When I put bird food out in the mornings, a blackbird hops on the table before I have finished. I love the way that they are so relaxed around me. Not so the collared doves, who will take off if they spot you looking at them through a window 20 metres away!

My second swimming lesson today. I'm really pleased that I have made progress already. The challenge for me now is to keep my head in the water and breathe on each third stroke - tricky when I'm used to breathing in and out every stroke with breast stroke. I should be able to get a few practices in this week (although I thought that last week too).