I have been ill for nearly a week. One by one, my colleagues had been coughing, spluttering and feeling incredibly sorry for themselves. And then it was my turn. Last Thursday, I woke up with a woodpecker hammering in my head, a hacking cough and non-stop sneezing. I barely had enough energy to get out of bed. After croaking to my manager that I’m ill, I swallowed some pain-killers, downed cough mixture, rubbed Vicks on my nose, head and chest and tried to sleep on Babe’s reclining chair with a hot-water bottle and a box of tissues by my side. I’d a hard time sleeping at night because of my cough and blocked nose.
A week was spent mopping at home feeling sorry for myself, sniffing, whinging and coughing. Poor Babe, he was obliged to offer some sympathy. But at least, he was able to go out and get some fresh air and stretch his legs. Look at this photograph of Scarlet Elf he took along the path towards River Hide. Don’t they look stunning in the bleak winter.
As for me, plenty of rest and fluids was the only prescribed cure for a cold and I make sure I’d loads and lots. Funny enough, the weather had been great when I was ill. Sods law!!! While resting, I opened the patio doors to let in some fresh breeze and also took the opportunity to observe the bird-feeder in between naps. There was a lot of activities going on. Dunnocks, Robins, House-sparrows, Blue and Great tits were busy courting and carving out their territories. The Black cap was still around and he was guarding his food source. 
From time to time, I’ll get up and check if anybody new had turned up at my garden party. As I surveyed the hedges, I spotted a flash of red among the green. Ooh…it was a Goldfinch, the 21st species to our garden. I was hyper-ventilating with excitement. My garden party was tweeted and twittered fast and quick. I couldn’t wait to see who will turn up next.
On Saturday, I braved myself and went out for a walk to get some fresh air and stretch my legs. We went for a quick stroll at Brandon Marsh. In the first hide, we spotted Mr and Mrs Golden Eyes, Pintails and Great Crested Grebes enjoying the afternoon sun. At East Marsh Hide, a pair of Shelducks and a flock of widgeons were busy feeding on the opposite bank. Suddenly, we heard the familiar shrill piping, piercing call vibrating around us. The Oyster-catchers were back and there were 2 pairs of them. It was so good to see them back again with their striking long orange-red bill, glossy, black head and pink, long legs.
We left early because I was exhausted. We popped into the visitor centre and got a nest box. We hoped to entice one of our visitors to breed in our garden. We also looked at the prices of bird-seeds and peanuts and nearly fainted. Why on earth are they so d----d expensive? But we still bought 3 bars of insect suet as a treat. We stopped at Lidl and got a few packets of peanuts. We made a final stop at Gallagher Retail Park to find a bird-bath and also bought a big pack of fat-balls which was on sale. Feeding the party was turning to be very expensive. 
The next day, we nailed in the nesting box and set up the bird-bath. We spent the day holding our breath, waiting and watching if any of our guests will be using the facilities. It was very exciting to see the resident blackbird having a drink. A flock of Great and blue tits were feeding on the bird-feeder when one of the Blue tits decided to check out the nest box. Ooh… it went in and I bet had a good look. For the past few days, I’d seen several tits flying in and out and I’m keeping my fingers and toes double-crossed that one will fly in with some furniture.
Watching the birds in the garden had been very therapeutic for me. I didn’t do much reading when I was ill because my head was pounding. I hated day-time tv and the radio just sounded too intrusive. Thank you to all the birds who came riding into my garden and made me feel much better. Babe had seen a Long-tail tit picking feathers. Ooh… someone is building a nest and it must be near. I’m soo excited…
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