Summer's back!

The weather forecast was good, so this morning I finally got the Kärcher Pressure Washer operational which I bought for cleaning the duck huts out [THANK YOU Gerd and Maria!] a little while ago.  Well, I thought I'd got it operational, but John pointed out that I'd forgotten to connect a water hose to it ......  John cleaned the shed out while I got our dinner:

While John was connecting the electric cable in his shed a blackbird landed at his feet and adopted a threatening posture with open beak  -  then I saw why, it had a nest in between some long bits of wood and the garage wall, John saw young ones in it already:

Billie-Jean stayed firmly on her nest while I cleaned the back half of the hut, and I'm sure she gave a little hiss when I got too close.  I counted 13 eggs she was sitting on, tomorrow morning I shall mark them all [probably there will be 15 then] and will take any further ones out  -  I've read that some ducks gather as many as 30 eggs before they think there are enough to sit on.  
I put more straw in front of the nest box for extra cover for B-J, and I'm sure she smiled at me and said 'thank you' in duck fashion....

The residents at the little pond were not pleased when I emptied it, but were delighted as soon as the clean water came pouring in again.  They only went in when I wasn't near though, jumping out as soon as I turned up again like naughty children caught in the act of doing something they weren't supposed to.

 

Then it was the turn of the bottom hut to be refreshed, and while I had the camera with me [round my neck, Carl, good and ready!] I took a few photos of Captain, Candy and Anke.  They were hanging around at the back of the "island" where the waterhens go in and out:

When I came back up to make a cup of tea the boys were in position again at the back gate watching their girls:

So that I didn't frighten them out of the water again I took a final snapshot from the other gate, of 3 happy ducks and 1 drake in the not-quite-full pond.   John has just been to turn the water off, the little pond is full again.  And what's more, he reported that Billie-Jean had come out of the hut, done a big poo, and then went for a swim and preened herself.  GOOD! Expectant mum has to look after herself!