Alex trapping skills have netted him a surprised pheasant. Not sure what the future holds for the bird but glad to see one of these darned pests trapped. George Monbiot described the uncaring way these birds are reared so as to provide shooting “sport” and then abandoned once the “season” is over http://www.monbiot.com/2014/04/28/the-shooting-party/. Written in 2014 ,it sets out a revealing picture. George is undergoing treatment for prostate cancer. God bless him and hope he has a speedy recovery

You can just spot the birdy!

The water tank is fixed and I managed to fill the lower tank. The challenge being to siphon water down a pipe without getting a mouthful of dirty water. Physics to the rescue- immersed a length of hose under water so all air is out and it’s full of water. Then keeping one end in the water lift the other end out and fasten to another hose. Hey presto a strong flow down the hill.

Planted up two patches of garlic planted through the biodegradable fabric. Just might work.