The great thing about a blog is that it becomes your memory. Mine isn't great, and I lose track of time. So, I can remember taking out the last of the Leyandii, but couldn't say which winter I did it in.
I thought it was a couple of winters ago, but looking back at the posts here it was actually 2011/12. Time flies.
With the last of them gone I was left with a 45 degree bank of bare, forbidding soil with tree stumps here and there. I decided to seed it with a meadow mix and bought seed with a good range of flowers added in.
Of course, it was a disaster. After a couple of rainy days most of the seed was washed downhill, so by mid-summer of 2012 the bank was still mostly bare but with pathetic patches of grass here and there.
But Rome wasn't built in a day, so I've stuck with it and I reckon this year could be the one that comes good. Early signs are very promising.
It's still very patchy, but it is getting better. I 'm particurly pleased that last year's single cowslip now has company. This spring there are half a dozen cowslips here and there among the rotting remains of the conifers, which is a real treat to see.
Over the last few days we've had long-tailed tits coming to one of the bird feeders. They come early in the morning to a little cage feeder that has fat balls in, taking it in turns to chip off tiny fragments of food.
It's all done in a very wary way. One bird sits close by keeping watch while another feeds and then they swap places; if other birds turn up they fly off to safety - even if that bird is only a blue tit.
The visits are something new. I've seen LTTs in the garden plenty of times before, but never so close to the house.
So, I've decided to resurrect my garden bird list and honour the LTTs by making them the first entry. The only question is, what rules I should set myself for my list?
Obviously, a bird in the garden should go on the list. But how about one flying over? And if I see a bird on the far side of the valley should that count?
.jpg)