Lancashire wildlife

The great Firework Competition in Southport last weekend was disrupted a bit by the torrential rain but they managed to get the show completed eventually. It really is a spectacular show and can be seen from miles around but you need to be along marine gardens to get get the full effect of the music as well.

Sadly, a fox killed two of our geese this week. It's a shame that those people who think foxes are cuddly & cute and should be protected at all costs, couldn't see how they rip apart a poor defenceless goose. So, while foxes have the run of the countryside, the geese, who used to roam freely around the fields, now have to be penned up in order to save their lives.

Everywhere is looking very autumnal now and the garden hoover has been working overtime to clear the leaves. The Bramleys have all been picked and frozen but we still have a few tomatoes left in the greenhouse.

Have had a very busy weekend. Our son was 30 so had a family BBQ in the garden. Fortunately the weather was great and so everyone stayed outdoors. Had a few braziers and the chimenea going so it was really quite warm and with all the fairy lights in the trees it was quite magical.

The difference a few days make. Today it is absolutely freezing and the wind is howling, feels like the deep midwinter!

Our guests this week are walkers and they don't seem to mind the weather at all. Of course they have all the right gear and so they just don't worry what the weather is like they just enjoy getting out and about.

Also have a visitor from Belfast so I took him into Liverpool yesterday to see all the various art installations for Capital of Culture year and then we drove to Crosby beach to see the 'Iron Men' as they are known locally. He was very impressed with it all.

Princess Anne was in Liverpool today opening the second phase of the 'Liverpool One' shopping centre. Unfortunately I didn'tt get a chance to go and see her.