The first thing I do whenever I return from travels is feed the birds and water the plants.

In this order,without fail.My house-sitter left 21 December with instructions to fill up feeding containers to the brim and this he must have done, because the bag containing the worms was empty,yet when I came home on 29 December everything was gone.I quickly cooked up some rice and scrambled eggs,covered it with olive oil and melted butter, hoping this would do the job until I sorted out "proper" bird food.In no time were the squirrels and the birds descending and dining.But the infernal rain filled the bowls and I decided to move them to the opposite wall under a large tree.This was the original position of the feeding containers, but the tree is too near the house and whenever the birds or the squirrels saw any movement in the house they would scupper,so I moved the bowls in the position I considered the best and there they have been for several years.No more. Now that the bowls have been moved under the tree that is where they are going to stay, we all will have to learn to live in near proximity to each other. And I think the feathered friends got the message.The squirrels run up and down the tree happily and the birds hop about with full little bellies.