Wednesday 6 April 2016

Blue Sky, Birds and a low carb fruit cake !


Wherever you are the weather plays an important part of your day. You may be stuck inside and looking out at a blue skied day wishing you were out there walking around the lake. Possibly you may be somewhere that is experiencing heavy rain and you are thinking thank goodness I am indoors. Others may even be enjoying some snow and looking out at a white world! Wherever you may be, as you sit beside a computer screen reading this, well I certainly hope some may be reading this! I do hope you are enjoying your day.


Earlier this week I was reading that in the UK "Smaller birds are surviving thanks to a warmer winter, and that there has been a 44% increase in long-tailed tit sightings. Indeed if you think you've spotted a few more birds in your garden than usual recently then you'd be right.

The warm winter has led to an increase in numbers of small birds visiting gardens around the UK this year.

According to the Guardian there has been a 44% increase in long-tailed tit sightings in comparison to figures from 2015.

But it's not just the tit that has been seen hanging around our greenery more this year, plenty of other small birds are also thought to have made the most of the warmer weather.

Other birds that have been seen in our gardens more frequently include goldfinches, coal tits, greenfinches and woodpigeons.

The results come from the 2016 Big Garden Birdwatch which is conducted by the RSPB.

A staggering 8,262,662 birds were counted, and the top 10 birds in 2016 were as follows: 
1. House sparrow
2. Starling
3. Blue tit
4. Blackbird
5. Woodpigeon
6. Goldfinch
7. Chaffinch
8. Great tit
9. Robin
10. Long tailed tit

The RSPB have suggested that the warmer weather in January meant more of the smaller birds survived the winter to be counted.

You can find out more about the Big Garden Birdwatch on the RSPB website here."

More story and picture from here

If you live further away than the British Isles, and I know many of our readers do ... I think you have similar to our RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) and indeed your societies carry out similar surveys.

If you may have been out enjoying a walk, can I suggest on your return you sit and enjoy a cup of tea and perhaps a slice of low carb fruit cake ...


For this lovely cake (only 5.4g carbs per serving) here are the ingredients you need:

170g Cranberries (dried)
½ cup Rum/brandy/gin
½ cup chopped Nuts (walnuts, Brazil)
1½ cups Almond meal
1 tbsp Natvia (or sweetener of your choice)
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Mixed spice
½ tsp Baking soda
¼ cup Butter
1 tsp Vanilla essence
1 tbsp Almond essence
4 Eggs
4 tbsp rum (extra)

Icing
½ cup Mascarpone cheese
1 tbsp Rum or brandy

Please see how to make it here

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a lovely day.

All the best Jan
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24 comments:

  1. Tom6 April 2016 at 12:07

    what a bright sunny day

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  2. eileeninmd6 April 2016 at 12:51

    Hello, what a pretty day to be outside enjoying the birds and good weather. Great post and info. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Have a happy day!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Carla from The River6 April 2016 at 12:53

    Love your photos of the blue sky.
    The bird has such a fun expression on his face. :-)
    I pinned the recipe, thank you.
    Carla

    ReplyDelete
  4. Martha6 April 2016 at 13:10

    Lovely post and wonderful recipe! We had a bit of snow come down earlier this week but it didn't stay for long. We've been enjoying some sunshine and cool weather. I'm looking forward to the days warming up, so the gardens can begin to wake up. Either way, I am grateful that the sun goes down later and later each day!

    ReplyDelete
  5. baili6 April 2016 at 13:39

    your first para is written in really interesting style dear ,yes i am indoor front of my laptop enjoying you beautiful post and lovely pic of bird ,great story of birds who travel so many miles for warmer and safer weather ,living and struggle for surviving is mainstream of Life,
    have a blessed day

    ReplyDelete
  6. a writing place6 April 2016 at 14:42

    Oh that tiny bird is so sweet!!! so glad the weather is allowing them to multiply.

    Tessa

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  7. a writing place6 April 2016 at 14:54

    Where in the UK, do you live Jan?

    In am in the upper part of New York State, in the US.
    And that is why we are still in cold temps. Even though, by now, even our temps should have warned up. :-)

    I follow some lovely UK Instagrams, so I often know what some UK weather is like, daily.

