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An Extended Winter
Storm Kathleen has passed, leaving me with yet another puzzle to work out in the garden. This area at the top of the drive is bordered by Elaeagnus hedges to protect the garden proper. They are thick and dense and impossible to penetrate. Kathleen has left many of the bushes almost bare of leaves and…
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Repair or Replace
This a picture of a corner of the garden that I created shortly after I moved here twelve years ago. I was particularly pleased with the mix of formal planting and wildflowers which were allowed to seed themselves at will. Sadly, the last two winters have taken their toll and the corner is a sad…
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The Deluge
The remnants of a hydrangea flower still providing interest in what should be Spring. Maybe we will just jump to Summer. Two hooded crows on one of the only sunny days this year. Actually, I mean sunny morning, as it was pouring with rain by mid-afternoon. Like all the other birds they are usually waiting…
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Fourteen Years On
I moved to this garden over twelve years ago. I say garden, but it was mainly fields surrounded by barbed wire. There was a lovely stand of trees by the house but Storm Darwin put an end to about eight of them and a further five had to be removed for safety’s sake. I rarely…
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Mud, Glorious Mud
I try very hard not to envy other people, but it is a battle at the moment especially when someone mentions spending a day in the garden in sunshine. For the last few months I have experienced torrential rain, everyday rain, blustery winds sea fog and sea mists. Sunshine has been hard to find and…
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The Birds
Despite, or maybe because of, the bad winter my garden has been full of birds all winter. This year I have a large flock of House Sparrows and an abundance of long tailed tits and green fiches as well as the usual motley crew. My resident flock of Goldfinches numbers about nine but last year…
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From Ice to Isha
The evening sun on the neighbouring hillside. A regular occurrence during the cold spell, although I was often hunkered down in the warmth of the house and missed it on more than one occasion. Hunkering down is becoming a habit and is just as useful for storms as freezing temperatures. Storm Isha is no exception.…
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Shooting Oneself in the Foot
Guess how many sparrows are perching in this hawthorn tree? Trying to count them I think that I may have shot myself in the foot. Every year I try to improve the conditions for the birds here in the garden and this year has been no exception. The best area is now enclosed on three…
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A Festive Frog
Colourful Cotoneastor providing a festive backdrop despite the hard winter. Ferdinand the frog is continuing to develop a nice patina of lichen despite his smooth surface. Over the last week or so I have been practicing for the Survey for the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. I did not expect to have much to…
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Hints of Summer
At this time of the year much of the garden looks very dull and this year it is also waterlogged with the appropriate squelching sounds to compliment the scene. One has to admire the plants that continue to pretend that it is high Summer, like this Lavatera. New flowers are appearing all the time and…