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I've just returned from 72 hours in the Hermitage, cunningly scheduling a few blog posts to pop up while I was in retreat. Here are some random observations:

• The sky was very clear on Sunday evening, and the bright half moon bathed the community building in eery grey light. The bright half moon put paid to my hopes for seeing the Milky Way, but I had a good look at M42, the Pleiades and Venus, clearly showing as a disc even in my 'good value for money' binoculars, and a satellite (yet to be determined) crossing the Plough.
• The tarmac path was being laid on and off throughout. Billy followed the workmen over on Monday, and stayed with me all morning, happily giving in to gravity on the sunny verandah. He refused all food and water, so I crumbled biscuits for the birds instead.
• The frogs have well and truly spawned in the pond.

• Three pied wagtails were the only takers of the biscuit crumbs, but came regularly to partake, swooping up, plummeting sharply, and materialising in their wagtail walk. They are too black & white for their surroundings of muted green and browns, and remind me of a BBC test card.
• On Tuesday morning, I had a visit from three red-legged partridges, all got up in their ceremonial uniforms.
• Linnets are poor formation fliers; very loose and ill-disciplined compared with starlings.
• There are still very few flowers around. Apart from the pussy willow, which has broken out into yellow-tipped hairs, I have seen only dead nettles, some weeny white wild flowers (aka shepherd's-purse), weeny blue wild flowers (aka speedwell), weeny yellow thistle-y flowers and two scrawny dandelions. But the pussy willow is delicately scented and bee heaven.