SPEARS AND A SAD DEATH

Sorry, not me - yet!

Mentioning R pulling off the top of an asparagus spear - she did! Here is the evidence - one R, one asparagus bed. We have seven spears today - butter melt, mouth water.

Above this bed the stream comes down out of the top garden and beside it is a small red maple. The roots of the big ash tree at the top of the bank are directing the flow sideways and making things really boggy.

I tried removing the turf but this seemed to make things worse. Short of cutting holes in the tree roots I will have to think hard for a solution. I considered digging a hole under the roots but as soon as we have heavy rain debris washed down will block it up.

Today I began an assault on bindweed. Really I should dig up all the beds, remove the plants and then replant. Mmm! Tried an alternative today with a small jam jar of weedkiller. I dipped the heads of each bindweed stem into a strong solution. Now we wait and see.
Then I must address the couch grass problem!

Up in the top wood the bluebells are great. The plants behind the bluebells are brambles! Brer Rabbit eat your heart out.

Next to the asparagus bed is the one with rhubarb at one end, wallflowers in the middle and shallots at the other end - a mixed bed!  

I have put in the curved hoops of bright blue alkathene piping for the strawberry netting and sweet pea sticks within the rabbit proofed veg beds.

Now to a sad story.
I was climbing the stairs in the house when I saw something a bit like a dead leaf hanging from a cobweb by the roof edge. Outside I went and with the washing-line pole got it down.
It was a dead blue tit.
How it came to be stuck there in the web - ? Perhaps it had flown into the window, killed itself and fallen against the web which stuck to it. I cannot believe that a small spider could catch a blue tit in its gossamer.

And the swallows and martins have not arrived yet - yes, a few passing birds but that is all. It makes one wonder if summer is ever going to come.

Beside the mower shed there seem to have been mole hills and such but suddenly this seems to be a bigger event and the dreadful word springs to my brain cell - ?RATS!
I have been out a and tidied it up - we will just have to wait. I am loth to get out the big rat-trap as the last time I fought a robin.

Just bought a second hand shredder off IB. Might be useful when we come to clear away the willows and so on. It would provide a good mulch to go around new shrubs and trees.

Anyway - to finish - here are yet more tulips.

Gets a bit boring does it not. Well the first of the three yellow azaleas is out - sniff - Ooooh! Lovely.