Around the Garden - Part 78

As I sit here typing this, I am watching  a pair of blackbirds through the window, both in the very small bird bath outside, trying to have a bath.  Maybe I should get something a bit bigger! Meanwhile the sky is grey and it is raining, so why do they want to bath? All they have to do is stand next to the bath and flap their wings around!  There are many house sparrows, and a chaffinch at the feeder in the smaller of the two cherry trees. A collared dove is underneath catching the remains, and I have just seen my first greenfinch of the year eating the cherries. In past years, there have been many greenfinches, great tits and blue tits at the feeder, but I suspect this very long and cold winter has taken its toll.  I saw one great tit yesterday, but there have been no sign of any blue tits at all.  The great spotted woodpecker has been heard daily, tapping around in the trees in the garden, looking for insects.  I have seen it occasionally, but generally I only hear it around.

Last night's sunset with the storm clouds moving in.

The few small apples are slowly getting bigger.  I have checked the many apple trees in the orchard behind our property, and they look to be about the same size.  Our trees are very young and quite small; I only hope that we at least get a couple to ripen so that we get one each, at least, this year.

The cornflowers are particularly pretty at the moment so I hope that they survive all the rain we are having.

The potatoes are flowering now,  but I see the rain is knocking them over. We really need some sun and hope that they stand back up again.

Even the courgettes (Zucchini) are on a go slow; the forecast predicts sun all next week, so I hope they are right, but then I will  be wishing we could have some rain.  Farmers are seldom happy with the weather and I am beginning to understand why!.

I have never really taken much notice of the tomato flower before, but it is really quite attractive.

Two different kinds of succulent. The rosette shaped one I suspect is from the genus Echeveria, the yellow one I think is called Biting Stonecrop (Sedum Acre). If any one is sure of the identification I would be more than happy to know

I see there is a small insect on one of the flowers here.