Shame on me. What's it been two, three weeks since I last blogged? What's been happening since then......?
I've been leading on a few work projects which finished last night so today it was back to watching the flash of red that denotes the lovely goldfinches on the Niger seed feeder. Winter is definitely here if they are back to feeding from the garden. We've seen hide nor hair (nor feather) of them all summer but with the onset of the colder weather they have made an appearance and it's a welcome return for us.
I also got hurriedly called into the bedroom to view the woodpecker in our tree this afternoon. All the birds are lovely but some are so common that we don't get so excited by them but this lesser spotted woodpecker is a rare guest in our garden. Looking like a bandit with black strips and a red flash he stayed long enough for us both to have a good squint at him through the binoculars before he arched around the trees and disappeared into the field beyond.
As the weather becomes less clement I have doubled up our chances of veg through the winter with broccoli grown inside the greenhouse as well as in the vegetable patch. Lukey dribbled some carrot seed in rows in there as well but then I let the chicks in there to bath in the dry ground and they scooped out huge dips exactly in the centre of the row. Whoops.
Although we should have a greenhouse heater to keep a consistent temperature throughout winter we have never yet got around to purchasing one but I have given the greenhouse an interior duvet system with the roll of bubble wrap (or piribond as they pronounced it in Venice) that we got with the treadmill. It wasn't enough for the entire greenhouse but all four sides have at least got a warm lining up to head height. I used extra strong waterproof tape to ensure it doesn't lose it's bond so we hope that will help the broccoli even more. I'd washed it all down a week or so ago to get the green algae off the glass and now it has it's coat on (inside out) it should keep it usable whilst winter rages. We've been warned of a dip in temperatures very soon and even this morning there was certainly a dip in the temperature although my roses are all in bloom or heavy with bud. None of the perennials have been cut back by frost yet but it's only now a matter of time.
As the great oak sheds it's golden leaves and shows us it's frame we have stocked up the newly made log store in time to hide indoors and nip out only for reinforcements.
I've been leading on a few work projects which finished last night so today it was back to watching the flash of red that denotes the lovely goldfinches on the Niger seed feeder. Winter is definitely here if they are back to feeding from the garden. We've seen hide nor hair (nor feather) of them all summer but with the onset of the colder weather they have made an appearance and it's a welcome return for us.
I also got hurriedly called into the bedroom to view the woodpecker in our tree this afternoon. All the birds are lovely but some are so common that we don't get so excited by them but this lesser spotted woodpecker is a rare guest in our garden. Looking like a bandit with black strips and a red flash he stayed long enough for us both to have a good squint at him through the binoculars before he arched around the trees and disappeared into the field beyond.
As the weather becomes less clement I have doubled up our chances of veg through the winter with broccoli grown inside the greenhouse as well as in the vegetable patch. Lukey dribbled some carrot seed in rows in there as well but then I let the chicks in there to bath in the dry ground and they scooped out huge dips exactly in the centre of the row. Whoops.
Although we should have a greenhouse heater to keep a consistent temperature throughout winter we have never yet got around to purchasing one but I have given the greenhouse an interior duvet system with the roll of bubble wrap (or piribond as they pronounced it in Venice) that we got with the treadmill. It wasn't enough for the entire greenhouse but all four sides have at least got a warm lining up to head height. I used extra strong waterproof tape to ensure it doesn't lose it's bond so we hope that will help the broccoli even more. I'd washed it all down a week or so ago to get the green algae off the glass and now it has it's coat on (inside out) it should keep it usable whilst winter rages. We've been warned of a dip in temperatures very soon and even this morning there was certainly a dip in the temperature although my roses are all in bloom or heavy with bud. None of the perennials have been cut back by frost yet but it's only now a matter of time.
As the great oak sheds it's golden leaves and shows us it's frame we have stocked up the newly made log store in time to hide indoors and nip out only for reinforcements.
