I often have to wait while they forage around in the partly dug hole I've made, really, they're determined to get in there before you've even finished. Not to mention the one that kept perching on the mower, resting on its side while I cleared out the cut grass, amazing little things, robins.
Pamg, the lack of questions is typical of this time of year, but I suspect the guest option's been withdrawn now, we've had none of those for a couple of weeks.

ah that explains it Bamboo-- have you tries the flat fat block for the birds, you have to buy the cage ( £1.50 from the pet shop) the birds here have taken to it, much softer than the balls and makes less mess :o)))

Saw that yesterday in Wilkinsons, but they'd sold out of the cage things - which in there, are only a quid, probably explains why they've sold out, lol!

I live in a flat at ground level & we are quite close to the entrance to the building with people coming & going all day. I think that's in part why we don't see many birds here.

On the patch of grass outside our balcony we see Sparrows &, on occasions, flocks of Starlings. Sometimes we see an occasional Blackbird or Song/Mistle Thrush. Even a gull will come down from time to time. We also get a big crow once in a while. Even the odd pigeon has been known to come & have a peck around. That about makes up the bird population we see.

I've thought of putting up a bird feeder but I don't expect to see the birds feeding because of the human traffic.

you'd be suprised -- the sparrows & tits are very brave and seem to get used to people quickly-- if the're hungry the'll come, it sometimes takes them a while to find it tho!

Thats great Lilly.. love your poem.....i joined i spy a bird... but much prefer it on here as birds are a great part of my garden to.....i also have wood pigeons every day... who make me laugh as they chase each other round the flower beds in a Benny Hill style fashion......theres one out there at the moment eating the bread i put out...... great blog.....

Hi Holly, I'm glad you enjoyed the blog. The woodpigeons keep me amused too..... I don't know if it's their size that makes their antics so amusing. I rarely visit Ispy either, I prefer the birds to be here in GoY. As Bamboo says, 'it's what the birds are doing in the garden' that I like.

They remind me of that Joyce Grenville song Lily.."stately as a galleon.." lol!

Umm....can't quite remember that one Tetrarch, maybe I'm too young? LOL .....I wish! I do remember 'the Biggest Aspidestra in the World' though :o( You're right though, that phrase does sum them up.

I remember the Joyce Grenville song Tet.
That Lily is only a whippersnapper, mind you I am not surprised she can remember ! The Biggest Aspidestra in the world " ;0))

Well I must admit Val, that apart from the tune, all I can remember is "stately as a galleon she sailed across the floor" and think its about some large, deep bosomed female dancing..but cant remember the rest..about the time of her recordings with Norman Wisdom I think.

Ive just googled it and got all the words...its hilarious..forgotten how funny she was...

Oh yes Val....Aspidestra's?.....the bigger the better!! LOL

Hya Tet., there was a programme on the telly a few months ago featuring her and yes you are right she was indeed very funny
Bet I've got one bigger than you Lily ! ;0))

Tetra....when you quoted the lines "stately as a galleon she sailed across the floor"....it made me think of Ann Widdecombe on Strictly...seems an apt description from the remarks being cast about on Facebook. I haven't watched it myself. lol

the only bit I remember is
stately as a galleon she sailed across the floor
doing the military twostep as in the days of youre
and the Ann Widdecombe analogy had me giggling--so true!!
remember Joyces monologes -- little johnny -- don't do that!

Just thought wasn't the aspidistra Gracie Fields?

I remember the little johnny one - think Gracie did the aspidistra song.

Keep threatening to find that one of Joyce Grenvilles and play it for my two schoolteacher girls, they would find it hillarious I am sure, I know I do.

some of the old ones are so funny, we went to a function and the MC told the Gerard Hofnung tale of michael and the hod of bricks-- as the bricks came down they hit him going up and then as he came down.......

also mud mud glorious mud...

