I had to write to thank you for all the letters and notes you have sent me, wishing me well for the holidays, for the short notes each day, and for the good wishes that the new medications for Don will work. You have no idea how much I appreciate each one. I am overwhelmed by the warmth and love of our Bird World community. What struck me most is the warmth and caring from so many who are also experiencing very challenging days – parents who have gone into care with dementia, others having chemo and radiation therapy or facing surgeries, and some who will have insurmountable financial obstacles in the new year. I am so very, very touched by your kindness and, yes, your love. I can feel it, and it truly helps me get through these terrible days.
Dementia or Alzheimer’s (they are different) seems to have touched all of our lives. Either a parent or sibling has died or has this terrible disease, or you have known someone with it. Memory centres are full, hospital beds are full, and the holidays seem to be a prime time when mental illness doesn’t go to sleep but starts boiling over for many.
I am happy to say that the additional medication cocktail has kept Don more or less sedated. He went back to bed at noon on Wednesday and didn’t wake up till 1900, when he ate, brushed Toby, talked, and held me, and then was back in bed by 2130. Was he just overly tired? To so suddenly become agitated and violent is very strange, and his doctor certainly thinks that he could have an infection or something. He has been drinking a lot of water, and I wondered if he was dehydrated. We will never know.
I could not go to sleep tonight without reaching out to you to thank you again for your wonderful kindness and to wish you, your family, and your friends and all our pets and raptors a happy holiday.
One of our very talented Bird World community menbers sent this from Japan. Isn’t it marvellous?! Thank you ‘A’.
It’s cold! I tried to make the forecast bigger so that you could read it easier. We are under an extreme cold warning. Still, the birds and squirrels were at the feeders, and dear Brock came for food several times. I noticed that he spent a lot of time eating the dry kibble that Calico enjoys.
Shockingly it is supposed to be a lot warmer, perhaps up to + 4 C, on Tuesday. Ann is taking Don to the zoo!!!! Unbelievable.
Today’s blog is going to be shorter than usual, even for these quick holiday posts. I have a head cold – my head feels like it is the size of a 45-gallon drum. It was supposed to be a fun day – a dog walk to try out our new faux-fur lined bomber hats from Sweden, an afternoon at our grandson’s high school where he is Bill in Mamma Mia, and a phone call with the granddaughter in Australia. So instead, I am in bed, sipping ginger and lemon tea, cuddled with Toby under several warm blankets.
We woke up to -30 C. The good thing is that the snow is dry. That wet snow from a week ago made you cold to the bone. The new bomber cap with ear flaps is amazing and I can’t wait to try it out along with some Merino wool leggings. Will keep you posted.
Thank you so much for your letters and comments. I am glad that you enjoyed Heidi’s montage as much as I did. I will treasure it forever. I am also glad you enjoyed our photos and those with Santa. Sometimes it is nice to put a face with a name.
In Bird World news, the third egg at the Central Florida nest of Pepe and Muhlady hatched! Here are the hatch dates and names:
The hatching dates and names for their 2025 clutch at the Central Florida SuperBeaks nest are:
Mira: The first eaglet, which hatched around December 7 or 8, 2025.
Froto: The second eaglet, which hatched on December 9, 2025.
Zeagle: The third eaglet, which hatched early in the morning on December 13, 2025
There was a harrowing moment at the West End nest of Akecheta and Haku. Another adult showed up. I did not know and am very grateful to ‘B’ for sending me a note. ‘B’ explains: “What happened is that both Akecheta and Haku were there from about 3:00 to 3:35, and then both took off very close to each other at 3:37, just as the visitor left the overlook cam. After a few minutes, Akecheta returned to the tor, followed a bit later by Haku. Then I believe what you saw the chatters refer to is that the second time Haku left at 4:20, and Akecheta stayed maybe another 15 minutes.”
The chat established the locations: “Haku and Akecheta were sitting on the far tor and a 3rd was sitting in front of the WEO cam.”
