Autumn. But autumn is my favourite time of year.

"It's my apple!"
Tell them both I have plenty of apples to spare but neither fieldfares nor blackbirds. All the apple trees have been so productive round here this year, apples simply can't be given away!

Thanks. Extraordinary. Utterly extraordinary!

Oh! What on earth is it?

I think you are right. Heard a thing on the radio where they were talking about squirrels and someone asked if squirrels can be friendly with humans. The answer was that they can learn to recognise a human who gives them food but have no emotional attachment beyond that. Suspect the same with birds.

It really was extraordinary this morning. I left the house while the moon was still strong. Pretty soon it had become a warm, sunny day with deep blue sky. By lunch-time it was mists and drizzle and I came home very cold. Now it's raining. Everything in one day!

At various times I've had squads of jackdaws, and there's a crow which marches up and down on the roof of the greenhouse, apparently for the fun of it. Sometimes tits in the apple tree (I think great tits) and now, at last! a robin. I sit and drink tea and gaze at the apples and listen to the robin.

Thank you. That's interesting - especially as it seems the plastic is such that the insect is not harmed.

Er . . . I don't know what you are talking about but it might be useful to understand. What is a floating frame and how do you use it when photographing very small insects?

Mine are tough now but eating the beans from inside the pods (or whatever you call the outer bit).

Well yes. I think so. You are a lone voice in the wilderness, trying to draw attention to important and frightening things that a lot of us don't understand let alone know what to do about. Need simplifiers and slogans to popularise. But keep going. It IS important.

Wondering with these - if they are in a border, could they have been used at some time as ornamental edging?

I've got bricks - and sometimes what seem like stone lintels from old doorways. (Along with plastic, glass and old carpets - still.)

There used to be special pots for that purpose and would fill up (in a rather ugly way, to my mind) with roots. Couldn't see the point of them - but now I realise I should have paid more attention.

I know new roots come, I just wondered if the old dried up thingies sort of re-hydrated. Perhaps I'll have to experiment, as Tony suggest, to see for myself what happens.