Tag Archives: blackbirds

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

The closest I’ve been

Posted on June 26, 2020 by Helen

I got a surprise this morning when I got in the car to go and collect my provisions from the local organic farm. She’d been sitting there while I’d been doing my usual inspection of the front garden as I … Continue reading →

Posted in forest garden, Wildlife | Tagged , | 6 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

Monday morning

Posted on April 6, 2020 by Helen

Last week, a flyer came through the letterbox, advertising a local milkman’s delivery service. He was no longer able to sell to the catering industry but wondered if members of the general public would be interested. The clincher for me … Continue reading →

Posted in Good for the environment, Wildlife | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Fat for the birds

Posted on February 25, 2020 by Helen

A couple of weeks ago, I decided it was time to make some fat balls for the garden birds. But have you ever tried to do this? At first, it seemed straightforward enough, mixing the seeds into the fat on … Continue reading →

Posted in Wildlife | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

Dwarf waterlily

Posted on April 5, 2019 by Helen

Over the past few weeks, algae has been growing in my pond, so I’ve been on the lookout for an oxygenating plant to tackle the unwanted growth. Of course, not every nursery sells exactly what you want. My parents had … Continue reading →

Posted in Pond and bog garden, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , | 16 Comments

Another unnamed gift

Posted on March 29, 2019 by Helen

One of the other members of my Knit and Natter group asked me if I would be interested in something from her garden. It apparently likes damp soil, so I thought why not for the bog garden. I’m not so … Continue reading →

Posted in Pond and bog garden, presents, Wildlife | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

Raspberries in December

Posted on December 27, 2018 by Helen

After an hour’s digging this morning, it was time to hit the sales in Leeds. Well, to get a new kettle, to be precise. This gave me the opportunity to have a wander through the sustainability garden at work, which … Continue reading →

Posted in Days out, Gardening, Wildlife | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Accepting the inevitable

Posted on December 1, 2018 by Helen

It would be an exaggeration to say that my morning has been blighted by what I saw when I opened the dining room windows this morning. I wasn’t chuffed, though. It seems the rats don’t like pickled chillis, bay leaves … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, Wildlife | Tagged , , , | 15 Comments

My love of birds grows

Posted on July 8, 2018 by Helen

This evening, a blackbird has been hiding in the strawberry undergrowth a lot. That is to say, each time I go into the garden it scuttles away to safety (relatively speaking). I’m really intrigued. What is it so determined to … Continue reading →

Posted in Wildlife | Tagged , , | 14 Comments