    Gentle hugs,
    Tessa

    ReplyDelete
  8. Conniecrafter6 April 2016 at 16:17

    That looks like a lovely place to walk, and that little bird is too cute, we are still hoping to see our hummingbirds come back, we have had a cooler spring so maybe that is there delay.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Lowcarb team member6 April 2016 at 20:14

    Tom
    Yes it was ...
    Lovely to get out and about if and when you can!

    Thanks for your comment

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
  10. Lowcarb team member6 April 2016 at 20:15

    Eileen
    I thought you may appreciate the info about the birds ...
    It is a lovely cake recipe too!

    Thanks for your comment

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
  11. Lowcarb team member6 April 2016 at 20:17

    Carla
    So nice to see blue sky... and yes, I think some birds do have a great expression on their little faces!
    Do enjoy the cake recipe, glad you pinned it.

    Thanks for your comment

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
  12. Lowcarb team member6 April 2016 at 20:20

    Martha
    Yes longer evenings are nice aren't they ...
    The weather does seem to have been rather mixed up these past few months, I think we just have to make the most of whatever the day brings.
    Glad you liked the cake recipe.

    Thanks for your comment

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
  13. Lowcarb team member6 April 2016 at 20:23

    Baili
    Birds are just so lovely and yes, they do travel many miles. Their colourings can be so wonderful and I always enjoy my visits to the many bloggers who are bird lovers ...
    I am so pleased you were sitting at your computer reading my post ...

    Thanks for your comment

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
  14. Lowcarb team member6 April 2016 at 20:26

    Tessa
    Birds come in all shapes, sizes and colours - it is always lovely to see them in the garden and when out walking isn't it. They are so dependent on good weather, so it is nice to see numbers have been good.

    Thanks for your comment

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
  15. Lowcarb team member6 April 2016 at 20:28

    Tessa
    I'm in London - and we've enjoyed quite a good day today, although we did have a few April showers!
    I hope it warms up soon for you.

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
  16. Lowcarb team member6 April 2016 at 20:31

    Connie
    I do enjoy walking around a local park or local lake - sometimes a bit further afield too. So nice to get out and enjoy the Spring ... weather permitting of course!
    I do hope your hummingbirds come back, the weather can affect the birds.

    Thanks for your comment

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
  17. Crafty Green Poet7 April 2016 at 11:40

    OUr birds need all the help they can get so if the mild winter helped them then that's great! Lovely photo of the long tailed tit, such an adorable little bird

    ReplyDelete
  18. Lowcarb team member8 April 2016 at 12:44

    'CGP'
    Yes, if the warmer weather has helped then that's good. Of course in the colder weather many like to feed the birds. I always use the RSPB web for good tips and ideas - it's here
    http://www.rspb.org.uk/
    I agree, that image of the long tailed tit is so lovely.

    Thanks for your comment

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
  19. David M. Gascoigne,8 April 2016 at 16:20

    As a life-long birder, thanks for this article.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Lowcarb team member8 April 2016 at 16:23

    David
    So pleased you enjoyed this post and article. It was lovely to read the information about our UK 2016 Big Garden Birdwatch.
    ... I saved you a slice of low carb fruit cake too ! LOL!

    Hope you have a lovely weekend, and that your snow disappears soon.

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
  21. The Happy Whisk9 April 2016 at 02:20

    Is that a picture of your cake?

    ReplyDelete
  22. Lisa9 April 2016 at 15:13

    I heard them talking about the bird count results on Radio 4 the other morning. Interesting stuff.
    I'm not a fruit cake lover, I'll have a slice of your coffee and walnut instead!
    Lisa x

    ReplyDelete
  23. Lowcarb team member9 April 2016 at 18:20

    Ivy
    This one is Julia's cake ... I did give the link in the article, she is a lovely lady in New Zealand that also promotes the LCHF lifestyle
    http://www.jmcphee.com/2015/12/12/low-carb-fruit-cake-2/d

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
  24. Lowcarb team member9 April 2016 at 18:25

    Lisa
    The RSPB garden bird watch is very well supported which is so important, so I was really pleased to share this information ... and so many of my blogging friends are bird lovers.

    I've always been a cake lover my dear Gran and my mum were super cake makers ... and their fruit cake was absolutely delicious. This low carb version from Julia is good too.

    The coffee and walnut cake which we make is also low carb and is delicious, just a small slice is lovely. Here is the recipe idea
    http://thelowcarbdiabetic.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/coffee-and-walnut-cake-its-low-carb.html

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete

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