No bird action

Yesterday afternoon, while JR and Archie went off for a walk, I cut one part of the hedge. I used the hand clippers, intending only to clip the top of it, but got carried away and did both sides. Then I swept up. All this took me an hour.

But today I did the other two thirds of the hedge with the electric trimmers, and the whole thing, as well as sweeping up, took me an hour. There is a lesson there somewhere.

I was so excited about my bird photographing set up, I mused all evening about how to improve. The camera had to be outside, not through a window, for best results. And so this morning I fiddled about, setting up the table and the camera outside. Which feeder to focus on? The new peanuts or the tried and tested seeds? I chose the peanuts, as everybody has said birds go crazy for them.

I got the remote all set up, and retired to the sofa with Archie to await the flocks of happy sparrows feasting and fluttering, while I snapped away and listened to the radio.

We waited and waited. And waited. Several hours later, not even one bird had appeared. I realised that they were probably suspicious of the new stuff around the feeders - the table and camera - I gave up and moved everything back indoors. But by this time the sun had moved round and the feeders were in shade. The only excitement was one wee robin who kept coming back and pecking at the bread in the tray. Was the camera pointing at it? No. I'll try again tomorrow.

Elizabeth came to take an excited Archie out for the day - best to do hedge clipping when he' shot there. Archie saw his first horse. No - he's seen one before. He barked on both occasions.