This afternoon my garden was full of more birds than I have ever seen in it: starlings, blackbirds, blue and great tits, doves, robins, woodpigeon. I took this as a message from Frank of course! I stood, mesmerised, at my patio window for a good ten minutes - it was magnificent - then it was time to go and collect Leo from school.

I know, I know. It's probably just that I've been filling up my bird feeders (emptied in a day in this cold snap!) and the ground's not so frozen today so probably better for worms. But I like to pretend and imagine - it gives me comfort. Frank did the bird feeders at my mum's; a role she's dutifully taken over. His chair in the living room had the best view of their garden and I sit in it often when I'm there, enjoying the view of his birds.

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