The first mild, warm, and sunny day since last Autumn!!

It's been just *wonderful* having the sun out most of the day - and very little breeze this morning, till about lunchtime!

Aaaa... sigh of relief... At least we've had ONE day of Springtime!  It seems like we've been in Winter since December!  We've just finished March, which was the second coldest on record, and April had hardly begun when the Met Office said that the 2nd of April was the coldest April day on record, too!  And all the time, during march and April so far, we've battled bitingly-cold Easterly winds; and the March snow still lies many feet deep "up North"!

So it's been a real respite-day, today, to have the day mild - even warm this morning while there was no wind - and sunny most of the day... Aaaa...  We even opened the Summerhouse doors to air it out!!  Wa-hey!!  Springtime has finally arrived, if only for one day!

So, I wonder... How many of you, like me, had a bit of a clear up in the garden, as the sun shone warm this morning?  And while the male Blackbird sang his velvety-song to his lady-love? I was even happy to see the first fly of the year! Well, the first I've seen.

Another, pleasant surprise, was a pretty little male Siskin has visited the bird table again this morning, while the male Bluetit continues to drum on the nestbox under the eaves to attract his lady-love.

After all, that's what they've always said, innit? When Springtime comes, a young man's fancy turns to courtin'!

Snow on snow...

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter...

This January!  :-(

(With thanks to Christina Rosetti)

Snow on snow... "They" (the weather forecasters) said there wouldn't be any more snow for Milton Keynes last night, or today, but, to mis-quote from the lyrics of Jeff Wayne's classic album "War of the Worlds"... "But still it comes!"

Both front and back gardens are full of wild birds all trying to get something to eat and stay warm with a high calorie intake.  We've put out an assortment of foodstuffs, onto the bird tables, in hanging feeders, on trays lodged in the branches of our tree, and scattered liberally on the ground.  Peanuts for Collared Doves, Wood Pigeons, and the odd Grey Squirrel (though it's a pest the way it buries some nuts in our garden flower tubs!). Sunflower hearts in hanging feeders for well over a dozen Goldfinches now coming in. Wild bird seed scattered around for 2x pairs of Chaffinches and 2x Dunnocks, and dried mealworms  for our "resident" Pied Wagtail, 3 Robins (who squabble over who has the 'rights' to the garden!); and, since the snowfall, 3 male and 3 female blackbirds, which haven't been seen since springtime!!

Keeping a fresh bowl of water unfrozen has been a hard task, but I solved it by buying a coconut, sawing it in half, scraping out the coconut (the Blue Tits and Great Tits have loved that!), and using the halves as water bowls... Easier to bring indoors and thaw out each morning, than the bird baths!

I know it's winter, and we should expect snow... but both I and the wild garden birds will be *very* pleased when it's all gone!

Did you know that A Field Mouse is also known as a Wood Mouse?

We've added to our back garden managerie, now, ... a family of Wood Mice have moved in under our summerhouse plinth (concrete), making a burrow that comes out against the garden fence. So one or other of them comes foraging under the bird table at various times during the day. This morning, I was out there in the lovely morning sunshine (oh I DO love retirement!), filling up the hanging bird feeders and spreading a few peanuts on the flagstones ready for the collared doves and "Woody" Woodpigeon, and out came the adult male Wood Mouse! His huge, jet-black, bead-like eyes spotted me and he stopped ... so I stopped... both of us stock-still...

Who will move first? Bound to be me, as I can't stay as still as a mouse! But no, he moved - right up to my feet, grabbed a peanut and scrambled for the gap under the summerhouse! Aah... so sweet! So I put a few nuts down near where he comes out, that way he won't have to be in the open for so long... Yeah, I know, you silly, soft, old ##**!!... ain't I that one!! ;-)