2000 jobs!

Since January 2009 CJS Weekly has carried adverts for over 2000 new, not previously advertised, paid UK countryside, conservation jobs. Not forgetting the voluntary and training opportunities too! Monday's edition is already online and will soon be printed ready for mailing. This week it's 10 pages with 79 new paid posts, 51 of which came direct to CJS.
The local Royal Mail offices are being reorganised and the the collection of your CJS from the offices is changing - we have everything crossed that there are no hitches (!). Troublesome sagas continue with BT, we thought it was all solved and everything back to normal but then we got a letter requesting bank details for the direct debit for the new Rent-a-Ranger phone account, after quite a while listening to lovely canned musak a real person assures us that the direct debit has been set up and it is for the correct BT and bank accounts - watch this space. But remember if one day you can't reach us by phone you'll know that it really did go pineapple shaped (10 times worse then pears) and they've cut us off.
This week the owl has been back on the telephone wires, but we think it's one of last year's youngsters as it's a bit smaller and the colouring is paler. Last night it was considering bat for dinner (or should that me breakfast?). There were two pipestrelles flying around the eaves and one was definitely chasing the other. We're not sure what was going on as they're both the same size and have been seen in proximity before - if you have any suggestions please let us know.

Return of our owl

This morning the blackbirds were kicking up a louder than usual yammering. A quick glance up at the telephone wires, and yes there she was. Our tawny owl was back. We've heard the owls hooting virtually every day for the last couple of weeks and they have been very active in the evenings but this is the first re-appearance of 'our daytime owl'. And very welcome she was too (we assume she's a female because of the size).
Add to that yesterday evening a big bat was heard patrolling the vicinity, the bat detector came out and at around 22mhtz we heard the squelch of a noctule. this adds to the pipistrelle we detected a few weeks ago.
So all the nighttime beasties had better be aware, the predators are out and active.

Sunshine

Lovely warm sunshine all week, but not quite as much as TB who is sitting on a beach in Alicante knitting (yes, she's taken her knitting on holiday, needles safely in the suitcase). Good job it's been a quiet week without our fastest editor, back next week so you can start sending those job ads now!
On Wednesday evening the chirrup of bats was heard for the first time this year. The new (Christmas pressie from NC, thanks) bat detector was taken out and once a smoke alarm had been robbed of its battery, don't worry we replaced it later, the small speaker soon gave the squelch of a pipistrelle out of hibernation and looking for supper. We're hoping to hear brown long ears (they use the garage as a summer roost) and to catch the squeak of daubentons and noctules on their way across the fields to the river and nearly trees.
In fact it's been far too lovely to be stuck in the office...
CJS Weekly is now rolling off the printers, this week it's 10 sides long with 58 new paid posts, 40 of which came direct to CJS. it also contains the one thousandth vacancy advertised this year as well as the latest advance warning of the impending subscription rates change.