Sunday 6 April 2014

Springing Around in the Garden!

It's been Springtime in our garden this week.  Tom has been very happy to be allowed outside.  He lies happily in the grass, watching birds and insects, sunning his tummy or back and enjoying the breeze. 

Tom is ready for his close-up...

 
...see?

Tom also spends a lot of time running around, which is good for his fitness routine.  He has been on a Diet, as he was a bit overweight. I'm sure all the dashing about and adventuring outside is doing his little chubby figure some good - he'll soon be fitter than me!
 
Dave has also been busy.  He's renovating the lawn near the new deck.  It was pretty mashed up by the builders' equipment.  We had some stepping stones across to the steps, but the digger rolled over them and broke one, so he's dug them out and filled in the holes.  They are no longer in the best place, as the whole dynamic of the garden is affected by the new building and decked area.  We'll replace them with new ones soon, running on a slightly different line.  

He's also making a soakaway next to the deck, as all the rain we had in the winter turned the lawn area into a huge swampy puddle.  The hole is quite deep and has a thick layer of sharp sand, with another of nice green stone chippings. 
 
He has smoothed and levelled the ground (digging out several loads of stones, rubble and bricks embedded there by constant running of machinery over the grass!).  Four boxes of grass seed, some feed and a layer of compost later, we are hoping for a few new green shoots in the next week or so.
 
 * * *
The garden itself is enjoying the warmer weather and many of our spring flowers are now opening out and giving us a display of colour, after all the greys of winter.


Celandine...  
Euphorbia... (pretty and so cheerful in their corner by the acacia tree)
Muscari (grape hyacyinth)  
Narcissus... 
 
The pear tree is now beginning to waken too and the blossom is almost out.
Pear blossom ready to open...
 
And the tulips have big green buds, with evidence of fast-ripening flowers inside.
Tulips - these will soon be red!
 
* * *
The birds are enjoying the springtime too.  There's been much activity and flurry going on, with pairings-up and dashing around with beaks filled with fluff, twiggy bits and straws for nest-building.  The robins are nesting in the hedge, the greenfinches somewhere nearby (they collect stuff from our garden, then vanish over the top of the big hedge), the sparrows are out in a gang, twittering and squeaking in the shrubs. 

Also, this nest box has proved popular.  There have been several Viewings, but it is no longer To Let - it has been taken for the season...
 The nest box is high up in the false-acacia tree, far enough away from cats to make it a desirable location.

I sat and watched with my (new!!) camera, on Friday lunchtime...
Blue Tit...
...checking it's safe...
...going inside...
...with nesting material! 
 
So, soon we will have little twitterings and flutterings from the blue-tit box (and we'll need to police the cat!). 

9 comments:

  1. Lizzie, the new camera looks pretty good, these images are lovely. I am so glad you named Muscari as I was trying to remember what they were called the other day. My friend said Spanish Bluebells but that's not the same is it? I too, have the builders in and the garden is a ruination of itself. This summer is going to take a lot to bring it back to life. I reckon it takes 2 years to get over builders. (rant over) Blue tits make everything better though. So sweet and amazing colours.

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    1. Ah, builders... The mantra is "it'll all be worth it when it's finished...", repeated numerous times a day. If you say it often enough, you may even find yourself believing it!
      Of course, that is usually true, but when they're pulling walls down, digging up floors and covering everything - including the kitchen sink (& the loo!) - in a layer of gritty grey dust.... Well, you have my sympathy and I'm happy to lend my "I survived the builders" t-shirts! We've had them here twice - adding a bedroom over the kitchen in 2009, then the extension of the back of the house, which took pretty much all of last year to organise & build - it included remodelling most of our ground floor (hence the walls down/floors up/dust etc). Never ever again!! Good luck with your project - I'm here if you need to moan. ;)

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  2. It's so good to see all the signs of Spring in your garden....and Tom enjoying it as well.

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    1. Jacky, Tom is a very happy cat; I look at him lying in the grass and remember that last year at this time he was still living in a (large & comfortable) cage, in the fosterer's garage - he could only see the garden through a mesh door and only smell the air from indoors. It's a real pleasure to see him so contented and also so excited by the space and freshness all around him!

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  3. Rather appropriate to read this whilst I wait for builders who haven't replied to say they are coming today - but didn't reply to say they aren't.... The garden looks great and a soakaway by the deck is a good idea - the extra water is why we ended up with a pond and now a bog garden at the edge of the lawn.

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  4. Well done on getting the bird shots...your patience paid off!
    Alison xx

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  5. Your new camera is complementing your keen eye and great patience, Lizzie - what a superb set of photos. Our tulips are barely above ground up here. We must be a month behind you!

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  6. Glad to see that Tom is able to relax outside - great shots with your new camera too. Spring has sprung!

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  7. Lovely to have a little peep in your garden and to see how well TomCat has settled in.

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