Newt!

Another reasonably relaxed day at work - can't quite get used to it (but probably don't need to either, I'm sure it won't last!)  It was a beautiful day, too.  I refilled the bird feeders at lunchtime, and it was so spring-like out there.  We also went to meet with Alex, who is doing up the house below ours (down the steep, steep hill!), to look at the boundary with him.  He's still trying to work out exactly where it lies, but it's looking like we're going to win an extra bit of garden, but also like he is prepared to put in a new retaining wall for us, which is a massive win (especially as we got a good view of the existing one from his garden, and it's looking decidedly dodgy).

I took a short break from work this afternoon, and Tim and I walked to Bicclescombe Park together.  I wanted to check out the frog spawn again, and look for any tadpoles that had hatched.  Bit dismayed when we go there to find the stream almost empty, and the frogspawn stranded (and some teeny tiny tadpoles in the last remaining bits of water).  I phoned the council to report the empty stream - fairly sure it can't have been a deliberate act, given all the frogspawn in there.  I felt a bit silly phoning to report it, but the woman I spoke to was lovely and very helpful, and said she would pass it on to the parks stream.  Hopefully they can let the water back in, and save the little froglets!

Tim spotted several newts in a slightly deeper bit of water, and pointed them out to me when I got off the phone.  Bit tricky to photograph, but happy to see them!