VIRAL GARDENING

We are so lucky to have a large garden inn this time of isolation.

We may be in a drought situation soon but the good weather does make self isolation easier. We do our daily walk, chivvied out by the task mistress, and today we stood and watched a sparrow hawk watching us from ten feet away sitting on a wall.

Talking birds a blue tit landed on the top vane of our windmill, it was motionless, but the impetus of its almost weightless body started it rotating and suddenly the tit found itself heading for the ground. It flew up to the peanut feeder obviously startled.
I have decided to have a go at some of the brambles up near the wood but it will mean digging them out. A job for gloves I think.

No sign of ducklings yet. She is still sitting. 
Here are the mallard on the pond at night, the drake attending to duck who has nest full of eggs up the banking at the back. She comes down in the dark to feed and preen

and here she is heading back to the nest.

Tuesday, at least I think it is Tuesday, I get up and look out of the window. There is a rabbit on the banking, a cock pheasant calls with a voice like a football rattle and a jay flies past in a muscular, crow sort of way.
There must be a pheasant nest somewhere but very well hidden.

The asparagus bed is weeded, my back aches and knees are creaking but that does not stop the 2 mile walk before coffee.

The damsons are in full blossom but there was a frost last night so we pray it has not damaged the crop. We had enough with the pocket plum last year.

Up near the wood there is a rhododendron we bought at a garden near Matlock some years ago and it is gloriously scented - sort of gingery - cannot remember the name, cannot remember when we went to Matlock, cannot remember at which garden we were when we bought it, just that the owner had flown in Vulcan bombers with my brother-in-law.

The small bed by the back door (the one at the side) is looking good with self sown pink and white honesty,  tulips and the Magnolia stellata in full flower. The round mound is a sarcococcus placed by the door we use for its winter scent.

Looking up past the pruned Magnolia grandiflora to the pieris (that R does not like) is the small slate house was made for us by my late brother-in-law Roy and now is is nor concealed. Self sown forget-me-nots and primroses grow by the path (which reminds me R has asked me to water the primroses further on by the wood so they thrive and can be divided and spread everywhere.


Time for a break, a cup of tea and some Roy Orbison.

Wednesday and first swallow seen, orange tip butterflies in the garden (the garlic mustard (Jack-by-the-hedge)) in flower, their host plant, and in the field at the back a male jackdaw finding titbits and giving them to his partner.

The quag gets worse and I wonder if a tree root has got into the septic tank soak-away pipe so it is leaking - not smelly though.

The sun still shines relentlessly and a light frost again last night. Weeding to do etc etc. The herbs in the back bed coming on nicely - sweet cicely to the left (good with fish), apple mint centre and lovage, another lemony fish herb far right.

The plum, right,  and greengage, left, are flowering well - however the greengage is at the northern limit of its range? So far we have only had the odd fruit - keep hoping.

And forget-me-nots are self sown all over the place -

Started digging ditch to drain new spring and borrowed waders from G. to get into (and probably fall over in) pond (unless I can get Sam the gardener to do it)(not fall over).