Flying owls, cocktails and pool

Wednesday was my birthday, so woke up to a coffee and glass of bucks fizz in bed. Very nice!  Opened my presents which included perfume, a gothic mirror for the garden, a candle holder made out of a silver ladle, and a whole day's falconry experience!  Fab.

Got up to find bacon sandwiches had been cooked, so we washed those down with more Bucks Fizz, and then I set off to my falconry hour as a birthday treat. Love flying falcons, owls and hawks. Flew a brown owl, a harris hawk:

 

A buzzard and a young kestrel who was spooked by the snow and flew into nearby trees for about 20 minutes. My favourite was a Great Grey Owl. He was lovely.

Looks like I'm holding a glove puppet doesn't it? He was only a baby, about 4 months old, and he let me stroke his head which was really soft.

Owls have very bad eyesight close up, and rely on movement to catch prey, so when he flew to my glove he couldn't find the food on it, and had to feel around with his beak till he got it. Birds of prey live up to 30 years, so build up a real bond with their handlers, but one of them was not in a good mood - the last couple of times I've done this I've flown Shadow, the Golden Eagle, but this time she was in a bad mood, and Darren didn't want any of us to hold her because he didn't want any of us to end up in hospital! But we did get to see her close up and take pictures.

Really enjoyed it, and looking forward to my whole day. Then it was back to the villa for tea, coffee, hot chocolate and cake. Some of the hot chocolate might have had additives in!

More pool was played, then some of us set off to the spa, whilst the others headed for the sauna and hot tub. The spa is great - about 11 different steam/sauna rooms, as well as a heated outdoor pool, foot spas, a zen garden and an outdoor balcony where sat wrapped in blankets looking over the snowy forest. We even had a lie down on the water beds which was a weird experience, don't know how people sleep on them! Very relaxed, we walked back for champagne and nibbles before going out to eat:

Then back to the villa for the funniest hour of the holiday. One of our party was having a bit of a moan about playing games on Christmas Eve with his wife and her family when he'd rather be in the pub, and describing the worst game of all - Winkles Wedding. His wife then produced it, and we played it.

It was absolutely hilarious. Not particularly the game, but everyone's reaction to it. Annie was in stiches reading the story, and Pete was really keen to play it!

Basically, someone reads a story, written I think around 1920, and there are blanks in it, which the players have to fill in by reading what it says on the first card they turn over. Some examples are a pickled onion, and a giddy kipper. What a good time was had by all!
More late night pool and a very late night in the hot tub, and some of us were a little delicate in the morning, so we went for another walk, this time round the lake, but finishing at the bird hide again.
This time we were rewarded with a woodpecker.

We were directed to another hide which we didn't know about, and saw a nuthatch

and a beautiful Bullfinch which looked so bright against the snow

Slow wander back, coffee in the village coffee shop, back to the villa for a rest, and them some of us went into the Dome. Very warm, we swam outside,  tried some of the flumes, then sat in the hot  tub and the tropical atmosphere chatting.

Back for another home cooked meal, more pool, more cocktails, more hot tub, more games.

Next morning we had to be out by 10, so up earlier than we had been before, skipping breakfast, but calling at Cafe Rouge later for eggs benedict, which was lovely. Then another walk round the lake, which was still frozen

More wildlife spotting

Coffee in the Country Club which had been closed all week for maintenance but was now open, and a last look at the bird hide, where there was a flock of long tailed tits

And then home. A great week with friends - lovely company and a great way to spend a birthday.