The Bandit strikes again.

Birthdays come around every year like clockwork but still I agonize over a gift to celebrate this momentous occasion for my husband. Birthdays are important. It’s your special day even if you do share it with billions of others in the world. As we have both been around since the year dot and married almost as long there is not much that he needs. (I always need something).

He buys his own clothes, music and books. Art supplies-that’s his department too. He hates technology so...what does that leave me. As he is a collector of anything that takes his fancy I was really stumped, then I had a brainwave. They don’t happen very often. What he needed for his perch on the deck where he spends many hours keeping out of my way is.....A bird feeder.

We went to the usual big box stores, Canadian Tire, Home Depot and a specialty store. Scottish by nature I was not prepared to spend fifty dollars on a bird feeder. Back to the drawing board. A visit to the flea market the next day and the birthday boy had found himself two very nice feeders for a total of thirty dollars.

One he filled with black oil sunflower seeds and the other a gorgeous copper affair has still to be hung.

Yesterday he spent the day watching two American red squirrels have their lunch and dinner. They are quite rare around here as we usually just have the greys and blacks. Nary a sign of a bird. A few robins showed up, and one lonely cardinal but they didn't go near the feeder. Are we supposed to put up a notice? Come and get it.

I was up at six thirty this morning sipping my coffee before I went out for my walk. Bleary eyed I did notice most of the blossom had been blown of the trees and was covering the patio in a lovely shade of pink. Out of the corner of my eye this is what I saw.

Hey, What's for breakfast?

Oh, It's a self service buffet, Yum

I suggested it was the seed as some little songbird would surely choke on these big sunflower seeds, and we would also have the healthiest racoons and the rodent population in Oakville.Hope the neighbors weren't watching. So now the feeder has been filled with songbird and finch seed and his Nibs is patiently watching with his binoculars for some action. I will keep you informed of any sightings.

On the book front I have recently finished The Poisoned Pawn by Peggy Blair. After the success of her first Inspector Ramirez novel The Beggars Opera, I found Ramirez is the kind of detective that grows on you. I'm looking forward to the next in the series.  

I attended the Toronto launch of Barbara Fradkin's new novel The Whisper of Legends. This is ninth novel in her Inspector Green stories. You will find this an exciting read and a keep you up at night kind of book.

Preston and Child's latest book in the Prendergast series Two Graves is a thriller not to be missed. Great characterization and the pacing is awesome. 

And to make a shift from crime fiction, I am presently reading Rod Stewart's autobiography. I am a big fan from way back, and I'm now immersed in the music of the sixties and seventies while I read of Rod's exploits in the UK and the U S of A. I'll blog about this later.

Enjoy the nice weather and talk soon.

Slainte,

Pam