Darned birds

Did anyone else do that RSPB bird count thing last weekend? It's my third year of doing it and I'm thinking of giving up. Those birds just won't let me show off. For the whole hour I saw only one thing that wasn't on the ordinary list, and that was only a Rook, and strictly speaking he was over the garden and not in it. And then, blow me down, the next day, as bold as brass, back comes my little female Blackcap, a bunch of Long-Tailed Tits and a Nuthatch. Blah!
And if anyone wonders if I am by now missing the town, the answer is yes. This is what I am missing:
*Boxes of tissues from Waitrose (my favourite, though knowing Waitrose they've proably been discontinued, they have a knack of doing that with things I like)
*Being able to walk into town to buy myself some tights from M&S, and come back for free on the bus. (yes, I can use my pass here but there are logistics like catching the bus back which I have failed to do three times so far)
*The Farmers Market. Yes they do have them round here but it's kind of complicated trying to remember which town has it which day.
*True Food Co-op. The only alternative here is buying stuff in enormous bulk, which I will try but don't relish.
So if any of you townies don't know about these good things, make the most of them while you can.