I don't get a great variety of birds in my garden. Plenty of herring gulls, and a family of charismatic crows. Hardly exciting stuff, though we do get ... ... green woodpeckers too. They are regular visitors, feeding mostly on the ants that live in our dry, chalky soil. But in comparison to the Priory, … Continue reading Birdwatching
Winter
Keeping Busy, Keeping Warm
The grounds of the Priory can be a scary place when the wind gets up. Even the largest trees twist and sway alarmingly; creaking, groaning and occasionally hurling down dead branches. Generally, I think of trees as benign stalwarts but in high winds, I keep a wary eye on them and avoid walking beneath those … Continue reading Keeping Busy, Keeping Warm
December …
has been either rain-sodden or bitterly cold down at the Priory. I much prefer the latter. The west pond has been frozen but Solo ... ... no longer ventures out onto it. A couple of years ago (when this photo was taken) she ran across the ice (chasing a snowball), broke through and had to … Continue reading December …
Greenhouse Maintenance
Over the past couple of weeks, I've been readying the greenhouse for winter. It is two and a half years old and in need of a damn good clean. Out with all the cucumber and tomato plants. They hadn't quite finished but I needed to crack on. The former produced a good crop this year … Continue reading Greenhouse Maintenance
Snow Over The Priory
I like to post about things as they happen (being a man-of-the-moment kind of guy), so here's one about the snow we had back in early February. We didn't get a huge amount in East Sussex; unlike in previous years. Several time last year, I had to leave my car up on the road and … Continue reading Snow Over The Priory
Mosty Frorning
I mean ... oh, never mind ... you know what I mean. After a warm, wet winter here in Southern England, last week we were finally hit by some hard and decent frosts. I like frost. I like how it punctuates the year and zaps all that can't survive freezing temperatures. I like the scrunchiness … Continue reading Mosty Frorning
Mulching The Beds
The simplest task in the garden can be so pleasing, don't you think? It is easy to transform something that is assuredly past its best into something full of promise. Take this aquilegia for example: Just pull away all the dead growth (it comes away easily), and you reveal ... ... the bunched up tiny … Continue reading Mulching The Beds
The Anxious Gardener 