I can SEEEEEE ...

..... all the way over the birch and into the field now, which will be very useful for keeping an eye on the ducks.

You will gather from this that the tree surgeons have been, I employed the same two who did such an excellent job on pollarding the big cherry tree [which is sprouting many leaves again].  They started with the huge sycamore, then trimmed three birches near the stile, and finally the "bird food birch" you see above.  In the sycamore they found there was damage to the main trunk caused by squirrels, and when the leaves are off in autumn they'll come again and pollard it the same as the cherry.

 

What they didn't shred was stacked as a neat pile.  I hope a hedgehog adopts it as its home.


The ducks took it all in their stride:

 

To finish, showing progress in the growth of tomatoes and other things, and some lovely flowers that are out at present:

 Last survivor of many lily bulbs Carl gave me many years ago [mice eat them, I think...]

 
The first of the three dahlias that Graham gave me is flowering, a lovely "cactus" one.

And finally -- I helped out at the Luncheon Club on Wednesday as they were short of two helpers, and although I'd been told not to bring anything  ..... I couldn't help myself and put together these three bunches for the "workers".