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!).