The garden is coming out of winter's grip. There is a fresh green of the leaf break on the Raspberry canes and the Blackcurrant bushes. The Apples and Pears are a bit slower. The willow screening is flushing despite my savaging during the winter. The tree we took out has opened a lot of light into the garden and with it has come the birds. The open space has encouraged the usual candidates, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Pigeon, Wren and Robin but we are also seeing Thrush, Blackbird, Starlings, Gold Finch, Bullfinch and very concessionally Long Tailed Tits. A fairly regular sight is the Sparrow Hawk flashing across the hedges. The pigeon is the usual menu item - plump and slow.
I am back in the pond quandary. It needs cleaning and maintenance but all kinds of miniature wild life over winter in the pond, then the Frogs, Toads and Newt get busy in the spring, then the Iris flowers. When do I get savage back the Iris without damaging everything else? It is a puzzle. No such dilemma with the Ivy. It going rampant again so time for Man versus Ivy. It will be back in flower for the bees in the late autumn.
Jobs to do .... sow some flower seeds in the greenhouse. But first shift all the beekeeping equipment out of the way.
