Day 16 March 31

Tuesday, March 31

I now know how it feels to have a limp wrist. Pam wheedled a large slice of conifer trunk from Rai (delivered to the door), which I have been attacking with a billhook. Trying to make a hollow in which to put bird food. I haven't made much impression. Try telling my wrists.

We have decided to make our garden feeding stations more interesting for photography. The conifer slice is part of that.

A piece of well-rotted birch branch, festooned with moss and well creviced, made its way into our car boot. Its first resting place is against the wall next to the nearest bird feeders. It's been strewn with some bird food, hoping that the birds will find it and become familiarised. We haven't seen anything on it yet. Early days.

 

Today's garden amble  found more Camellia buds in bloom.

Clusters of Leucojum (also known as spring snowflake) which I long coveted and are now well established. The bulbs increase when they're happy. Does that explain my weight gain ?

The wild meadow patch on the bank beside the dyke has been made larger this year and re-planted. The original seed carpet was planted in the early days of encouraging meadow planting in gardens. It contained European wild flowers and we wanted to make sure that they were British. I bought some 'bee bombs', wild flower seeds wrapped in a soil medium, ready for planting. We wait to see the results. The daffodils are the remnants of those planted by the previous owners - pre 1974

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An encouraging amount of flower on the fruit trees this year, although we have seen Wood Pigeons enjoying the buds! The trees at the back are both Greengage, the bushes are Blackcurrants, a Lidl impulse buy by Pam.

With the best of intentions, we bought an Alder from a Norwich supplier of 'British' trees. This was to encourage Siskins and Redpolls and to give birds coming to the dyke feeder station somewhere to use as a vantage point. We now discover that it's a European species, probably Italian.

 We don't want Pheasants in the garden but that doesn't stop them coming. The largest number this year is 20. They loiter until birds come to the feeders and then do a road runner across the garden to stand, head cocked, under the feeders waiting for the dropped seed. This results in a well stamped side border. It's already been weeded and hoed this year. Look at it now.

The trees are varieties of Acer.

The peeling bark is griseum. The other is sangokaku, a Japanese species with red bark on new growth.