Clever Mr. Blackbird

This is a very clever Mr. Blackbird!

Excuse the photos-they're taken through my kitchen window. Outside my back door I have an area that's sort of roofed with corrugated plastic. It's very ugly but extremely useful-more useful than ugly if you see what I mean! It provides shelter from the elements and also a frost free area for my plants in pots to overwinter. In the Summer the large sandpit outside is a fab bunny digging box and this very special couple are The Beautiful and very brave Sophie and Humphrey sunbathing happily in it.



The sandpit also has a canvas roof and in Winter is crammed full of plants apart from little corridors that are provided for my cats Tom and Basil and also the cat from next door but one Macaulay. I also have put a chair out ther with lots of snuggly bedding underneath it too-bunk beds!

Macaulay like to come into our garden and eat the catnip, lie on the grass, sit on the tables, use the facilities (!!) and in Winter snuggle up with an array of plants in the sandpit! Macaulay is most welcome-he used to be King of the Jungle and an absolute nightmare for attacking cats. With the passing of years, now he's the victim. Macaulay likes to come into our garden and hide and be safe I think, he also adores cuddles so daily I'm at my computer or in the kitchen when I hear frantic meowing and it's Macaulay desperately in need of a cuddle!

When I get outside Macaulay meows happily and then jumps onto a nearby table or possibly the St Tropez sun longer (look at this photo and guess why it's called that!).



I can't bend down very well and need to lean when standing-sitting is my preference and Macaulay knows that! It's so sweet that he feels so safe here, though Tom has recently become inclined to give Macaulay the odd biff (yikes-no claws though as Tom is a pacifist really)and try to 'encourage' (i.e. biff and hesitantly and very slowly chase) Macaulay to 'get orf my land' (I used to love Viz magazine when I was a student and remember this phrases so well).

Anyway, lost my thread as per usual!

Essentially, Mr. Blackbird has found a stash of apples that are also overwintering outside! The apples are there and not in an outhouse as the outhouses are occupied by a rather large commune of mice I fear! The mice and I have a deal-stay out of the house and you'll be OK!



My poor apples are thus not in an ideal location but nonetheless they have been keeping well and when I've (eventually) emptied the freezer of stewed apples, I had intended to make many a crumble and pie from the overwintering apples. Alas, Mr Blackbird has used all his cunning and found them and now every approximately minute and a half he comes, has a munch of apple, flies off and then returns to repeat the experience!! Astonishingly it remains only Mr. Blackbird-no one else has spied this initiative and joined in but I feel certain it's only time before a huge flock of birds descend to the apple delight!



What's really weird is that I am always putting apples out for the birds as I always believed them to be a good food (and fluid) source for many birds. I've always done this but this year the apples remain untouched and simply slowly rot. Mr. Blackbird clearly prefers 'pick your own'!