Birds and Bulbs

The birds are busy in the garden again now that the feeders are full and squirrels are trying their best to cash in on the feast.

The blackbirds have been flinging leaves and soil around, messing up the paths and making the garden untidy. I love to see them though. Blackbirds have such attitude and they’re very welcome in our garden. Some cooking apples which clung onto the tree have fallen in the strong wind and the blackbirds are happily nibbling away at them.

Although the garden is winding down there are little highlights to enjoy. The Acers are lovely.

Other beautiful leaves glow in pinks and golds. The hydrangea mophead flowers have mellowed to a silvery sheen and their leaves are lovely. The fruits on the chaenomeles (Japanese Quince) are golden yellow and there are pretty berries and dark brown seedheads around the garden, so it still delights me despite the weather.

Also I’m excited that my order of Spring bulbs has arrived so I’m going to be busy once I have an opportunity on a sunny, dry day. I’m going to plant Daffodils, Tulips, Hyacinths, Leucojum ( looks like a very tall Snowdrop), Alliums and Colchicum. Probably more that I’ve overlooked until I search the bags. This photo shows only a few of them.

I only found seven plums on our two plum trees this year! A solitary fruit on the Victoria and six on our ancient and very tall other tree. The fruit on the old tree is purple and they are delicious if I’m lucky enough to find a few in October when they’re ripe. However plums are cheap to buy at this time of year. Bought ones can be hard and tasteless though, especially the supermarket ones which say “ripen at home”. They never do ripen and the flavour seems bland but if you stew them with a drop of water until the juice runs and add sugar, they are really tasty. We love them, warm or cold, served with greek yogurt. Mmm, really good.

I knitted a third Christmas cracker. Will make at least one more and have been thinking of small gifts to put inside.

Will let you all know how the bulb planting goes. Fingers crossed for better weather.