What a change in the weather!

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I can`t believe how much the weather has changed over the last couple of weeks. One moment it`s very mild for the time of year…and the next we`re up to our necks in snow…well not exactly our necks but its deep-ish…lol!

Phyllostachys Nigra

Sarcococca

The green at the front of the house

The horse chestnut directly opposite the house

My poor car disappearing under the snow.

I`m finished with work until after Christmas as I`ve been given the last of my annual leave. It had to be used by Jan1st so I was delighted to have this extra time before Christmas. I was hoping to get out in the garden to mooch about tidying up here and there but at the moment I can`t even see the majority of plants, let alone tend them. Snow has drifted the back of the garden and all but covered up the raised bed where my onions and broccoli were thriving. I just hope they will continue to do so as this is my first attempt and veg apart from tomatoes so I`m a real novice where brassicas etc. are concerned.

Perhaps I take use some of my free time to work on my garden centre damaged hands. They are full of small holes from handling holly wreaths, the leaves can be positively evil and I even had a small bruise on my wrist where one of them pierced the skin…ouch, it didn`t half hurt too!

Now Jake is no longer with us there is nothing to deter Willow, the tom cat from next door. He`s the sweetest cat you could imagine and very lovable….unless you are a bird. That is a different matter entirely. Where birds are concerned Willow is a vicious killer. Now, Jake and Willow had this love/hate relationship. Woe betide any other cat who was silly enough to climb over our fence. Jake would tear down the garden barking his head off sounding like an extra from The Hound of the Baskervilles. If Willow did his usual creeping along the fence routine Jake would run up to him yelping in delight. Of course, being a cat Willow wasn`t at all impressed with him but he seemed to know that Jake was just doing his job. From time to time he would sit on the fence and wait for Jake to notice him. The, before Jake reached him he would jump from the fence to the other side of the garden and over into his own. Of course Jake never caught him, he wouldn`t have known what to do if he did. The funny thing is that now Jake has gone Willow has taken to following Jim and myself when we get home from work, so much so that we have to be careful he doesn`t get too close when we reverse the car into the drive If we let him he`d follow us indoors, I think he knows his old adversary and pal has gone…funny that. They do say that animals are very perceptive.

We do see a lot of Red Kites in this area and just yesterday afternoon one of them flew over my head at what seemed to be only say 30ft from the ground. They are so beautiful and it`s lovely that they are seen so often these days. One of our customers told me that at her local WI branch a gentleman gave a talk about them and apparently in the Middle Ages they were regarded as pests and were blamed for spreading the plague. It seems because their usual diet is carrion they would frequent the meat and fish markets and help themselves to a nice titbit or two. Hence when there was a plague epidemic it was thought it was the unfortunate birds who were to blame which led to them being culled in large numbers almost eradicating them. I thought that was very interesting but then of course I love birds and I learn quite a bit from customers. It can be quite an education doing my job.

Bye Bye for now. :o)

Sandra x

• 18 Dec, 2009
• 9 likes

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