GOLDEN RAIN, SISKINS AND DITCHES

A Golden Rain was a firework popular when I was young - no bangs and shooting things, just a powerful shower of yellow sparks.

Now that spring is underway the hedgerows are full of hazel catkins - another golden rain.

And the feeders are full of goldfinches and yellow siskins, the latter a more delicate bird than the chinky greenfinch, more a chaffinch size. 

We have had a flurry of birds - greater spotted woodpeckers, both sexes, long tailed tits, goldfinches and the siskins - apart from the usual tits, sparrows and other finches, robins, dunnocks, wrens, blackbirds and thrushes. Not long ago, when the squirrels had demolished one of the peanut feeders, I bought a squirrel-proof one. This has delighted the blue tits and they hide inside at the back pecking away, safe from the sparrow hawk. In fact R did see the sparrow hawk catch a blue tit. She looked out of the kitchen window to see the hawk on the ground staring up at her with a small yellow and blue bundle in its talons.

As we have been away for a week I had no excuse and work in the garden beckoned. The dead teasels and grasses were cut down and added to the compost heap. The roses were lightly pruned - they are almost all shrub roses - and the twigs put on the bonfire heap. 

I have been wanting to tidy the lawn grass up but it is all too wet and anyway the time for the annual mower service is here so I will be mowerless for a few days.

It is also becoming evident that I will have to decide about moles. Do I call in the mole man and have them caught or do I just let the garden become a collection of small soil mountains.

Then I went down the garden to the ditch and dug it out, removed the watercress (still thriving) from the top pond making the reed mace as a small island and dragged up some of the deep sediment from the bottom. All the stuff I took out has been left beside the water do small creatures can return to it.

The bottom pond has one or two leaks in it and these were plugged temporarily to enable the randy frogs to continue their mating swim and preserve the spawn.

Now, we have no snow to mention but whilst we were on top of Orcop Hill last week we had a brief covering one morning so I nipped out and did an Andy Goldsworthy with my Wellies. This is not a self portrait - ears a bit on the sticky out size. However, as I look at it there does seem to be a vague resemblance to Prince Charles?

IT IS FEBRUARY!

Two days ago we had a light frost and sound carried like it had not done for weeks. Hedge parsley is out in the village - crazy world.

Now February has blasted its way in. Tides have been incredibly high flooding fields. Rain is lashing the window and the wind chimes in the old ash tree are going berserk. How the small birds hang onto the feeders when they are horizontal before the gale I do not know. The heavy wooden bench is on its back outside the kitchen door.

This morning there was a sprinkling of hail and sleet but it melted fast, turning sludgy and sloppy.

Prince Charles has had a go at climate change deniers (that is deniers  - nothing to do with grades of stockings and tights) and I agree. We always refer to the scientific evidence, when it suits us. There is NO DOUBT there is a more fragile climate, ask Americans over their recent cold weather, our floods and storms, California's drought and so on and so on. So to Prince Charles I say, 'Keep it up sir.' (Or something like that.) (No double entendre meant.) (I suppose I could go back to talking about gale force cows but will not mention them.)

Despite this dreadful winter some plants continue to thrive. The variegated mint should have lost its leaves long ago but is still growing. On the far wall the moss is thick and flourishing - though the damp mild weather will help there.

The snowdrops are out by the big sycamore, by the path to the writing shed. Every year we dig up about half of them and replant, in the green, elsewhere in the garden.

R has just bought some new gardening gloves at the Beetham Nurseries. I bought a slice of Bakewell tart and a shortbread biscuit. We did share them - after all I am on a diet (sort of). 

Now that is a silly statement. Whatever we eat is our diet so we are all always on a diet of some sort.

Just try not to eat too much dairy and beef - remember the venting bovines.

D***, I said I would not mention them, did I not.

So, there you are - a blog on climate change, Prince Charles and those cows but not necessarily in that order of importance.

Time for an apple.

Of course that gives me problems if the old saying is true.

If I have one a day does it keep me away? (Yup I am an ex medic - a past doc but not quite a Norwegian Blue.)(Yet.)