Well now,

The football fan generally, the Celtic fan in particular, tends towards that heady mixture of optimism and (sporting)despair. Celtic dropped two points against Edinburgh Hibernian, the day after the huns gamesmanshipped their way to another result (google Lafferty): still at it(google Boughera), and yet I believe we, the Celts will win the league on Sunday. We will beat Hearts by two or three goals, and the huns will lose to Dundee United.

Today was blessed by warm sunshine and showers. The swallows have again returned to Mo the sheep's shed and the ducks are happy with their new pond(aka a decent supply of water for the first time since they were denied access to the Eye Water by a trigger-happy upstart farm owner). The greyhound got bitten on the leg by the terrier yesterday but he seems easier today. I bought him steak today which helped his spirits.

Fixed an ill-fitting, noisy door, repotted an apple tree and planted a tray of lupins I grew from seed.

The last of the doves(Lonesome) seems to have flown the coop. The rest of them, twenty three souls, perished at the hands of hawks and traffic. Lonesome has roosted with a woodpigeon for a few months and seems to have returned to wilderness living(perhaps the two street pigeons I saw a few weeks ago were the offspring of Lonesome and partner. Lonesome no more would be a happy ending to a survival story.

Mo the sheep is getting old. I gave him a home when he was an orphaned lamb at the start of the last foot and mouth outbreak. He gets up when I bring his grub over but retuns to lie at the foot of the open shed door. I don't know if I've done him any favours since we met but he is still alive.

Shaktar and Bremen are drawing 1-1 mid-way through the second half of the Eufa Cup final.