Well, how about that! I couldn't believe my eyes as I sat on the (replacement) bench by the pool just thinking about nothing in particular, when I saw a Blue Tit disappear inside the water pump by the pool. It was no illusion though, because later on, I had my camera at the ready, and I saw it again disappearing down a hole in the top of the water pump! I peered down the hole, and saw around 8 small white eggs in a nest! It seems that this Blue Tit has decided that this is a really good place to bring up its family! I don't know much about the habits of Blue Tits, so I don't know whether this is an unusual place for them to nest or not - I've certainly never come across it before. I'm wondering how the chicks are going to climb out when it's time to leave the nest though!

One of the most colourful plants in flower in the garden this month is Dicentra spectabilis 'Gold Heart'. It has the usual lovely pink heart-shaped pendulous flowers, but the foliage is a beautiful soft yellow, which stands out against the dark green of other surrounding plants. A must for the spring garden!

Hostas are one of my favourite plants in the garden, and at this time of the year, their foliage is so lovely and fresh. I grow several different varieties of them, (see PLANT LIST) and I'm always looking out for different ones. Some of them have huge leaves, like 'Sum and Substance' or 'Frances Williams', and some have tiny leaves like 'August Moon'. One of my favourites for colour though is 'June'. My plant is growing in a north-facing border, but in good light. When grown in a duller spot, the leaves take on a more blue tint.

I love bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta, syn. Scilla non-scripta or Endymion non-scripta). They always remind me of when I was a child, and there were huge drifts of bluebells in the woods in the Lickey Hills, near where I used to live. Woodland is becoming so rare nowadays. If only we could get it through the thick skulls of the "powers that be" that we can't afford to lose any more woodland, or rain forest. Soon, it won't make any difference, because there won't be any more planet......

The picture shows Bluebells amongst the newly unfurling leaves of the Shuttlecock Fern, Matteuccia struthiopteris.

I've been very pleased with this plant, Libertia grandiflora. I grew it from seed several years ago, and it only took two years to start flowering. I have another Libertia grandiflora which I bought, and this also flowers every year, but the flowers aren't so big. Although not desperately hardy, the plant pictured is in a sheltered position on the patio, by the new little pool. It suffered a bit of damage to the foliage last winter, but is now recovering nicely. The other plant is further down the garden, on the steep slope between level 2 and level 4 of the garden. That one suffered quite bad damage to its foliage, as it is in a much colder situation. It is beginning to recover now, with new leaves pushing through. A large ants' nest right in the middle of the plant isn't helping much though!!

I was thrilled to see flowers on my Trochodendron aralioides. This is an interesting lime-hating shrub with leathery leaves which I've had for many years, and it's never flowered until this year. It has most unusual green flowers, unlike anything else I've seen. Ants appear to like the flowers too, as you can see in the picture! The spring foliage is always lovely though, a mid green, flushed with red round the edges. Worth growing for that alone. I really hope it will continue to flower in years to come, and that this isn't just a one-off!

Butterflies seen this month - Peacock, small Tortoiseshell, Fritillary, Brimstone, Large White and Orange Tip.

Birds seen (s) or heard (h) in or around the garden this month - Blackbird (s), Blue Tit (s), Bullfinch (s), Chaffinch (s), Collared Dove (s), Crow (s), Cuckoo (h), Goldfinch (s), House Sparrow (s), Long-tailed Tit (s), Magpie (s), Robin (s), Rook (s), Seagull (s), Starling (s), Swallow (s) Thrush (h), Tree Sparrow (s), Woodpecker (h), Wood Pigeon (s), Wren (s).

If you want to be happy for a short time then get drunk. If you want to be happy for quite a while then fall in love. If you want to be happy forever then take up gardening.