A rare honour nowadays. Despite my attempts to attract pollinators by sowing several pots of wildflowers amongst the herbs, only the marjoram attracted a couple of visitors.

More unwelcome visitors are the pigeons, rats with wings, that seem to be looking for nesting places almost all year round. One afternoon I watched one flying in and out of a neighbour’s porch with construction material. I think it has been discovered in the meantime and the structure disposed of. It is not nice to return home from holiday, for example, to find a nest full of eggs, or worse ……..

I am still trying to photograph the swifts that are sometimes swarming in great numbers near my balcony, but even with my camera locked and loaded, and a lot of the time perfect light conditions, they are too, well …. swift …..