My Christmas presents happily included the services of a tree surgeon to remove the overhanging tangle of trees, mostly goat willow overgrown with ivy. They have long overshadowed the shed end of the plot and meant the greenhouse was nearly always in shade and everything thick with drifting fluff from spring catkins. The council have kindly given permission to have these lopped, leaving the cuttings for wildlife habitat. Today was the day!

Here is the scene this morning, before and then after:

In the highest tree we found a squirrel’s drey, thankfully not yet occupied by young. So beautifully built, snug and dry inside.