IT'S BEEN TEN YEARS!

As another dark day emerges from winter's gloom

and the garden is shrouded in clinging mist

 and sodden from overnight rain

I think back and realise that on Thursday 16th we will have been in this house for 10 years!

And so - do I plod on with the blog, detailing the changes to the garden (let alone the world)?

Today I took the bulbs stored through the winter and forgotten, sprouting in their cardboard box, and planted them in small patches around the garden.

As I trundle about the cock pheasant grunts to himself and avoids me. I am not surprised that he rarely flies, being so chunky. We don't see much of his other half at this time of year - she is presumably exhibiting a low profile - not something one could say about him.

We are back from Scotland where on can see the most odd things in gardens, up trees. This is a small sample of the curiosities beside the lower road in Kippford - logs with eyes and even false teeth halfway up a tree.

Back here the witch hazel, hamamelis, is in flower (and scent). We have this orange one rather than the usual yellow.

Got this video from by the pond - note the plastic deterrent in the distance failing miserably. Glad I'm not a frog.

And there are snowdrops everywhere due to our replanting in the green after flowering each year.
The price of snowdrop bulbs from retailers is ridiculous but then we have a lot so . . . with a bit of work every year we have more.

So - 10 years here - time to stop the blog and take up something else? Like dieting?
Which I have.

R weeded today (Monday) and I had a big bonfire, cut down a large branch of elder clad in ivy and brought with it a lot of our giant rose. I am well punctured now despite gloves. The cold wind has eased and there is warmth in the sun.

And on Tuesday morning, apart from it being St. Valentine's Day, we had a visitor to the pond - a little egret.

One day the egret, next day the grey heron, today the pair of mallard are back. I went to get the video camera and it had blackbirds and collared doves drinking, a grey wagtail, but had been set too low and missed the above!

Better luck next time.