Wildlife in February and March! Better Late Than Never.

I'm a bit behind. I didn't get chance to update the list for February before we hot footed it to Lincolnshire at the beginning of March, and since then it's been non stop riding, gardening, racing and socialising. Life's a beach!

More Digging

While Husband digs over both Vegetable plots, I start digging elsewhere. A project which had been planned for the autumn, but never happened thanks to the weather. With the forecast predicting a breakdown in the current dry spell for tomorrow, I was keen to get this job well on the way before that happened.
So having planted one lot of broad beans (the others are in the cold frame getting a head start as they are going into a colder bed) and two varieties of parsnip; Husband helped me with the digging in the later stages. Ferrying soil away as I battled with rather large stones to try to get below the 3 feet deep target. Once that deep, it was time to do battle with the liner....

Once in place all that remained for today was to fill with water and leave it to settle for a day or two.

Now it can rain!

When in Hole

Husband spent the day digging on Friday By the end of the day, it was beginning to look as though we may have found the first signs of the old village well. Then I spent the day digging today - mainly with a trowel as by this time the hole was pretty deep and confined; and the work was pretty delicate. Eventually, with a hole that was about 4ft deep and similar in other directions, it turned out to be a medieval drain! We already knew that the house was built on the site of the medieval village, but it was pretty amazing to think how long this had remained in place.

Somehow a stone drain 4 ft in the ground, complete with part of an old bedstead, won't make quite the same feature the well would have done, so two days digging and about half an hour to fill the hole in again!

We'll leave the well for another day.

Spring is Sprung

In time for husbands birthday and 13 days earlier than last year - we finally have our first daffs out in the garden.

Well, Well, Well

Husband has been working his socks off again. This time digging tree stumps. We have taken the odd conifer down in the front garden, but at some point, some pretty large ones have been removed and the stumps left in place.



After a huge amount of digging, chopping, swearing and cursing, two big stumps were finally cleared, leaving two nice holes in the ground. We are pretty sure that the well, which we know was in the front garden and was filled in when the house was built, is in this area. Enough digging for one day, but the excavations will continue....
Meanwhile, I was busy demolishing the bed next to the drive. Removing turf (which is being used elsewhere) to widen it, removing hostas, heathers etc which were in the wrong place and had outgrown it anyway, and planting some new shrubs which we were kindly given by friends last back end.


We still have a lot to do, but it is beginning to feel as though it is our garden now. We are also really chuffed that we have done everything so far by recycling materials that were already in the garden; most of which are naturally occurring stone, plants and soil. Turf has been moved from A to B (and keeps moving. We have not thrown money at anything - except a few plants, and we feel that it is now turning into a garden that fits into the natural surroundings far more than it did when we moved in.

First Gardening of the Year

Finally we have some gardening weather. The ground is plenty wet enough - in fact the heaviest clay areas of the garden are still seriously wet, but at last the plants that I was given from Mum and Dad's garden, plus a couple that were bought last back end but never got planted due to weather, finally make it into the new bed in the back garden.

There is not much to show for our efforts in this area, as spring hasn't really got going here yet. No daffs flowering yet and the plants that went in in the back end are only just waking up. That said, when we look back at the changes we have made, we think we can be pleased with the progress.


We inherited some very urban patios and a couple of rockery beds which were colourful for a few weeks of the year and bare the rest of the time.
The patios both went a long time ago, and the rockery areas were removed, re levelled and restocked. Once the growing season really starts we should be able to see a marked difference.

The site of the old patio still has to be transformed - so watch this space on that.

Visiting Bungle And Ferdy

Our annual 'House, Horse, Dog and Cat Sitting' trip to Lincolnshire gave us chance to catch up with family and friends; in the company of our dear friends, Bungle and Ferdy.

Ferdy likes to show his appreciation of Extra Strong Mints


While Bungle just wants more mints. There was no way he was going to let me get my hands far enough from his nose to take a picture.


meanwhile, Husband was busy chain harrowing the paddocks. No, this wasn't a planned job, but with a completely dry week the conditions were ideal, so while Simon mowed, Sally gardened and did all their post holiday domestic jobs, husband and I went back to our roots!

Two Down

Remember this?




Well this is what it looks like now.....


Now we are finally all straight. Bathrooms are finished (though the sparkie still has to come and do some work in the garage - in theory tomorrow) and although we still have more decorating to do, we are taking a break from painting for a while so have packed all the stuff away and got our house back!