CHOICES, CHOICES

Frogs and frogspawn or herons and mallard, newts or tadpoles? Plants or pigeons, rabbits, slugs, snails, weevils, blight, mould, mildew, you-name-it? Choices, choices.
I have just read George Monbiot's Feral - R is not a wilding person - Lynx! Wolves? Whatever?

Having carefully placed my golden willow cuttings in a boggy bit she removes them so I have had to try and find somewhere more secret for them (Now she will know)(So chuck them away.)

Buds are breaking everywhere and I cannot wait for the cherries to burst into blossom - not long now - and the damsons are stirring.

Sycamore right, horse chestnut (sticky buds) left.

Cousin S in Ontario says it is -6C and snowing, we just get rain but at least the ground is green not white.
There is a fat wet rabbit outside my window washing itself - aargh!

And with all the rain come new springs pouring up out of the ground. This one is from under an ash tree root.
Looking the other way down the garden the spring is by the daffodils into foreground and the water running both sides of the tree.

And talking of rabbits - well I was a moment ago, I have had to fence in the new hollyhocks - what is left - after they have been nibbled - ?rabbit, mouse, pigeon, what? All I had was some old white plastic netting.

Other things are flowering or in the case of the skimmia berrying.

The few fritillaries on the upper banking have not been eaten - yet. 

And we have wild wood anemones in the trees and the first dog violets.

Of course the grass could probably do with a trim but it is so wet . . . 

The cut leaved elder, pruned back hard about six weeks ago is now sprouting well and the Clematis armandii is looking special.


Of all the birds in the garden the one that brings the biggest smile must be the magnificent goldfinch. I can understand why they used to keep them in cages. I know they are about when I hear their characteristic call of Coo-ee.

It is Tuesday and though the rain has stopped the garden is SODDEN. Pulled first rhubarb (finally), broke the lid on a peanut feeder (replaced it with a jam jar lid), broadband keeps going off and coming on (?), dropped a load of peanuts (suddenly we have squirrels again), mallard came up to outside kitchen doors (?looking for nesting site) and am going to make a cuppa tea for us both.