So much for New Year resolutions!!!   We always moan about how fast the years pass by, but this one seems to be trying to set a record.  How have we reached March so soon?

There are two reasons for my absence really,  the main one is that life is very quiet along the towpath at the moment.  We have taken the odd walk and was surprised to see that the cygnets are still 'hanging out' with their parents, I am sure they will be sent packing soon.  Although another surprising thing was there were 3 adults at one spot fairly close to each other,  they don't normally socialise and stick to their own stretch of the water. 

Came across about 15 geese in a group too at one spot,  wondered if that is the two families who linked up for safety last spring,  now fully grown and still thinking 'safety in numbers' where those swans are concerned.  Maybe that is why the swans are hanging out together too,  maybe we are in for more wars this year!!! 

Anyway I'm letting my imagination run away with me here.  On the odd sunny day have noticed that spring must be in the air as the local 'dawn chorous' have been in full swing.  They can be a real nuisance around April and May and  have often been known to go out in the garden around dusk in those months when all is quiet and threaten to bang a drum to wake them up, in revenge. 

The second reason for my absense was first we disappeared to the Caribbean for two weeks for our 30th wedding anniversary,  then came back to various problems that kept us busy for the next month.  Firstly no central heating, which was no fun as the house had been cold for two weeks and we had got used to much higher temperatures.  Fortunately had a new one up and running within 10 days,  sounds a long time, but wasted a few days trying to get old one fixed and then quotes.  Did escape to visit my Mother for a long weekend to keep warm.  No sooner got that sorted out when eldest daughter was taken into hospital with appendicitus.

Anyway would like to say this week has been hassle free, but that is not totally true,  technology was out to get me.  Since I bought this laptop last July my 3 in 1 printer wouldn't scan.  Have been meaning to sort it out but got pushed into it when a friend in South Africa needed a letter written with a signature.  So I reloaded the machine, but with no luck.  Next morning laptop wouldn't load up anything to do with the internet,  did eventually find a recovery section and all was well, only to happen again yesterday.  Then in the afternoon when I went to print,  found that the printer had now vanished during the recovery Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr    On top of that husbands office printer which is an ancient lazer print and has to be used with a very old computer because of the connections wouldn't work,  because the 'old' computer died!  So this week's banned word is PRINTER.

Just tried to preview this so that I could remove old photos, but for some reason it doesn't want to do that.  So in the meantime will load this post or else I will find it sat in the draft box next month, and sort out the photos when (if) I get some spare time.

Bye bye talk soon