‘B’ and I agree that we do not need any drama at the West End this year! Just baby eaglets.
If you get confused over the names of the branches at some of the nests, Gracie Shepherd has done a great post on FB showing the names and locations of those at SW Florida:
We did get to talk to the Granddaughter and her fiancé in Australia. It wasn’t as ‘exciting’ as it might have been were I feeling better but it was good that we had that video chat. Don was really looking forward to ‘seeing’ them. They will have an Australian Christmas dinner on the 24th and a traditional Canadian one on the 25th. I wondered what a ‘traditional Australian’ Christmas dinner is – it’s a barbecue and they are planning to go to the beach, followed by pavlova for dessert! Oh, I miss Elysha, and I really do like Josh.
I am thumbing through a new book that has arrived, Wings Across the Atlantic by Colin Rees and Mark Avery. Each author spends a year looking at the natural world around them. My interest at the moment is that Rees has several entries on the deaths of ospreys in the Cape Henlopen area, which Heidi covered in our project. I will keep you informed of my final verdict on this volume in the new year.
So sorry this is so short. I am going to take a day or two off to recover from this cold. Keep your eye on SW Florida – we are due for a pip soon.
Thank you to ‘B’ for alerting me to the potential issues at the West End and for SK Hideaways who caught it all on video. I am grateful for the FB posts and the streaming cams that allow us to view the lives of our raptors.
I am extremely grateful to you – members of the Bird World community who care so much for the natural world.
I am so happy that you enjoyed Toby and his photograph with Santa. It seemed the most appropriate image to help us settle into the December holiday season.
We woke up to -19 °C with some more snow. Snow will continue, on and off, for the end of the week. Our young man who clears it will come in the wee hours of Friday morning so that everything is clear for Anne’s arrival that afternoon. It is hard to get moving when it is so cold. Toby scooted outside to do his ‘business’ and quickly got back in until it was time to feed the birds. The sun was up by then, and despite the frigid temperatures, it felt warmer.
I had a very good laugh. A few of you wondered if there was any hope in getting ‘The Girls’ dressed up for Santa – I don’t think so. Cats, as you know, are very different than dogs. Toby loves getting dressed up and his basket of sweaters, coats, hats, and boots tells it all. ‘The Girls’ prefer their toys, reading time, and treats!!!!
Baby Hope says you ‘wouldn’t get her caught dead in an outfit!’
Toby and Hugo Yugo could not be upstaged by Baby Hope so they want to put another smile on your face – playtime last night. The interchanges between these two best friends goes on all day long. Hugo Yugo and Toby sleep together, play together, and eat together!
We can’t promise to send you a greeting every morning from now until the new year but we are going to try! Our main blog will continue on Mondays until there are some baby eaglets in those nests that we follow.
News from South Australia is getting exciting. I have always hoped that Ervie would take over the barge nest. It seems that Ervie’s older brother, Calypso, has been visiting the barge along with two other ospreys. Which one will delight us in the future – Ervie or Calypso? The other good news is that Big Red and Arthur continue to be spotted on the Cornell campus while our eagles are busy incubating.
Have a wonderful day, everyone! The Girls and Toby send each of you a virtual hug to start your day.
It all began with Tricki Woo and the pandemic this year. Do you know who Tricki Woo is? Have you watched All Creatures Great and Small? James Herriott was a vet in a rural area of North Yorkshire from the late 1930s through the 1950s. Those books formed the basis of the television series that lasted seven seasons. One of Herriott’s clients, the very wealthy widow Mrs Pumphrey, had a long haired Pekinese named Tricki Woo who loved ‘Uncle Harriet’. In gratitude, Tricki often sent Uncle Harriet hampers filled with exotic treats from Fortnum & Masons, Piccadilly, London. Tricki was not the first to be unable to resist those hampers. Fortnum & Mason had been preparing baskets full of exotic treats since the 18th century. They began as traveller’s or hunter’s baskets. These woven containers full of delicacies made their way across the world by ship, to the top of Mount Everest, and with the archaeologists first exploring Tutankhamen’s tomb in Egypt. Pretty impressive! They advertise them as “The Original and the Best”.
