Eye To Eye!!

Not only did I come eye to eye with these tiny violets in the garden today, I also had an extremely close encounter with a Sparrow Hawk!!

Sitting in the lounge with the patio door wide open, I had the fright of my life this afternoon when a Sparrow Hawk flew into the window! It had obviously caught one of the Collard Doves that come to the garden, as after hearing an almighty thud, I looked up to see a flurry of feathers and a Collared Dove struggling to fly away. The shock of crashing into the window must have stunned the Sparrow Hawk as it dropped its prey (which managed to escape over the fence), and sat for a few seconds on the patio, just a few feet away, staring intently at me! For one moment I thought it was going to fly into the house; I don't know who was more shocked, the Sparrow Hawk or me!!