MR TOD AND SAMUEL WHISKERS COME VISITING

I had hoped to put Rat - The Movie here but the video seems to not want to play. The Cam has now captured more than yours truly - birds including a Jay and, of course, Megatron the neighbour's black cat but the star so far is Brown Ratty.

It's all go outside my window - a greater spotted woodpecker flew in and hit the shed wall - I have moved the big peanut feeder along a bit. It landed where it used to be and found it was not there! Then a squirrel on the feeder was attacked and chased off by another in a whirl of fur.

To some bits and bobs - the Magnolia grandiflora is flowering - huge blooms - I have put my pen in one so you can see how big they are. Down by the pond the reed mace are coming along nicely - the heads are the nearest thing I know to plant fur when you touch it.

We have lots of plums, some pears and damsons and this load of cooking apples coming along. This is the first time we have had a sizeable crop from this tree. As I forgot to put a grease band on the trunk I hope the codlin moth caterpillars stay away. Mind you, knowing our luck, we will have the infestation to end all infestations.

On the left the buddleia is huge. I cut this back to the level of the white line every February so you can see how much growth we have - so far. On the right the big brachyglottis (senecio) by the path has flowered poorly this year and will soon be cut hard back.

One of the best bits of the garden is the wood, especially when the late light shines through the grasses and seed heads.

The hydrangea on the right was given to us by my ex partner Pam R and is thriving at the margin of the trees despite the shade.

Ah! Success - B Rat rides at last. And now I have an night video of Reynard the Fox on the path up from the pond. A rear view it must be admitted but this snapshot from the video means - yes, we do have wild life in the garden - and not just the grand children.

But can we get more - watch this space. Of course all this videoing means the weeds grow apace and the grass is long and lanky. I did dead head the white willow herb - but too late - the feathery seeds scattered far and wide.