Busy, busy day. The sun has been shining and it's been nice and warm. Have got lots done today, as my back can testify to. Moved some snow drops, weeded the borders and gave them a top dressing of manure. Edged the lawns and hubby mowed them for me when he came back from the gym. Got really excited as my new White Cap peony has made an appearance. Still have two new ones to show so keeping my fingers crossed.
Two male robins kept me company for most of the day, I thought they didn't like each others company but they didn't seem to mind.
Had a call from Firstborn to say they are coming to stay this evening with the grandchildren (nothing like plenty of notice). Secondborn has decided to come down too with her partner so it looks like a full house and a takeaway.
I've doubled the size of the Little Wilderness - it is now renamed The Wilderness
The plan is for a good layer of compost and leaf mould to be applied tomorrow and my snowdrops will be planted around the hazel bushes I'm thrilled to see that some of the Narcissus pseudonarcissus the Undergardener planted for me when I broke my arm are peeping through and some of them have buds
I've had the company of a robin all afternoon too Yvie - he/she's been rootling fror insects and grubs as I've been digging the soil over and has been very tame. When I sat down for a rest he nearly sat on my head!
It's likely that your two were a breeding pair - it's impossible to tell the sexes apart by looking except that females can be slightly larger than males - the best clue is to watch them as the male will feed the female as part of courtship/bonding behaviour. You're absolutely right in thinking that if they'd been two males feathers would have been flying, especially at this time of year!
Now the sun has gone over the house and the back garden is cooling in the shade so I'm indoors - just a coffee and then I've a cassoulet to assemble for supper
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Dove, I read that you can tell robins by the crest on their heads??? Is it called a crest? If its curved its a guy bird and V shaped is girl and I only remember that because V is for V**gina am I wrong?
Hi everyone!
Lovely to read all your activity in the garden with the sun out. It's been beautiful here in Kent, sun is still glorious and I've been fed and watered and will take a leisurely stroll just to figure out some planting positions for next week maybe...
I did this morning KEF. An error message appears every time but just as I was about to give up the picture appeared. Very strange. I did say that on camera corner but at the time I thought I was on garden pictures.
Good to see you SL and hope you've managed to get some of your bulbs planted.
I seem to have acquired a tame blackbird rather than a robin. Everything else flies away but this one just waits by my feet while I fill the feeders
Lots done in the garden, ended up having to take out all of my strawberry plants, the whole bed was totally congested, theres probably a hundred waiting to find new homes, have replanted 32!
Sat and watched the frogs for a while, they do make me giggle, a line of them jumped out of the pond, chasing each other- like a benny hill sketch, looked back in the pond and there was a load of them getting amorous with a rock! Not the brightest creatures!
SL, sometimes old bulbs wont flower the same year, but will put lots of leaves up so they will be good the year after, either way, better in the ground than the bag!
Liri, dont envy you the cleaning, but its always nice to have a close encounter with nature!
RB, mrs, you will be crippled! ....worth it tho eh! lovely to have a buzzard in the garden, loads round here in recent years, love the sound they make
Yvie, you will be crippled too! sounds like your garden is really coming on, you must be out of space now!
Dove, your wilderness sounds right up my street, i hope there will be pictures as it comes into its own?
Everyone sounds so much happier, its really nice, reckon if we were all to meet up now it would look like a remake of the thriller video whith all the stiff backs etc!
A few years back I actually saw a buzzard swoop down on its prey in my garden! I was just stepping outside the back door, I had camera in hand but it all happened in the blink of an eye. ALL that was left was a pile of sparrow feathers.
Posts
Hi everyone,
Busy, busy day. The sun has been shining and it's been nice and warm. Have got lots done today, as my back can testify to. Moved some snow drops, weeded the borders and gave them a top dressing of manure. Edged the lawns and hubby mowed them for me when he came back from the gym. Got really excited as my new White Cap peony has made an appearance. Still have two new ones to show so keeping my fingers crossed.
Two male robins kept me company for most of the day, I thought they didn't like each others company but they didn't seem to mind.
Had a call from Firstborn to say they are coming to stay this evening with the grandchildren (nothing like plenty of notice). Secondborn has decided to come down too with her partner so it looks like a full house and a takeaway.
I've doubled the size of the Little Wilderness - it is now renamed The Wilderness
The plan is for a good layer of compost and leaf mould to be applied tomorrow and my snowdrops will be planted around the hazel bushes
I'm thrilled to see that some of the Narcissus pseudonarcissus the Undergardener planted for me when I broke my arm are peeping through and some of them have buds 
I've had the company of a robin all afternoon too Yvie - he/she's been rootling fror insects and grubs as I've been digging the soil over and has been very tame. When I sat down for a rest he nearly sat on my head!
It's likely that your two were a breeding pair - it's impossible to tell the sexes apart by looking except that females can be slightly larger than males - the best clue is to watch them as the male will feed the female as part of courtship/bonding behaviour.
You're absolutely right in thinking that if they'd been two males feathers would have been flying, especially at this time of year!
Now the sun has gone over the house and the back garden is cooling in the shade so I'm indoors - just a coffee and then I've a cassoulet to assemble for supper
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Dove, I read that you can tell robins by the crest on their heads??? Is it called a crest? If its curved its a guy bird and V shaped is girl and I only remember that because V is for V**gina
am I wrong?
Hi everyone!
Lovely to read all your activity in the garden with the sun out. It's been beautiful here in Kent, sun is still glorious and I've been fed and watered and will take a leisurely stroll just to figure out some planting positions for next week maybe...
Hi SL great to see you.
Has anyone had problems posting pictures today ? I keep getting a garbled technical message from GW site.
I did this morning KEF. An error message appears every time but just as I was about to give up the picture appeared. Very strange. I did say that on camera corner but at the time I thought I was on garden pictures
.
Good to see you SL and hope you've managed to get some of your bulbs planted
.
I seem to have acquired a tame blackbird rather than a robin. Everything else flies away but this one just waits by my feet while I fill the feeders
Thank you for the help Lesley I've done it
Lots done in the garden, ended up having to take out all of my strawberry plants, the whole bed was totally congested, theres probably a hundred waiting to find new homes, have replanted 32!
Sat and watched the frogs for a while, they do make me giggle, a line of them jumped out of the pond, chasing each other- like a benny hill sketch, looked back in the pond and there was a load of them getting amorous with a rock! Not the brightest creatures!
SL, sometimes old bulbs wont flower the same year, but will put lots of leaves up so they will be good the year after, either way, better in the ground than the bag!
Liri, dont envy you the cleaning, but its always nice to have a close encounter with nature!
RB, mrs, you will be crippled! ....worth it tho eh!
Yvie, you will be crippled too!
Dove, your wilderness sounds right up my street, i hope there will be pictures as it comes into its own?
Everyone sounds so much happier, its really nice, reckon if we were all to meet up now it would look like a remake of the thriller video whith all the stiff backs etc!
Totally worth it
You'd be right there Bekkie, I'm walking worse than my mother and she's 93
Sitting on the sofa at the moment with a hot water bottle on my back. Don't think I'll be doing much tomorrow.
A few years back I actually saw a buzzard swoop down on its prey in my garden! I was just stepping outside the back door, I had camera in hand but it all happened in the blink of an eye. ALL that was left was a pile of sparrow feathers.
KEF and Lesley - I'm getting the garbled message when I try to upload pictures too - how did you solve it