During the pandemic, we watched every episode of the seven seasons of All Creatures Great and Small. Then exhausted by the news of hospitals filling up and people dying of the Covid-Sars 19 since the beginning of the year, the big question on what could possibly make the holidays special became a central focus. In order to not fall into the ‘oh, pity me’ stage of doom and gloom during lockdown, I decided to do something different. The Herriott’s had just received a hamper from Fortnum & Masons on the episode I was watching and the thought breezed through my head that if they could supply hampers during times of rationing then surely in an age of on line buying and international shipping, Fortnum & Mason could get a hamper to Canada. Of course, they had been able to do this for years but it never occurred to me til I saw the delight on the faces of James and Helen just how happy one of those hampers might make someone.
When we lived in England, the holidays meant getting on the early train from Grantham to London to see the windows of Fortnum & Mason. There are eight main windows on Piccadilly and by the end of October or the beginning of November the paper is removed to reveal the magical scenes. They were different every year and for three years we got to enjoy this incredible tradition that the British have delighted in for eons.
Fortnum’s has been decorating their windows for 313 years, since 1707. For these Canadians, the only windows decorated in our City were those of the Hudson Bay Company and really, they were not decorated at all if a comparison were made. We had not seen anything like the wonders that filled all of those spaces from mechanical drummers and angels to glitter and magic and all the treats that the store had on their shelves. Everything was larger than life. The beauty of the painting, the sculptures, the lights and even the feathers of birds was magical. It was almost as if you you could step inside and become part of the festivities.
Fortnum and Mason’s holiday windows from 2016. Courtesy of Fortnum & Masons, Wikimedia Commons (above and below).
To try and create some of the magic that we had experienced so long ago, I checked on the possibility of a hamper coming to Canada in time for the holidays. It was only after I began exploring the options that I discovered that there are several well known shops in London supplying hampers. Another was Harrod’s, the iconic department store in Knightsbridge. In the end, I decided to order a similar priced hamper from both major shops and compare them.
Both companies used international shippers (for a charge on top of the price of the hamper) and both estimated the time of arrival at my door as being four business days. Both hampers were ordered on the same day in mid-November. The Fornum & Mason hamper arrived promptly on the sixth day after ordering by DHL. The hamper from Harrod’s, also handled by DHL, required that I either hired my own broker or allowed DHL to act on my behalf. The parcel was caught up in Canadian customs for three weeks. After 10 days, I contacted Harrod’s Customer Service. Both the customer service agent and myself assumed that the proper commercial invoice had simply not been attached and they provided me with another one immediately. They also gave me a 25% refund. That still did not help me with the parcel. I contacted DHL Customer Service, gave them a copy of the commercial invoice noting that it specifically stated that all customs duties and taxes were included in the price that I had paid. It all seemed very ridiculous. In the end, the hamper was released and duly delivered by DHL on December 12. Ironically, the commercial invoice was right on the box in a plastic envelope that had never been opened. Who could be faulted for the delay? and why did the parcel from Fortnum & Mason not have a problem? It is difficult to say. If you are going to order a hamper for international shipment, I urge you to do so early. They will not ship perishable items outside of the country so you could order yours and have it without the stress of worry even in October. And note that taxes and duties are already included in the price. You should not have to pay anything extra.
