Isilme and that time of year again (part one of two)
It’s that time of year again. Our strawberries have not been that prolific, but furnished us with strawberries to have with cream the other day. The remaining few will likely go into a trifle. We had a few raspberries and yoghurt last week too.

Then the blackcurrants started to ripen. Well, they were well-ripened by the time I got around to picking any. The birds were certainly upset. The jackdaws were doing low fly-bys and squawking. This set the sparrows off.

The sparrows were sitting on the guttering angrily chirping at me. Then one, a teenager no doubt, decided to risk it and flew into the bay tree. Some of the blackcurrant branches poke up through the bay tree.

Teen sparrow was chirping as if to say, “I’m going to show her. I’ll take some of the berries. I’m going to do it. I’m going to do it” The others were chorusing, “No, come back, don’t risk it. Don’t risk it!” You could hear the urgency in their chirps.

I walked round the tree (the long way, just to sneak up) and tried to see Teen sparrow but the others obviously alerted him and he flew off before I got to see him. And then there was complete silence.