Busy day again today.

You have been busy Seaburngirl - it is so nice to have some encouragement from the sun - I love it - I must get some Alliums - ours did not do so well last year - your plants look very well and so do your fish - is that a female blackbird or a thrush ? - Jane

female blackbird. the male isn't as brave. She moved around me with confidence.

Its been a good day for weeding here too - rewarding stuff! I'd never heard of a leather skinned fish before.

How lovely to be able to see the pond and fish activity looking through the kitchen window, and a good size back garden, lots of planting space.

when we moved in OH chose the pond site specifically so we could watch activity from the warmth of the kitchen. There are wrens that flit amongst the cracks and crevices. I love the area of grass and whilst the idea of bigger beds appeals .......

Does that bird have a yellow beak ?

Looks great love your pond looks fantastic .

You've worked hard today SBG, but isn't it nice to get out in the sunshine? It's all looking very well cared for, I must say. Your garden companion will come closer in future if you just sprinkle some raisins for her.

Good work ....looks neat, tidy and ready for another growing year.

No - the beak is brown Diane, she is definitely female.
I throw worms for her when I uncover them.
Some areas look decidedly messy but I enjoy making it tidy from chaos.

I never noticed the messy bits SBG.

That's because I don't post them in this blog haha!

Lol! :))

I have always understood that male Blackbirds have yellow beaks, and black feathers, and female Blackbirds have
yellow beaks and brown feathers. ??????????

Nope, Diane. They are a speckled brown and no yellow beak. I suppose it's good camouflage for when they're nesting.

Juvenile males are often dirty brown with a yellow beak and then they become fully black.

That's right SBG!

I have a beginners Welsh story book in which a young blackbird tries to convince a young swallow that he really is a blackbird but the swallow says "I don't believe you. You look brown to me...")

What a super way of learning the difference :))

True - I was actually trying to learn a bit of Welsh painlessly but unless I keep reading it over and over regularly it doesn't stick...Nice pictures though!