Monday 24 March 2008

Lovely Easter weather...

What an Easter weekend! There were forecasts of heavy snow in the North of England although the most we ever had at Chesters were flurries of snow showers, large soft feathery flakes that swept over the garden from time to time. Actually, Sunday was really quite a nice day though cold but this picture was taken today, Easter Monday, and shows the espalier apples through a veil of snow.
Working through the snow showers, we got quite a bit of garden work done - last Friday night's Gardeners' World had an interview with Fergus Garrett who has the garden team at Great Dixter steadily working through the rain regardless, with waterproofs and hats on, clearing the March leaves from under hedges and topiary. A little bit of strange weather doesn't stop us gardeners!

The pair of long tailed tits are still busy on the nut feeder, the female blackbird still following me closely round the garden. She is so tame that she came into the shop on Saturday and had to be lured out with some breadcrumbs (I told her they were particularly good being from biodynamically grown wheat from Gilchesters Organics but I think she liked them anyway). But visitors were probably amused to see me running round the garden, chasing the male pheasants out, because they are less wanted as they will scratch in the pots for sale. They stop doing it once there are lots of people about so .... roll on Spring!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hello Susie, How nice to read your blog! Caitie is moving back up north, her husband has just landed a job at Newcastle College, so her father sent her down the Journal property section. She spotted your article in there - well done you!!! - and I saw it had the blog address. As I'm suffering from insomnia, I thought I'd take a look. I'm down here helping with baby Evie for 6 months while Cait is back at work 4 mornings. Missing my garden up in Forres like mad, wondering what it's doing, keep wanting to ask the tenant: are the daffs out yet, have you spotted any cowslips, how's the hedge coming on, etc.etc.
I'm lodging in a house in Winchmore Hill, nr. Amersham, Bucks. - very rural, lots of hedges and beech woods, primroses along the road side, the snowdrops were abundant earlier, and there are daffodils everywhere. I shall keep looking at your blog from time to time, as I've always enjoyed a visit to the garden when staying in the area.
Hope all is going well with you,
love solasan (aka mandy wilkinson)