Badnage wood is in the distance; its whispering conifers hardly moving on this dank afternoon. The famous hen-house-on-wheels is at a crazy angle mid picture behind the trees. The Glam Ass's latest shed - which we will call 'The Field Shelter' is to the right. In the foreground the usual garden things as seen in winter; a desolate border, a shabby lawn and a nascent crinkle-crankle hornbeam hedge which on reflection would have been better grown in yew. Out of view to the right are bird feeders which attract a fantastic variety of birds which eat a fantastic amount of nuts, seeds and fatballs. Whoever observed that British birds are mostly boring little brown jobs is wrong, wrong, wrong. Our garden birds are a delight; flashes of gold and green, red, blue, black and white dart into view as I sit, usually open-mouthed, gazing out of this window. I tot up finches; Gold, Green and, Chaff. Blue tit, Great, Coal and Marsh tit too. Brambling, Siskin, Thrush, Blackbird, Sparrow, Jay, Magpie and damned, blasted pillaging Pheasants. Today they are the spots of colour - and how welcome is the patch of red on the Woodpecker in this subdued landscape.
I need to be out there. Enticing it may not be, but nonetheless I find myself drawn into the garden to stand and look - just to be there for heaven's sake. I scuff my feet amongst the leaf mould, kick the boards of the raised beds, make plans, haul out a weed or two and blow on my freezing fingers. It is still bitterly cold up here on the mountain but something is stirring in me and, although not very obviously, in the land too. There are bulbs forcing their way up towards light, and catkins, still tight, are on the hazel boughs. They are not like lamb's tails yet - another month before I see them dance in the breeze and shake their golden pollen to the wind. The evenings are lighter - and I am willing them to be lighter still, sooner and sooner - but know that this will take its predetermined time. We have a way to go yet.
I've ordered seeds, they will arrive and some I will plant very soon. I will, I will.
In the meantime my gardening is on paper. I plan my crop rotations, promise to try harder, buy fewer plants, make more from less. The year ahead is filled with so much promise and I can hardly contain my excitement. It is only January for heaven's sake. What will I be like in April?
I see sleet is forecast for Friday. Sigh.
14 comments:
You know perfectly well why you are the only person to feel anything at all about those mucky windows: men don't care about such things. They do know, deep down, that eventually dirt might make the windows unsee-throughable. And that's why they live with us.
Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes.
Soon, soon.
I have to make myself stay out of the beds - very hard to do when I can see weeds growing already...but the experts warn against compacting the soil by walking on it at this time, so I just stand at the edges and reach in as far as I can.
far too cold to do more than dash out to let out ducks and chickens feed them grab some logs and dash in to the fire here!With much more snow expected soon I suspect we will have a late spring.
I have noticed my mucky windows too (it was the sunshine!) and everything needs a spring clean I feel. And the garden is such a mess. And I have a berludy coughy cold virus.. I'll stop now....
What a lovely outlook you have, I too would be out there poking and rummaging around dreaming of spring. So much more satisfying than cleaning windows !
Oh please write a book and put my name down for the first copy. I so enjoy reading every blog you write....and then I could tell everyone....."you know that famous writer? I sew for her" :-)
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
A x
I do love the sound of your birds , particularly the Siskin .
I looked wistfully out of the window today at the sleet and tried cheer myself up with the one little narcissus in bloom on my windowledge .
It's hard to keep the faith sometimes .
just so long as its no more snow - I'm sure you could slow roast pheasants in that pizza oven???
I cleaned the dog noses off the window on monday morning by the afternoon they were back to normal GGGGrrrrrrrr why bother.
I spent sunday outside chopping down blackthorne saplings and trying to start a fire. I can't wait for some dryer weather xx
Drove back from sunny Yorkshire today into wild blizzardy storms once we reached Wales!! Hills were white over but most has gone now. I guess planning is about all we can do at the mo - oh and cook birthday for my 60 year old other half!
Birthday meal!!!
I'm pretty certain that it's the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch this weekend so find a spare hour and get counting all those feathered friends of yours!!
I will be doing the same, once I have cleaned the doggy nose smears off the window that is!!
Lesley x
A few days ago I discovered my first hellebore buds were up and getting fat. BUT there's still so much cold weather ahead for us. I am probably one of the few who welcomed yesterday's 4 inches of snow. (When it melts, I'll go spread some hay over them as a blanket.) Spring is months away here in the northeast.
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