Dino duck (Egyptian geese) progress

I am delighted that 7 of the original 12 dino babies are doing really well over at Beddington Park. I have also noticed that another pair have a very secret nest around the back of the lake so I am hoping in the next couple of weeks to see another new clutch of fluffy babies.

I think they are this pair who were at another area up until a couple of weeks ago and then disappeared. I call them Derby and Joan

The photo below was shot from a long way away, they are in a really sensible location for their nest. I am pretty sure it is the same pair from where I call the "Fish pond"

Here are some of the first baby dinos, taken a few weeks ago.

 Growing fast. They trust me so much (or is it the food they like? 😄)

 Then this photo below is from last week. You can see they have nearly all their adult feather now, they are so very beautiful. These are 5 of the 7.

There is also another pair of dino ducks down at the ponds who managed to get 5 of their 12 babies to toddler age too. They are real balls of fluff and look like mint humbugs. 

They are so funny the way they stretch out their legs and all huddle together

and they are enjoying pond life!

I will keep you posted how my nested "Derby and Joan" get along.

My project to share today is a tag I made recently after watching Tim Holtz' awesome Facebook lives.

All the stamps and stencils are by him and I think the sentiment fits really well. I made the background with distress inks.

I would like to enter it into the following challenges;

Creative fingers 3/3 anything goes
Art impressions 1/2 animals and nature

Creative moments 2/3 anything goes

Simon says stamp Wednesday Masculine

We love to create 3/3 Anything goes mixed media
As you like it 1/3 scenes or not I adore making scenes as I really love adding details to my work.
Cute card Thursdays 1/3 anything goes
Moving along with the times 1/3 things with wings
Simon says stamp Monday make your own background
A vintage journey Rustic charm

Thanks so much for stopping by today.

Back soon

Bye for now

Jane x

Spring time, Mindful Moments 1

Hello blogging friends, wow what a change has happened in the space of a few days. The covid 19 pandemic is now ramping up here in the UK and life for now is being put on hold. Social distancing is and should be the normal. My husband is working from home, which is fine but the rest of our family face difficulties as so many households do. My daughter is on the front line as an NHS GP and faces some very tough months ahead. My parents are in their late 80s and we have to safeguard them as a priority. Our communication is via watts app video for now. Hopefully when the weather improves we can sit out in the garden at a distance. The most important thing is to try to protect our most vulnerable and to ride the waves ahead. Please do take all the advice we have been given seriously to try to flatten out the wave which is coming. 

I have always written Jane's Journal with a very positive vibe and I have always chosen not to put my my personal trials and tribulations (which we all have) here so I am not going to start now. Even before this situation there is always enough bad news around without adding to it.  I like my readers to be able stop for a few minutes, see some cheerful photos and one of my creative makes, and hopefully leave with a smile. Just a mindful moment. These things will pass, we just need time. In no way am I trying to minimize the seriousness of the coming weeks and months, I am just trying to catch a breath in the madness.  I will continue to blog right through to the other side but I will try my absolute hardest to put a positive spin on life here. Jane's Journal is 10 years old this summer and my stats show that lots of people do still read my blog and I hope it might just give one tiny glimmer of normality through Mother Nature to anyone who reads it. Thank you all always for your support, especially those readers who are always here and you know well who you are 😍

I plan, between my usual card makes, Design Team  posts etc to publish occasional mindfulness posts. I am going to call them Mindful Moments and number them, today's is number 1. They will not necessarily be weekly but every post will be 1 step closer to the end of all this. One day I will come back, read and reflect on them and they will serve as a good reminder to be grateful for normal life. 

So here we go with a springtime mindful moment;

There are 2 very special reasons for smiling today; it is the first day of spring and my darling daughter's 34th birthday.

I have been out for my walk and spotted lots of signs of spring in the local area.

The weeping willow is coming into leaf and looks gorgeous in its lime green hues. The daffodils are nodding in the breeze

and at the ponds my dino ducks still come to see me.

 Hello Jane

can I bring a friend?

And yes they all got some food from me. 

In my back garden my acers are coming into leaf

and my magnolia is in flower.

The sun came out, always a bonus too. 

and also spending some time in my garden is my son's gorgeous dog Bear. He has been very poorly but is now on the road to recovery and is going to be between both our homes to convalesce.

My card today is one of spring time calm, using my Mindful Moments Visible Image stamp set and one of their new stencils called drizzle.

I would like to enter it into the following challenges;

Not just cards 3/3 anything goes

Creative fingers 1/3 anything goes

Crafty catz 1/3 anything goes

Simon says stamp Wednesday whatever the weather

Addicted to stamps 1/3 anything goes

Through the dark room door 1/3 anything goes

Crafty sentiments 1/3 spring is coming

To finish off  my first Mindful Moments post I wanted to share this thought to celebrate the first day of spring and my gorgeous girl's birthday.

Some old fashioned things like fresh air and sunshine

are hard to beat

(Laura Ingalls Wilder)

Remember we are now 1 day nearer the end of all this madness. Take those walks outside and choose calm. 

So happy birthday to my darling daughter, she knows the song well that her Hb, Daisy and Jack will be singing to her today as she blows out her birthday candles........ha ha ..

Keep safe, keep mindful and keep washing those hands. Thanks so much for stopping by.

Back soon,

Bye for now,

With love, Jane x

Chillier autumn days

Brrr it was so much colder this week. We had our first really frosty nights and out came my long winter coat.

I still go up to feed my dino ducks (Egyptian geese) a few times a week and they always seem pleased to see me. Several feed from my hand now and I find a group (gaggle?) of between 7 to 17 birds there at any one time.

This crow got in on the act on Monday and often the Canada geese try to muscle in.

But I am very careful to ensure my special ones all get something to eat

You will notice this one above is ringed and I call her Ringo. I'm pretty sure the smaller ones are all females, they also shout less. There is also a larger male who is also ringed and I call him George..ha ha yes I have the Beatles in mind.

My card today is an autumnal one for sale at Dotty's Teahouse, Carshalton, Surrey.

I used an autumnal backing paper from my stash and some die cut inky leaves and a cup and saucer. There is nothing like sharing a cuppa with a friend is there? 

 The stamped quote is one of my favourite but long discontinued Lili of the Valley quote stamps.

I would like to enter it into the following challenges;

Creative moments 1/3 anything goes

Crafty catz 1/3 anything goes

C.R.A.F.T 1/3 make your own embellishments

Thanks so much for stopping by. 

Have a lovely weekend and keep warm.

Back on Monday,

Bye for  now,

Jane x