Each hamper was opened on the morning of the 25th with some excitement. While similar in price, there were a few differences. nImmediately the shape of the hampers and their construction was quite different. The one from Fortnum & Mason was a traditional picnic hamper with the double flap and handle at the top tied by a turquoise ribbon with the F & M name and logo in gold lettering. The hinges were real leather and I could imagine myself using it in the summer for a small picnic. In their enclosed brochure, F & M states that the baskets are “handmade Wicker wonders” woven with wicker that’s “grown in sustainable wetlands”. The hamper from Harrod’s is a flat rectangular basket rather like a suitcase. As you can see from the photo above, there are buckles on the side. These are not leather, something that would make my Vegan granddaughter very happy. Sadly, the hardware on one of the buckles was broken on arrival. With the thousands of hampers ordered, I felt that Harrod’s can do a better job sourcing the hardware so that the hamper could definitely be reused. F & Mason’s basket contained a printed brochure in their traditional turquoise with gold letter that stated the contents and the history. It was a lovely treat to find inside, well designed and full colour.
The contents from the F & M basket were: three 25 gram tins of flavoured tea including their famous Christmas spice blend (plus Christmas Green tea and Plum, Apple, and Cinnamon Infusion), a St James Christmas Pudding, a tin of Christmas Fruit and Spice Biscuits, a small jar of Strawberry preserves, and a box of chocolate Reindeer Noses. The hamper from Harrod’s had a pound of ground coffee, a large tin of English Breakfast teabags (50), a tin of Belgium fudge (both blond and chocolate), a chocolate bar, a large jar of Raspberry preserves, and a large tin of ginger biscuits. By quantity and weight, the Harrod’s Christmas hamper would immediately win out. But what about the quality?
I will begin with the tea. If you are fond of flavoured teas, then the F & M basket is for you. The tea leaves are a very high quality and stand out from the very run of the mill English breakfast tea bags from Harrod’s. But both are actually problematic. The Christmas Green Tea is so infused with licorice that if you do not like it, you will find yourself gifting it to someone who does. One of my British friends dislikes flavoured teas so much that they would run for the rather generic tea bags of Harrod’s. I would personally recommend that F & M offer an option or include a larger tin of the finest hand rolled black tea along with a small container of their Special Christmas blend. Harrod’s should definitely make theirs a fine quality hand rolled tea leaf as well. Ditch the teabags concealing the tail end of the tea that is processed!
Harrod’s contained a reusable pound tin of good ground coffee. F & M did not.
Each had a preserves. Both are excellent. F & M included Strawberry and Harrod’s Rasperry. Harrod’s was twice the size.
Each had a tin of biscuits. F & M were a subtle fruit and spice blend and Harrod’s was an amazing buttery ginger. Both are great for dunking but the taste of Harrod’s captured me. They were also slightly larger.
Both had decent chocolate – F & M’s in the form of Reindeer Nosettes and Harrod’s in a standard chocolate bar.
Harrod’s had a tin of Belgian fudge with about a dozen pieces of both standard chocolate and the blond brown sugary fudge. Divine.
I have not tried the St James Pudding at the time of this writing.
Clearly, the Harrod’s basket gives you more bang for your buck, so to speak but the quality of the tea was simply average, not outstanding. I have not tried the coffee yet. If you prefer PG Tips then you will like the English Breakfast Blend they include. And if you do not like flavoured teas, then the F & M basket would simply not suit you. I have to admit that the fudge contained in the Harrod’s basket was something you can dream about. You could taste the real butter and the squares simply melted in your mouth. I will think about it often long after the tin is empty. It was just stunningly delicious. Both tins of biscuits were equally good but I did like the heat of the ginger ones particularly from Harrod’s.
In the end, both of the baskets have been a delight and it would be difficult to choose between them. I wish that Harrod’s would use real leather and make strong buckles so that the basket could ultimately be used over and over again for picnics. I might well try to fix all of that myself so it can be used. Will I order a hamper again? Absolutely. Maybe a larger one from each shop next year just for fun! And anyone with a sense of creativity could make their own which isn’t such a bad idea. Surely the arrival of such a treasure would put a smile on receiver’s face, just like it did the Harriets when Tricki Woo sent them their Fortnum & Mason’s hamper!