( i'm a baby boomer but the family loved comic ditties)

I remember soon after coming to live in the UK I attended a Guild meeting at our church where one of the older lady members was entertaining as part of the evening.

I can't remember the name of the little boy in the ditty but it was about going to Blackpool Zoo and getting eaten by a lion(?)....and I'd never in my life heard anything like it....it was so funny to me. She had it down pat, from memory too!

Home grown entertainment can be so much fun :)

Oh Jacquie, that was Albert! My bf's OH used to spout it for a party piece to..he was from Burnley so it sounded just the ticket!!

I have a feeling Stanley Holloway did that one, but could be wrong.

Yes, this lady had a really strong Lancs. accent and she really pulled it off. Yes, it was Albert, T. You are right. :)

he did 'Sam pick up tha' musket' too-- brilliant man

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3jXMsfLxhI

I found a recording of Stanley Holloway doing the "Albert" sketch....lol....put the link above in case anyone would like a listen. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nodSMG6Pio4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WG2MKMFYlcA&feature=related

and two sequels.

Hi Lily, enjoyed your blog, brought a smile on a busy day, having a rest from Christmas preps. Have a lovely Christmas:-)

Hi BA, good to hear from you. I'm glad you enjoyed the blog, it was fun compiling it too.
I wish you and your family a very happy Christmas :o)

I'm glad to say I'm back, Lily.And I can now see what I was missing.A smashing blog.Made me smile!!!
Only thing that bugs me with GOY is that when you comment o such a popular blog as this one, you have to scroll down so far.....much better if the latest comments went at top!!!

Paul ... press the End button to go straight to last comment ... : o ))

Oh, thanks for that Shirley Tulip....we learn somtthing new everyday don't we!! :-)

It was a long time before I knew this ... daughter saw me scrolling on and on and on through a long blog ... leaned over and pressed End ... never said a word!
The action and the look said it all ... lol! : o )))

Thanks for the tip Shirley T, I knew about the button but never thought to apply it to this! I DO know that look..its a DUH! Braindead! look. In my case she's right of course..but don't tell her, please!

Funny you should mention the 'end' & 'home' button, same happened to me only I asked on here why it took so long to get to the end of a blog and was soon informed ! great makes life so much easier we are learning new things each day. :~)

Ha ha, ladies, there are probably lots more things I could do on the computer, but I'm quite happy muddling my way through! : o ))

Me too Shirley but it is exciting to learn what all the knobs and buttons are about!!

: o )))) Right, I must get off here now ... lots to do today!

The only problem with pressing 'end' is that you can miss out on some very interesting or amusing comments. Unless the blog has hundreds of comments, I scroll through the first time and read all. It's a good way to get to know which people you have most in common with I find. Obviously, when I come back to a blog, I don't need to go through them all again. I've learned quite a lot from being on Goy, especially what's what on the computer, but I'm still a technophobe:-)

I do exactly the same Ba. always read first then next time around 'end' & 'home' !! I think the more we do the confidence we gain on a computer and after all thats all it is, confidence!

I quite agree with all you say Ba, it also means you don't duplicate other members comments. When returning to a blog I always press 'end' then scroll back up to my previouas comment for the same reasons. There is also the 'slider' on the edge of the screen (between the up and down arrows) for a very speedy descent to the bottom.

Hi Paul, got sidetracked there! I'm so glad you're back to stay :o) I'm delighted you enjoyed the blog, it's good to make people smile so I hope we can we look forward to some more laughs from you to keep us going in this dismal winter?

Nothing much to laugh at here today Lily, dismal, damp and horrible!!!!
Then Graeme(my clumsy comedian son) told me he had added fire eating to his act..Now that DID make me smile!!!!!

It made me smile even though I don't know him Paul! Was he serious? If so....ooo-er .
Weather is ditto ditto and ditto here too :o((

Weather here is equally horrible but at least the snow & ice are now only a memory!

For the time being Quico ! :0))