I'd like to thank!!!!!!

 So after a slight delay due to Covid restrictions, I finally collected my prize today from the good people at Upcountry Garden & Country Store (other garden centres are available).

The prize, for winning their garden bird photo competition, with my picture of a Sparrowhawk on our back fence, was a very good selection of bird care products, although I am wondering at the morality of using a picture of a Sparrowhawk to provide food for our Sparrows who may eventually fall victim to the Sparrowhawk the circle of life I suppose!! It is also debatable as to whether our Sparrows actually need any more food the greedy buggers are already eating us out of house and home!! Although with the nest box being investigated there will hopefully be more mouths to feed soon, unless the Sprawk eats em all obvs!!

The Prize-winning shot!! Yes I know you have seen 30 times before!!

The ceremony was very low key, Covid restrictions & indifference obviously limited the size of the crowd and the rumoured appearance of a minor Royal to present the prize never materialized, not that much of a surprise as it was me that started the rumours!😲 So it was just me and Natalie, who I believe is Vice-President of everything at Upcountry (may not be her official title) who took a photo of proceedings on her phone for the assault on social media, (careful if it goes viral and all 4 of my readers turn up at once it could overwhelm the store!!) The BBC turned down the opportunity to attend, citing funding cuts and my unreasonable fee demands as the reason!! I did offer to take my mask off for the photo but Natalie, suggested it was probably best not to, Covid again I presumed, although I thought I heard her muttering about scaring the customers!!!! I decided in the circumstances against delivering the full 4-and-a-half-hour acceptance speech I had prepared, which referenced my Welsh Heritage, The Mongol Hordes, Morecombe and Wise, Don Revie's magnificent Leeds Utd team  of the 60s/70s and 300 thank-yous to my nearest and dearest, preferring a simple “Thanks very much” much to the relief of Natalie, whose eyes had glazed over at Thanks😄!!!

Me with my haul of Goodies, very natty blue trolley that unfortunately wasn't part of the prize

In all seriousness I was chuffed to win the prize as I never usually win anything (except Margie’s heart obvs💘💕), although the fact that this is the first one I’ve entered could have something to do with it! Except for Countryfile’s poxy calendar competition where apparently my awesome shot of a Jay coming into land can’t compete with staged photos of wood mice (I’m not bitter obvs)!!! Well Countryfile whose had the last laugh now huh!! (I’m defo not bitter!!)😲😂

Also, for those spreading the rumours, Natalie confirmed there were some other entries!!!!

Margie suggested that the result might have been different if she had entered her shot of the Male Sparrowhawk which has  also visited our garden several times mostly whilst I was at work. Well tough titties you gotta be in it to win it!!

Margie's Sparrowhawk pic,It's good, but is it £50 of bird care products good😃😃?

Sadly, Margie has vetoed my plan, on the back of this magnificent achievement, to give up work and become a professional wildlife photographer, citing the need to eat and pay the rent as the reason!! Honestly no faith some people!!

So thanks very much to Upcountry Garden & Country Store and obviously the Sprawk which chose not to fly away when I opened the door!!

Visit Upcountry Garden & Country Store's (other garden centres are available) website at the link below ( they haven't paid me for the plug so don't feel obliged😃 but it seems a nice place and they have a good range of Organic produce in the farm shoppie bit and you know how I am about going Organic)!!

UpCountry Garden Centre & Bakehouse | UpCountry (upcountrystorehouse.com)

In other breaking news we have a frog in the pond!!!!! Margie tickled it by accident and it moved hurrah!!She jumped quite high😂!! No Frogspawn yet but hopefully when the weather warms up they will get down to business and we will have Tadpoles by the million!!!!