I have been working at home today so I can check and frame the awards for tomorrow night’s party as DM is producing them. I’ve spent hours at my desk doing my speech and then more hours doing the framing. Since I finished that, I’ve been and bought half a dozen cases of pink champagne for the winners and I’m nearly set now – I’ve just got one or two more jobs to finish (packing my clothes and make up and a couple more awards to frame) before I can call it a day. I’ll be glad when these silly times are done (end of the week) because then I can make an appointment to see the doc about this back pain. It’s still giving me grief and I need to get it sorted.

A short while ago, I heard the now all too sickeningly familiar thump that signifies a bird strike on my office window. Every week we have at least one of these strikes and I’m baffled as to how to prevent them. This photo is the impression the bird leaves on the window as it strikes.

They are caused by a cunning sparrowhawk who knows that as long as he flies along under the cover of the damson trees that make up our northern border fence he can pop out and surprise the collared doves on the bird tables or bird bath. When he pops out, the doves panic and fly off in all directions and at least one a week ends up slamming into our back windows. Today’s one was lucky – it didn’t break its neck or get stunned like some of them do. I turned to see it fly up into the greengage tree outside my office window.

The ones that are less lucky end up as sparrowhawk supper and the entire body is consumed by the hawk, leaving nothing more than a pile of feathers. Here's one DM caught in the act last year....

I admire the cunning and power of the sparrowhawk but I wish he wasn’t so active in our garden!