General Stores - Open for Business!

 Having finished a sign for the new hut using Chris's pyrography iron, Chris (Genever) kindly hung it up pronouncing it officially open for business! The pine disc was a present from Maureen and  is another cherished piece of Draycott in the garden! 

This was the hut that we were building back in November. As it actually as it is a bit of a general store, it seemed a pretty fitting name. It stores over wintering Dahlias, home grown apples and miscellaneous garden paraphernalia. Chris also drilled some heavy duty metal eyes into the house wall enabling the Wisteria to be tied securely back against the brickwork.

And now - the big thaw!

What a difference a day makes!!  In 24 hours, deep drifts of snow began melting away today. The garden was filled with sounds of dripping water and bird song once again. The girls are back in their 'House for Hens' as the temperatures were back up to 8 degrees from -4! Even the ice on the rain chain has all melted. The poor Hellebores are struggling to recover as they make their second appearance of the year. No sign of snowdrops yet.

Reappearing Hellebores.

The thaw begins.

Chucklings keeping warm in -4 degrees with deep snow outside!

A very snowy Henclosure

Marigold on look-out!

Esmerelda inspects Tosca's & Wilhelmina's output!

More snow and biting easterly winds means that it's FAR too cold for the girls to be outside in their pole hose in the Henclosure so they have decided to spend a few days next door in their Hennery house and stay snug and warm. 

This morning saw a bit of a scramble ('s'cuse the pun!) for the nest box but at least they're much cosier. Despite the weather, there were 4 eggs when I defrosted their water with one waiting in the wings ('scuse another pun!) to lay. Having five different hybrids means we know exactly who's laid which egg!

This weather means much deserved extra treats and extra corn. Yesterday, they had porridge for breakfast.

Tosca

Keeping busy to keep warm!

A very tidy culvert!

Chris returning for the next load

So; a sunny Saturday - for a change! Never mind the cold - at least it was dry!  Work began weeding and edging around all the tree bases in our little 'orchard' and then doing the Beech hedge around the Henclosure.

Nearly finished!

Chris was meant to be mulching with compost but when I caught him up, I found that he'd had a radical clear out in the Culvert Border! As he said, 'It's no good mulching on top of weeds.' How right he is. Before we knew it the conifers overhanging the culvert had all been pruned back and huge amounts of ivy removed. 

His eagle spotted that the Pheasant Berry by the cave door had died so that was removed and, yes. The compost bay is now empty and the yard area swept clean!!  It's always a long and heavy haul and far from a five minute job so it's always really pleasing when it's all finished. Well done Chris! 

A 'Chris' animation!

Spying on the diners!

Great tit.

Goldfinch

Long tailed tit

As it's been so ferociously cold, we've been making extra sure our song birds are well catered for. Their personal Michelin starred chef checks their daily gourmet menus and puts out fat balls, niger seed, peanuts, meal worms and raisins. These are just a few of our regular diners. We also have Chaffinches, Spotted woodpeckers, Bluetits, Blackbirds, March tits, Coal tits, Thrushes, Nuthatches, Dunnocks as well as the usual Sparrows and occasional Starling none of whom were the least interested in being photographed through the kitchen window!  They all know that spring is nearing and already there is activity around nest boxes and tea pots (hung in trees) despite the freezing temperatures.

Robin - waiting his turn in the Yew hedge below!

Blooming Update!

A few cheery photos of flowers in bloom in February.  Somehow, I don't think they need any introduction.  It's just such a pleasure to see them - especially on the darkest dreariest days. Still, the day's are getting a little longer as it's noticeably lighter in the mornings and evenings and that means a promise of more to come!!

Thursday turned into Saturday!

During...

... and after fern clearance.

A surprisingly sunny dry day for an entire day's garden work!  The last 4 Saturdays have either been glacial or glacial and wet! today, we were able to get on with jobs is reasonable comfort. After sorting out a log avalanche, the first job was barrowing some wood chip (kindly brought by Chris) down to Nutberry Noak and the Woodland Border path.  Next up: Fernery clearance with all last year's fronds removed. Not exactly a five minute job but rewarding and their dead and dying fronds lay flat and straggly hiding Cyclamen, Hellebores and Snowdrops alike. 

I left this job a little too late last year and it was difficult removing the dead fronds with new ones emerging and unfurling. It looked really tidy when we'd finished. We moved 4 or 5 ferns down to the lower border before moving on to emptying the compost bay. Well, I have to confess that I rather left that to Chris as it was so wet and heavy - especially after all the rain we've had. Instead, I carried on deadheading borders and filled another 3 barrows with much lighter loads while Chris mulched hedges, borders, back filled new path edges until it was too dark to carry on...........drinkies time!

Don't forget....

💘There's always room for a little romance in a garden! 💘

Busy Busy!

Remaining Hazel and catkins.

A slightly warmer but still damp and overcast Saturday saw Chris finishing the fence repairs with new rabbit wire which he's dug in. Initially, we planned to use the original wire netting - hence this being stapled to the outside!  It was on to the lower border to coppice the Hazel. We left 3 leaders meaning that there will be lots of home-produced pea sticks and sweet pea supports. Shrub roses were pruned, Lilac suckers removed and Sedums and Michaelmas daises deadheaded. In other words, a good old clear out and tidy up. We'll probably coppice again in 3 - 5 years time

Coppiced Hazel stool.

Bindweed -free Zone!

Time to move along to Nutberry Noak - our little overspill fruit and veg patch which has lain fallow for a year whilst weapons of mass destruction were being released on a epic Bindweed epidemic! We have a cob nut, some currants and a gooseberry.  Sadly, Bindweed choked everything hence our eradication mission.

The beds were  dug over and what remained of the Bindweed carefully removed. Luckily, there wasn't too much. Old raspberry canes were removed and a mulch of home made compost dug in before new raspberry canes (Autumn Bliss) planted. Hopefully we'll be growing marrows and courgettes down here later in the year. 

All in all, a pretty productive day!

Egg Champions of PTC

It's so tricky getting a shot of all five girls but, here they all are in some rare but freezing winter sunshine! 

106 eggs last month!!

Wilhelmina, Beatrice, Tosca, Esmerelda & Marigold

Now it's dark, miserable and sleeting & they've all gone in to roost.