Magpies!

Magpies EVERYWHERE. It's like, Magpie Central. Magpies bathing in puddles, Magpies fighting on fences, Magpies hiding in trees, Magpies peering from rooftops. Magpies chattering and flapping about. 6 in the yard today.

Of course, now I have my camera back from the car, they've cleared off.

What food sources or other things can I provide to encourage them to stick around, though?

Tish seems completely settled. She's stopped following me around constantly and has adopted the floor with the best sunpatches and the corner of the sofa furthest from people.

Bloody geography

This is my planned solution to being unable to shift lots of stuff:





1998, S-reg (the plate isn't included), 85,000 miles, Full Citroen History from a proper XM nutcase (hence said plate), auto with working aircon. It could not be better and costs the same as the shit K-reg BMW 530i I went to see, and has a full year MOT.

The problem is, it's in Ipswich.

Seeing the car with a specific trip would cost me 10% of its cost JUST in fuel.

If it's as good as it appears to be, it's going to replace the Ignis too. I forget how long I've had that - a month? 2 months? I've done 4,000 miles in it already (as well as 600 or so in the MR2 since getting it too) and I'm in absolute agony after long slow drives - if I have my foot to the floor, then great, but it's not awesome for five hours. To be fair, it's a small sporty car, it's supposed to be driven foot to the floor for short periods, and it handles what I've asked of it brilliantly, it's just too small to move what is left to move, and I'll probably get over £2,500 for it. £4,500 in, £1250 (plus a service and maybe front tyres) out, Seems to make sense to me, if I can manage to get the MR2 actually sold to someone instead of a string of enquiries that go nowhere.

Don't suppose anyone on my flist wants my MR2 with all the Kenwood kit (and a working alternator) for £2K? No?

Hey! OPEC!

I just got 45mpg.

45mpg. From my fully laden Suzuki.

That's for the last motorway run and a run to stafford and back. £26, 217 miles.

HAH.

(Shame I can't get everything I need to in the car!).

Oh, deathboy - the XM. BIG boot. Lots of legroom. And if it behaves it's been earmarked to hang around as a workhorse even when I get the C6, if insurance isn't too horrible.

Great

Someone just bought the XM from under my nose, it seems.

Well, there goes my good mood.