I know this is a gardening blog and not a political platform, but three attacks in under three months...I just don't have the words.
Monday - a misty, muggy morning followed by heavy rain. There was lots of bird activity today, at one point nine goldfinches in the apple tree! When I went out to feed the fish I could hear tweeting from the blue tit's nesting box. I'm really confused, the parents are coming back with food but not as often. So I'm wondering, have the majority of the chicks fledged? It's all weird this year.
Tuesday - here comes summer...misty, dull and chilly. I was a wimp and stayed out of the garden today apart from feeding the fish that are perpetually hungry. The two large fish and the fishlings are still hiding in the depths of the pond. I picked the first courgette, you can't beat veg straight from the garden
Wednesday - started cloudy but then the sun came out and warmth returned. I'd run out of the usual fish food I've been using over the winter so I fed them with a different brand. They ate all the white pellets and left the red! I weeded and tidied up the front garden filling a large sack with the weeds
I then sowed more beetroot as the slugs have eaten the first batch, spring onions, radishes, fennel and little gem lettuce. The garden was full of noisy birds again today and plenty of butterflies. I earthed up more of the spuds and scattered organic slug pellets around vulnerable plants. The runner beans are coming into flower
and the sweet peas are looking gorgeous and brightening up the garden.
Last job of the day was feed the lemon tree, olive and courgettes with liquid seaweed.
Thursday - the rising sun was shining through the mist hanging over the RSPB reserve early this morning, quite surreal. And a hot and sunny day followed. I hung up the new pigeon-proof bird feeder,
Friday - cloudy and humid with rain this afternoon. I heard a commotion this morning and went out to see what was going on but all I saw was a magpie fly off with something in its beak. I planted out the rest of the plants we bought last week plus winter jasmine, verbena bonariensis, rudbeckia and echinacea all grown from seed. I picked the first of the sugar snap peas - they taste incredible
Saturday - sunny and windy today which took the edge off the temperature. I only pottered today, earthing up more spuds, thinning out the tomato leaves (the first tomatoes are growing),
I then put up a frame for the cucumbers, re-potted the lemon seedlings and picked snails out of the pots, pesky things. The blue tits have not been back to their box for a few days and I can't hear anything so I'm presuming this time they have all fledged.
Sunday - a nondescript day with spits of rain. When I defrosted the freezer the other day I came across plums from last year's crop. I pondered what to do with them and this morning I made Chinese-style plum sauce. Wish you could have smelt it cooking...mmmm mmmm!
There was a lot of noise coming from the apple tree late morning (for some reason it's a favourite with the birds) and when I looked closer a couple of greenfinches flew out of it. That's another first for the garden.
There's still plenty of jobs on my list to do so I'll have to carry them over to next week. I watched the Countryfile weather this evening and it's a case of be careful what you wish for...rain, gales and storms for most of the week! At least I won't have to water the garden. Have a good week and catch up next weekend.
Regards,
DD
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