Woodpeckers cut the grass

An adult woodpecker is visiting our garden, eating peanuts and suet. It visited last year, and brought a young 'un to show it the ropes. Last year it visited from early April onwards, but we've only started seeing it this year over the past couple of days. CleanSteve blipped it recently. Unfortunately whenever I've seen it I don't have the memory card in my camera, or the door has been shut. It's frightened of noise, but the blue tits are frightened of it chasing them off the feeder.

Today's big adventure was cutting the grass. We'd thought it was beyond lawn mowing, and I was recalling a scyther, one Farquhar McPherson of Ballachulish, with some nostalgia, when my neighbour came round with the shared lawn mower, and said that she'd only just done her first cut. Seeing as I wasn't doing anything else but reading (Alexander McCall Smith), I changed my clothes and tackled our jungle. It was waist-high in places, full of chunks of Cotswold limestone or molehills, or netttles, and I have a fear of operating large bits of machinery, based on my ability to tie myself in knots with the flex. Nevertheless, I overcame this aversion, and two hours later, the garden was looking a bit larger and more accessible. I've cut the grass around the Judas tree so you can actually see it (though not in this picture) and CleanSteve has recently scrubbed and reorganised part of the patio, so w are getting there. There are still plenty of wildlife havens, though, as you can see. CleanSteve had a close encounter with a badger at midnight last night. It was under the bird feeder tree, hoovering up the remains of the nuts and grains.

I am off to London tomorrow for a big adventure (ha!) and will try to blip but don't actually know if there'll be wifi. If not, I'll be back later this week. Happy half term if it applies to you. ( There are quite a few teachers, TAs and even some other playworkers on blip, I've noticed. How reassuring!)

PS I know this isn't a good picture, but I had to get ready to go to the cinema/opera thingy, and I haven't packed for London yet! Should have started the day with a blip