First, the bum news; It hasn't exactly been a bumper crop of young robins this spring, I'm afraid. I must admit letting this one get to me yesterday, when I saw one sitting at the bottom of the garden by the road when I went out yesterday morning and found him having been hit by a car upon my return. It was the last straw of a shit day anyway. I can be so softhearted about these things; probably isn't normal.

The truly good news is my son graduates uni next weekend. He certainly puts my academic record to shame by posting a 3.9 gpa and graduating "summa cum laude" in the American honours system, the equivalent of a first.

We're very proud of him, of course.