Category Archives: Wildlife

An untouched apple

Posted on April 6, 2021 by Helen

Recently, there was a tweet from the Wildlife Trusts about feeding birds at this time of year. Just as it is the hunger gap for us, so it is for them. I asked what I could do for blackbirds and … Continue reading →

Posted in Wildlife | Tagged , | 21 Comments

Vegetable spaghetti

Posted on April 5, 2021 by Helen

Determined not to let my seeds fail through lack of watering, I pulled back the curtains in my bedroom to administer the necessary yesterday morning and was confronted with a sight I had not expected quite yet. Along with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Crafts, Gardening, Social, Wildlife | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

While I’m on hold

Posted on March 24, 2021 by Helen

Yesterday, I went for the first shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The side effects came on more or less as soon as I got home, which put paid to the rest of my day of annual leave being for anything … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, soil management, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , | 39 Comments

A bumblebee nest

Posted on March 22, 2021 by Helen

When I was shopping for a rosemary plant last week, I had a look for a cactus dahlia, having been charmed by the ones I saw at River Cottage in the summer of 2019. There weren’t any to my taste … Continue reading →

Posted in edible flowers, Wildlife | Tagged , | 17 Comments

Oh no! Those pesky pigeons again

Posted on March 4, 2021 by Helen

I hadn’t been wandering around the garden as much since the snows of January and February, so I wasn’t paying attention to the space at the back. Then at my local farm last week, there was a notice that the … Continue reading →

Posted in edible flowers, soil management, Wildlife | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

Rats like raw onions

Posted on February 21, 2021 by Helen

Now, I’m sure you are already aware that it can be dangerous and counter-productive to generalise from a single incident. The fact is that the generalised title had a better ring to it. Shame! Anyway, while the rat has been … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, Wildlife | Tagged , , , | 16 Comments

Another hole

Posted on February 1, 2021 by Helen

Well, there was no snow today (phew!), so I was able to get out into the garden and do another job on my list. In previous years, I have tended to leave the Jerusalem artichokes until they have been almost … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, soil management, Wildlife | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

‘A lot more’s been happening in 2020 than ….’*

Posted on December 31, 2020 by Helen

I haven’t blogged as much this year, neither writing nor reading. I can hardly say it’s because of my busy social life, though in some ways it is. For example, the world has opened up in as far I’ve been … Continue reading →

Posted in Days out, Gardening, Health, soil management, Wildlife | Tagged , , , | 19 Comments

The growing bug house

Posted on November 26, 2020 by Helen

My crab apple tree seemed to lose its leave early this year while the other apple trees are still in leaf. In fact, one or two of them are growing new leaves. Are they confused? It’s therefore too early to … Continue reading →

Posted in forest garden, Gardening, Wildlife | Tagged , | 22 Comments

Picking up the pieces

Posted on November 20, 2020 by Helen

Two tomato plants, in the small bed by the back door, decided to make their move sometime during the autumn. They’d been spindly little things all summer, then suddenly they were bushes, flowered and started to grow fruit in late … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, soil management, Wildlife | Tagged , , | 14 Comments