Time for proper gardening……

It’s great to be home again and to see the changes in the garden in just two weeks. There are butterflies now – tatty small tortoiseshell and peacock – and lots of massive queen bumblebees searching for nest sites. They should be pretty successful in that regard as many of the wilder areas in the garden are a mass of vole and mice runs and holes. In spite of the sunny and warm weather we still have ‘winter’ birds here including bramblings and fieldfares, and yesterday – a lesser redpoll – a first for the garden. If the week ahead stays mild and dry I will be sowing vegetable and flower seeds including broad beans, sweet peas and parsnips, and preparing the greenhouse for early salad crops. Real gardening!