A PAIN IN THE . . . .

So dawns another blog.

It is very cold - earth as hard as iron, water like a stone.
I am suffering from seccateurer's wrist - thought it was improving so I finished tidying the thorns of the lower branches of the damsons and then cleared the far lower corner of brambles and young ash trees, and the canes from the autumn fruiting golden raspberries I had dumped there as R does not like them. Now I am sore. Obviously a repetitive strain injury and nothing to do with using the mouse on the computer a lot nor playing golf.

R was clearing brambles from the far end of the garden today.
She has also said now that the pond is too small - unfortunately, with the slope of the garden enlarging it would mean a very shallow upper end down a steep bank. Anyway we have not had a summer with it yet and will need to see how it gets on.
I have cleared the sweet peas away - they have finally succumbed to the weather - but two of the elder stems used as support have rooted. I will have to wait till things soften up to move them.

To Wednesday morning and we have a light covering of snow. Because of the cold the birds are feeding easily so I must go out into the cold and replenish the feeders.

Being a control freak I find this weather very frustrating as it interferes with getting on with things, plans etc. (Like playing golf, driving anywhere without worries and so on.) (Nothing to do with gardening.) R says I am getting more like my mother every day!

In the afternoon it stopped raining/sleeting/snowing and I went out to freeze my fingers. I pruned back the buddleia around the septic tank and took down the cut-leaved elder. I know it is a bit early but needed to do something. 

When I got back to the shed the robin arrived and waited until I gave him/her (cannot tell) some bird seed.

Now there is a challenge - how to discover the sex of a robin. There is discussion about leg colour and the shape of the red/brown colouration junction on the brow but most ringers say it is very difficult, even when the bird is in the hand so it makes no difference as to whether the robin is in the hand or there are two in the bush. And this bird by the small water bath thing is frozen solid.

Sunrise over the bay splendid this morning so am I going in then garden - not yet as need to have a coffee in town first.