WE HAVE AN ALARM QUACK

Woken this morning by the duck (who I have called Hilda) sitting on top of R's shed and quacking. As I have called the drake Noddy (because he nods a lot) I thought Hilda a good name for his spouse - Noddy - Hilda - dreadful pun.
(Apologies to fans of Slade).

Mow, mow, mow the lawn, etc etc, Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a slog (at times) - in trouble as have traipsed mud into the house again!

I seem to have developed a following in Russia which is interesting. I suspect that much of that may be due to the different seasonal changes we have here (but I did mention Putin a year or so ago so . . . )? This is not a "Midnight in Moscow" situation where messages were passed using changes in that melody - in the 60's I think. Over here The Kenny Ball Jazz Band had a big hit with it - but I am not sure which version!

It is cherry blossom time.

A flash of white is caught through my window and I know the bullfinch is back now the fruit tree buds are fat and sweet.
Chris Rea is playing Touche D'amour in the background and Noddy and his spouse are ensconced by the pond.

I watched Gardeners' World and enjoyed it more - just Monty Don and two visits to gardens - one  magnolia feast and the other day lilies. We saw a scented pale yellow one that would be just the thing called Daylight.

Yesterday, we went for a long walk back of Oxen Park - so called because it was one of the farms for Furness Abbey in mediaeval times (there are others - we also passed Abbot Park and above Coniston Water are Lawson Park and Parkamoor). We walked over to Ickenthwaite and round on the fell with views down the valley to the sea and out to distant Blackpool.

Afterwards I went into the garden and put in ten rather shrivelled chitted (CHITTED) Desiree potatoes and some broad beans. I also planted out the sweet peas J gave us carefully surrounding each small clump of seedlings with a bottomless plant pot surrounded by a band of copper tape to keep the slugs at bay (I hope).

Woodland still doing well - primroses, anemones and daffodils.

 

The quince D gave us is flowering but not completely happy as the soil by the wall is rather poor despite lots of muck and such.

 The pansies in the pot outside the kitchen are full of colour and the tulips are just taking over from the tete-a-tete daffodils (small, scented and multi-headed).

Drama!! Trouble at t' pond. Noddy has a competitor for Hilda's affections. They are sitting together and he is about six feet away waiting for his chance!

Oh! Monday night at the duck pond.
(1963 - The Cougars - Saturday Night at the Duck Pond - Ah! Musical memories.)

Sticks in, french beans have been sown and courgette seeds put in small pots full of compost in the shed.

The asparagus bed had been weeded but will need doing again. This has to be done by hand to avoid damaging the spears, the first one of which is already through.

I will have to oil the squirrel trap - they are eating the nuts without it going off.
So I did, went out, came back and the trap had worked - unfortunately I had caught a stupid collared dove - yes, they are dumb, well not dumb - they make an awful racket coo cooing - just brainless. They made a nest of about six small twigs on a beam and she laid an egg which rolled off and broke on the ground!
And I have found out what is taking the nuts - watched a pair of great tits go in and each took a whole peanut.

So to end with the view from the living room door window.

I love springtime in England.