Winter works

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Once again it has been ages since I wrote a blog, but I have been reading some of them, though not kept up with all.
The garden is white with frost this morning and though it looks pretty it makes you realise all the things that should have been done before we got to this stage. The rambling Forsythia which was going to be cropped to some sort of shape – do I now forfeit the flowers for the Spring and cut it to shape or leave it yet again and try to remember after it has finished flowering?
Everything look pretty edged with rime, one of the mini holly family – goodness knows where the label is!

And a large clump of ‘something’ which has pink flowers, now edged with frost making it look like a Cordyline.

Most of the garden hasn’t been cleared of all the stalks, lots get left for the birds to eat the seeds, so it’s tidy and neat or untidy with birds! The trouble is when I do go mad and clear things there is always something that I disturb. One morning I decided to rip the variegated ivy from the front of the bungalow as it was encroaching on the window, fascia and roof. Nice clear wall but up in the corner tucked away and probably originally supported by the ivy, was a nest and a little head peeping out looking at me. Must have been roosting rather than nesting as this was only about a month ago – but still lots of swearing and guilt!

Round the corner is the bit I haven’t done yet, but as it’s up and over the roof will have to go soon. It’s just a nice walkway for the mice to invade the loft! Which reminds me I must get up there and check all the traps. I know it seems cruel but they burrow into all that lovely loft insulation we put down for them and the smell of mice is not good.

Nothing much exciting happening, we had a new stock-wire and post fence put round two sides of the 1.6 acres, the existing one was propped up by metal stakes and really low in places. With visits from the fox picking off the hens it was just a matter of time before biting the bullet and paying out to get someone in to do it. The final straw was the loss of one of the Peacocks who must have been caught unaware by the fox, probably lurking in the thicket we put in for the birds – help one and kill off another!

Other non-exciting, but necessary things were a new roof on the 36ft workshop where it was leaking so badly that it had to be emptied and dried out before re-roofing. Luckily my Brother-in-law did that so not so horrendously expensive. Just have to put everything back now! Amazing what I found amongst all my sewing stuff though.
One of the things Son and I did was replace the boards on the bridge, they had been removed ages before and not replaced. Sadly we didn’t do that properly, not enough spaces between the boards as you can see, so they will have to be amended. Ah Well – live and learn!

New oil tank tomorrow to replace the old rusty one, so we may be set for the winter soon, hopefully not too bad a winter.
My Birthday yesterday, too old to mention, I try to forget as many as possible, but as a friend says “Be grateful, not everyone makes it to your age”. Humbling, so I stop carping.
Went to the Garden Centre (where else) to look at the Christmas offerings and managed to buy a few bags of the large Purple Sensation Alliums, 10 in a bag, all reduced to £1 a bag – bargain I thought, so now need the weather to relent a little to get them in.
Hope you are all keeping well and thank you for reading this far.

• 30 Nov, 2016
• 9 likes

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