Chaffinch Stops Play

As Mike was giving the bushes a final trim, he happend upon Mrs Chaffinch sitting tight on a cluch of four eggs....Watch this space (again!)

 I can see you!

Painter man

Mark showed his versatility too, turning his hand to whatever job needed doing next

Al'white at the front? Al'white at the back? 

The gift shop gets a much needed paint

 Emma fills hundreds of tiny (and some Massive!) holes in the shop walls before they can be painted

Still no migrants, so Mike chopped down the Fucshia so we can see the catch box end of the Heligoland Trap.

Ian and Mark chip the resultant 'brush-wood' 

Pyromikeniac!!

On 24 March, Mike Archer (long time volunteer and data checking guru) arrived for his first stint of 2012. We were also Joined by Mark Carter, a first time volunteer from Dorset. Mike's brief was 'catch as many birds as you can!' whilst we try and get the obs ready for the first geusts at Easter. Weather and lack of migration put paid to this, so Mike turned his hand to other tasks, such as burning lots of card and paper in the incinerator.

Ian gives Saint Euonymus a hair cut!

Glorious weather meant that boats were in and out most days, this allowed for people to come and go. Ian Wright, BBFO's Hon Sec came on on 21st March for ten days to help out with the ensuing staff shortage. Rich and Giselle wre Rat catching in the Caribbean, whilst Steve was mountaineering in sunny Scotland, where temperatures in Aberdeen reach 26C

The bush of the late Saint Euonymus has been shading the front of the Obs and has just undergone its annual trim

ah, ah, ah, ah staying alive aaaaah

On 28th Gerrad Rothwell from the Welsh Ambulance Service came along on a fantastically sunny day to give us a refresher on the use of the PAD (Public access defibrillator).
The De-fib (for short) was brought onto the island last spring by the WAS, and all the island's residents underwent a training course to use the di-fib machine. It is a magic box that can read the rhythm of the heart of an unconscious casualty and automatically (and only if necessary) give a life saving shock to restart someone's heart who has gone into cardiac arrest.

You may have seen Welsh football star Vinny Jones on TV advertising how to do CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation) to the beat of Staying Alive by the Bee Gees, well we were all put through our paces by Gerrad, who in his cheery manner made us feel very comfortable in our attempts to resuscitate 'Arnie' his plastic pal. 

Emma, Connor, Gerrad and 'Arnie' with the defibrillator.

When I'm Cleaning Windows (No1)

Whilst cleaning the window frame in the north double room, it became apparent that the was a little bit of rot in there, and the lower part of the frame was only held together by paint!

The black stuff is rotten wood

 a bit of 2x2, palstic wood and .....

..... a lick of paint.
No one would ever know I had been there!

Bodgeit and Scarper joiners Ltd

The season begins

We returned to the island in Early March and, after unpacking all our stuff (this took almost a week), we were ready for the start of another season.

 Once we had our house in order, it was time to move into the obs

 Chairs in the dining room had been stacked away for the winter

 the office ad been used as 'storage'

 ...the kitchen had been used as 'storage'

...the wash-room had been used as 'storage'

 ......and the pantry had been used as storage! 
All the food for the food shop had been moved into the pantry at the back end of the year so as the mice did not eat it all in the winter. It now has to go back to the food shop (once the food shop has been thoroughly cleaned and disinfected)

 The common room was literally ' upside down!'

 NWOD!
Many of you will know about the 'Wall of Death' in the dining room from Liz James' fantastic tale in the Bardsey Beacon about helping getting the obs ready for visitors two years ago. After years of work, gallons of paint and shifting water tanks the WOD is now a very nice wall! 
However, we now have NWOD - the 'NEW WALL OF DEATH!'. 
No matter what we do to it at the moment, the damp penetrates through, salty hair grows on the wall and then the paint peels off and we start again. We WILL beat it though - watch this space. Any ideas on how to defeat the damp issues on a sometimes-wet Welsh island - answers on a post card please!

 The library after a year of use 

 Bedrooms were packed away, mattresses stood up and sheets removed in November 2011

 Walls were scraped down in readiness fore a new lick of paint. (can you see the cow?)

 Pillow and blankets were sealed in bin liners for the winter

Curtains were removed and furniture moved away from the walls to stop mould and damp growing

Going Home

 After weeks off the island we began to pack the car ready for our departure from the mainland..

 

Bags waiting to go into the car at Rhiw to be taken to Cae Hen

A few bags and boxes in the car in Southport

Seats now removed to get a few more boxes in....its not all chocolate honest!

 

finally attach the bike

 ....just one place left for the lamp shade

A fantastic splash of colour greets us in Wales, Daffs on the A55

All the bags, boxes and the bike finally on the boat

 

Home is in sight