Monthly Archives: April 2020

Having a rest this year?

Posted on April 28, 2020 by Helen

Normally, the apple tree at the back of the garden is full of blossom before the leaves appear. Not this year! The leaves have started to unfurl but there isn’t one flower on the tree. The crab apple, on the … Continue reading →

Posted in forest garden, Gardening | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

The pink bluebell

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Helen

One of the ladies in my Knit and Natter group sent a photo of the bluebells in some nearby woods, which, unlike the woods we discovered last weekend, I was already aware of. I hadn’t however realised they had bluebells! … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, Social | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Taking a bath

Posted on April 24, 2020 by Helen

I finally managed to find my phone in time to make a video of a pigeon having a bath in the pond. Unfortunately, I can’t get it to work in a blog post, so here is a picture of two … Continue reading →

Posted in edible weeds, Gardening, Wildlife | Tagged , , , | 18 Comments

My apple trees are safe

Posted on April 20, 2020 by Helen

Just after lockdown, I realised I hadn’t got round to buying any refills for the pheromone trap. Damn! Last year, they were excellent at stopping the codling moth, with very few apples being affected. I’m not sure that the situation … Continue reading →

Posted in forest garden, Gardening, Social | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

The missing woodland

Posted on April 19, 2020 by Helen

Last spring, my daughter and I tried to find some woodland on the other side of our village. We thought we’d found it but I was a little disappointed by its apparent size. Moving forward to this weekend, I had … Continue reading →

Posted in Days out, trees | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Whose food is it? – Looking for a forever food system

Posted on April 17, 2020 by Helen

I don’t often reblog but I think this post is important. We need to rethink the food supply for our longterm security. Steven Jacobs reflects on the inflexibility of our food system and says it’s time to make a difference … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening | 8 Comments

The smallest visitor yet

Posted on April 17, 2020 by Helen

Almost every time I look out into the back garden, I see a feathered visitor. They fill me with such joy, as I watch them by the pond, grazing their way through the undergrowth or simply sitting in the fence. … Continue reading →

Posted in Pond and bog garden, Wildlife | Tagged , , , | 30 Comments

Eight years

Posted on April 16, 2020 by Helen

Today, I received an email from WordPress, congratulating me on blogging with them for eight years. Goodness, these eight years have passed quickly and WordPress has become such a fixture in my life, I really can’t imagine not blogging now. … Continue reading →

Posted in Awards, Good for the environment, soil management | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Oh, I’ve got a yellow one!

Posted on April 15, 2020 by Helen

I got some tulips on the January sale, which I knew might not go with the purple theme in the front garden. But pink isn’t exactly a clash is it? What I hadn’t expected was a yellow tulip. However, one … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, Social | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

More than we need

Posted on April 14, 2020 by Helen

So far, I’ve been remembering to water the plant pots in the propagator, which I set up on Palm Sunday. That doesn’t mean I was looking at it every day, so I was a little surprised when I did so … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, Good for the environment | Tagged , , | 4 Comments