Another month of mostly fine weather meant that more work was done in the garden. Lots of signs of spring – the first swallow was spotted in the middle of the month, and the first cuckoo heard at the end. And of course April is Harrogate Flower Show month, so of course I had to take a couple of days off to visit that. Things are really starting to move on in the sunshine. In the first week the damson blossoms were fully out and the early apple buds just opening, by the end of the month the orchard was beautifully covered in pink.
The workshop has been sorted, and new shelves fitted to organise ‘stuff’ and make room for the bikes. The blackbirds have also been spruced up and given a position on the outside, to watch over their smaller cousins.
The most meticulous handyman also stayed on after Easter to fit the super new unit in the porch. Unfortunately the doors for the cupboard were not delivered in time, but even without these it is a really excellent piece of furniture that has made a big difference to the space.
The car park was full again at Easter! And we were fortunate to have really beautiful weather while our visitors were here. We even had a couple of trips to the beach. It’s a good job Andy found the buckets and spades while sorting out the workshop…
The cats enjoyed the sunshine, Chester outside, while Badger positions himself in the sunshine. A pair of local ducks have taken to visiting the garden regularly to inspect the works, and a blackbird has lost his tail, and now looks like a duck too. There are ducklings already in the cut, but they are photo shy 🙂 and many birds nesting in the hedges and trees.
Not very interesting perhaps, but this is where I have been spending most of my time. The large area rotavated at the end of March is now starting to get organised – 16 veg beds have been added and are starting to be planted up, and the other half will be used for flowers. Part of this has been sown with annuals, although they will have to compete with quite a lot of weedlings. I hope to get more planted up in May. when I should have had a chance to remove the first flush of couch grass and convolvulus.
And finally… The usual round up of things that don’t fit anywhere else.
- Double daffodils picked from the garden
- First seed raised crops of the year (Radish of course!)
- Using Mount Harpsbridge soil to level some of the paths – an ongoing task
- How dry the soil is – with added convulvulus
- Various shots of the garden coming into bloom
- Clearing nettles from the herb bed
- Back of Mount Harpsbridge cleared and sweet pea bed created against the fence
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