Goodbye 2020 Hello 2021

Nearly a Waste of Time

Yesterday Penny made another visit to see her vet to have her blood pressure checked. That failed as she wouldn't calm down enough to get an accurate reading. Try again next week with a longer visit to give her time to settle. I wasn't in the best of moods when we left but that soon changed when I spotted one of the brightest rainbows I have ever seen. Much brighter than the iPod captured it but still looks pretty good. On the second clip you might just be able to make out a second rainbow to the right of the main one.

Peek-a-boo

Nothing much of note yesterday so I took a photo with my iPhone of the Moon trying to shine through thin cloud and a tree.

Monday Mystery

Last week's three views



were all part of



an owl night light. Clear acrylic which has the owl engraved inside the platic. It is barely visible when not illuminated but shines when lit by the LEDs contained in the box it stands on. Different colours can be selected or it can be set to cycle through all the colours, though this effect runs far too fast for my liking.

Well done to Adrian, Kris, Ellen, Dave and Ragged Robin who spotted it was an owl. Many thanks to all who have had a go at guessing this year's mystery objects. I haven't though about what to do for some puzzle photos for next year as yet.

Rook

After yesterday's fleeting visit from Storm Bella so far today it has been brilliant Sunshine. No discernible damage hereabouts from the storm and far less rain than I expected with my weather station only recording about 10mm. I was woken up about 2 a.m. by something clattering outside. Got out of bed and saw it was the door on the gas meter box flapping in the gusts. I quickly dressed and went out to close and secure it before it was torn off and I ended up with a bill for a replacement.

To brighten up the morning even more I spotted this Rook on top of the bird feeder pole.





Penny is a bit better now she has had her medication increased. Also her diet has been changed to include food formulated for lessening renal problems. Still 'leaking' but not so frequently and able to ask more often to go in the garden. In fact I was woken at 6 a.m. by her barking in my ear to wake me up and let her out.

Monday Mystery

Last week's close view



was part of



a folding table, looking a bit grotty after being outside in all weather for years. Well done to Adrian, Maree, Kris, Dave and Ragged Robin. Thanks to all who had a go.

One final mystery for 2020



Three partial views of .... what? Please leave any guesses in the comments. They will be revealed, along with the answer, next Monday.

Christmas 2020

Wishing you all the best we can make of Christmas this year.



On the left is my small raised pond with lanterns and colour changing spotlights, all Solar powered. On the right my little artificial Christmas tree with LED lights. This video was composed mostly using Wondershare Filmora X which has many different text effects built in. The Carol of the Bells tune is a MIDI file played through an electronic keyboard. The Moon was used to cover up the clock which hangs above the pond.

A Christmas Decoration for 2020

I coudn't resist buying this.

A Medical Week

Well, couple of days really. Yesterday I had to visit Grimsby Hospital for a routine blood test. That had to be booked in advance. After some of the reports I have seen on social media I expected the visitors car park to be nearly empty and a virtually deserted hospital. In fact the car park was a good 80% full. No hand sanitizing points seen anywhere. The pathology department is deep inside the main building and all the corridors were bustling with people, patients and nursing staff. One beauty of having a pre booked appointment was being able to walk straight in. All over in a matter of minutes. Cost - a gallon+ of petrol and £2.40 parking charge. No getting away from that as the registration number is collected on entry and you can't get out until the charge is paid as the automatic barriers use number plate recognition.

Today was another visit to the vet for Penny. This time to check urine and blood pressure. No infection but her BP is way over the top so more medication. Another BP check soon to see whether the medication dose is correct. She also had more of the anti itching tablets. Total cost for her visits so far this month £350+. Incontinence problems are still ongoing.

Monday Mystery

I though I was going to win with last week's close view



untl right near the end when it was correctly identified as



a bird feeder by Dave - well done.

I'm scratching my head for a new mystery photo today but I have eventually come up with this



which is part of ..... what? Please leave any guesses in the comments which will be revealed, along with the answer, next Monday.

Red Sky in the Morning

... sailor's warning.



Looked out this morning to see a beautiful red sky. The first for quite a few days. It looks as though the old saying will prove to be somewhat true today as the forecast for this area is heavy rain and a strong breeze for the rest of the day.

Monday Mystery

Last week I showed this IR photo



of



It was correctly identified as a landline phone by Dave, Kris and Ragged Robin. Well done. A thank you to all who had a guess.

This week I have a close view



which is part of what?

Please leave any guesses in the comments. They will be revealed, along with the answer, next Monday.

A Misty Sunrise

As the Sun was rising and the temperature dropped rapidly to 0.3C so the mist rose.



That view didn't last for long. As the temperature started to rise again the mist soon cleared.

Of Incontinence and a Sunset

Can't remember whether I mentioned this before now. Last February (how time flies) I took Penny to the vets as she was becoming incontinent. A urine sample showed she had no infection and the vet said it was a common problem with bitches as they age. Recently she has been getting worse. I have had to change and wash her bedding every morning and evening. Also her skin has been getting very sensitive, ticklish, itchy. On Thursday I phoned the vets and was lucky to get an appointment for Friday (yesterday) as they are reserved for urgent cases. We drove over in the afternoon. Owners are not allowed inside the surgery these days so I had to phone to let them know we were there and wait for a vet to come out and collect her. She had  a blood test - waiting for the results which are due by Monday.. Penny had the honour of being the first animal to have her blood tested by a spanking new machine they have installed. She also has some tablets to stop the itching. Even the first one had a miraculous effect and Penny got her first really restful night for some time. Apart from that Penny has a healthy appetite and is enjoying her walks as always.

On the weather front we had heavy rain twice yesterday. When? While I drove there and again on the way back.Not that it wasn't raining the rest of the day, just not as heavy. Great swathes of water on the roads and lots streaming off the adjacent fields. Today has been dry, so far, with some Sunshine. I just caught a glimpse of the Sunset a short while ago.



I noticed some ice had formed in the water pools on the old pond waterfall. Sign of things to come?

Rook at the Birdfeeders

A hurried bit of video taken in the gloom this morning when a Rook visited the birdfeeders.



At least it didn't try to unhook the feeder.

Spotty Sun

This morning was the first time for days the Sun shone for more than a few minutes. I think yesterday it managed about fifteen seconds. I finally had the chance to photograph the latest large Sun Spot.



There are other spots but the sky wasn't completely free of thin cloud so only one other showed on the photos. Even the largest one may look insignificant compared to the size of the Sun but, as one internet site described it, large enough to swallow the Earth without a ripple. Size is not necessarily important for activity to occur which affect us. A smaller spot very recently emitted enough radiation to disrupt some radio communications for a while.

As always I used a special Solar filter on the lens to cut down the light intensity and protect the camera.