Non-stop eaters

Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom...

...and more Nom. The goldfinches are rarely away from the feeder. There are usually two, but this pair is joined by up to five more goldfinches by the end of the day. Sometimes the blue tits and house sparrows also join in.

The day started with a visit from the plumber who checked out the water hammer coming from the top floor flat. The banging pipes have started to wake us up way too early. It turned out that upstairs had some work on their water pressure, which helped the water flow through their pipes but caused a water hammer. Now they're putting up with lower water pressure and we don't have as many bangs. Thanks, guys!

Late morning, I visited a friend in her new abode, which is on a neighbouring road. It turned out to be the house where Gingie and Ginga resided, so that explains why we haven't seen the ginger duo since early March – they've moved away. Booo. I got to meet K's kittens, which are adorable.

As I neared home, I spied that the road was blocked by three fire engines, a police car and an ambulance and there was a heavy smell of smoke. My heart stopped for a moment thinking it could be my home. It wasn't, thank goodness, but I was still shocked to see it was a neighbour's flat across the road. I guessed it was serious from the amount of engines on the scene and that the fire crews and police were there all afternoon. We learned that the neighbour had been taken to hospital, then we discovered the next day that he had died. How very sad.

Fred and I double checked all our fire safety stuff, from locating keys to checking the alarm and unplugging unnecessary gadgets. We got a fright a few years ago with a dishwasher fire and know how easy it is to have an unexpected fire in the home. I don't know what caused my neighbour's fire. The London Fire Brigade can visit and assess your home for fire safety for free. They also have this safety leaflet, which they posted through our door later today.