Mulching Again

I've not much to say today as we have been cleaning the garden benches and mulching again, so just a photo of this gorgeous hellebore as they start to shine in the quiet corners. It is such a pity that we get no visitors to see them at this time of year, the winter garden has its beauty too. Speaking of mulching, Alyson wore a pedometer last Thursday and we were all shocked to discover that from 1.30pm until 4.00pm we walked seven and a half miles! Add to that the four miles we covered this morning and it's no wonder my feet have been aching!


"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step"
Lao Tzu

Bare Bones

In January and February the garden is reduced to its bare bones, every tree and shrub is exposed so its shape may be pruned and corrected. Today we worked our way around the apple trees removing damaged or diseased growth and also pruning out water shoots, these are the whippy growths that emerge after the last pruning and must be sawn off to stop them re-emerging. Whilst we were removing last years growth from the clematis by the gate I noticed a beautiful nest, it was a work of art enclosed over with moss and must have been a perfect baby bird nursery. Giles tells me that it was home to a family of long tailed tits. This made me think of my foray into my own garden at the weekend when I turned the compost heap and mulched, half way through one side of the bin I inadvertently destroyed a mouse nest. With much regret as it was a beautifully cosy little hide away, I shall now have thoughts of a poor little creature cast out into the cold and having to make its way through the hazards of next doors garden! I hope it moves back in as I shall not be disturbing things again for quite some time.

"To fly high you must come out of the nest and dream high"
Farah Mustafa

Snowdrops In The Sun

The weather continues to bless us and our cook outs have continued dry and comfortable. Where is the snow? Every single day that we have camped out in the woods has been dry, surely that is a first for January and February. Not much to report other than I saw the fox again yesterday, I'd just started sawing down an elder near a large hole when out it popped, as near to me as it could have been! Nice to glimpse it again but I wish I was quicker with my camera. Our clearing labours in the woods have now finished and we will be turning our attention to tree planting and returning to the garden, there is still much to do before the greenery starts growing again and catches us up, then we must put large projects aside and begin mowing, seeding and care-taking once more.
"An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day"
Joel Osteen

I wish this photo was in better focus, but at least you can get an impression of how magnificent the snowdrops are now.

Fox In The Woods

We are still in the woods and making good progress, so much so that we think Thursday will be our last lunch al fresco. The big plan this year is to open the main drive from Ripon gate, so Giles has been trimming the overhanging yew branches and we have been making wildlife habitats with the resulting foliage and branches. One of these days it would be great if some entomologist came along and looked at the ones we have made in previous years to tell us what is lurking inside. Yew wood is almost impossible to cut even when it is dead, so by the end of the day we were left in no doubt why they used to make English long bows with them. Highlight of the day however was first thing as we tramped down to start work, within minutes Shandy had flushed two magnificent foxes from their den (somebody is definitely feeling better), and we watched with pleasure and interest as they sloped away for some peace and quiet. I have never seen one so close up which only serves to remind me how lucky I am to work in the countryside now, put it this way, I don't miss the Asda warehouse!

"Nay, traveller! rest. This lonely yew tree stands far from all human dwelling"
William Wordsworth