The past week has seen a pair of doves join the visitors to the garden. Word of a reliable food source has obviously been spreading.
Unfortunately, this means we are also up to four pigeons from the initial two and the great tits appear to be put off by the increase in numbers of larger birds. They will happily still sit in the tree and be incredibly vocal but, that I've seen, don't come down to feed.
The robins don't seem to mind.
This week (10th - 16th May) is Mental Health Awareness week in the UK and the theme is nature.
It's good that the conversation about mental health has taken the position it needs and deserves over the past year but it's disappointing that it has taken a global pandemic to truly make that happen.
We are approaching the next phase of restrictions being eased in England and, as we approach normality, I fear that the focus on mental health will be reduced as though being able to go to the pub means that you're okay again. That's not how it works.
This past year has caused more people to experience issues and given a lot more still an insight into the problems faced by those who suffer from mental health problems. I can only hope that this insight changes things on a long term basis.
There should now be no reason for any kind of stigma attached to any mental health issues after what everyone has been living through (not that there should have been anyway) so there is no excuse for the conversation to recede and be a taboo subject again. We cannot afford for short-termism with people thinking that once the pandemic has passed it's no longer something they need to worry about.
Good morning.
I realised last night that I hadn't crossed off a few days on the challenge sheet and couldn't work out where I was. I've written something every day but just not marked it as done. I had to go back to my post on the 8th when I completed the first sheet just so I could count forward from there.
I looked at my notes for chapter 10 before work this morning but couldn't bring myself to actually do anything with them – I'll need to find some time later today to get some words down.
