Football stopped play

Blackbird 

You just know I'm going to spend this week complaining about the rain, don't you. 

Despite the weather, upon reviewing the planned options for the day I decided that a bank holiday Monday at the seaside during half-term wasn't the way to avoid the crowds. The decision was confirmed when I noticed they'd made Liverpool's Premiership victory bus tour into an all-day event, with consequent impacts on travelling through Merseyside, which is fair do's I suppose, they don't get to do it often these days.

Spadgeling

I caught the blue tits coming into the back garden for a visit to the fat feeder. The adults look tired and I'm not surprised: there were six youngsters bouncing about in the sycamores. The young spadgers are allowed out on their own. They weren't too happy, though, when one of the woodpigeons pushed them off the fat feeder. It took them a good five minutes to convince themselves it was safe to barge past it. On the other hand it took them less than a minute to realise I was refiling the sunflower seeds and they hardly waited for me to go.

Woodpigeon and house sparrows 

The wren family was in evidence at the station, the chicks little brown balls of fluff not a lot bigger than the bumblebees they rubbed shoulders with in the brambles.

I'd decided on a walk on the Salford mosses, despite the rain. If the worst came to the worst I could just go up Astley Road and back down Roscoe Road, I might even catch sight of the partridges I haven't been seeing round there lately. The train was delayed, which it always is. The late-running express to Liverpool eventually steamed through. The local train still showed delayed, "due to a sporting event," which I assume was the victory parade. The rain got heavier. By the time the train was running half an hour late and still showing "delayed" I took the hint and squelched off home.

On the plus side, I found where the nearest swifts are nesting.

I spent the afternoon submitting Delay Repay compensation claims.