Wednesday – Home – A Blackbird starts singing before 5:00 in the morning. By 6:00 he stops and I realise he was the morning chorus, silence has fallen. This is profoundly depressing.
Saturday – Home – Storm Dave, named by the UK Meteorological Service, is hitting the country, although the worst winds will be some way to north of here. Today is a mixture of clouds and bursts of sunshine.
There is no sign of any sprouting from the row of peas sown some weeks ago. Nothing yet from the root crop seeds either, although these can take their time. The lettuces in the greenhouse sown back in the winter have suddenly come on and can be cropped on a “cut and come again”, basis, I hope. The kale and mustard have germinated well but the chard is a bit sparse. The broad beans are going to need planting out this week, I am afraid Kay will have to carry this out. There are so many jobs that need doing but many are not going to happen.
Storm Dave roars through with much banging and shouting! The wind dies away around 3:00AM on Easter Sunday.
Thursday – Home – Recovery from my hip operation is slow but steady. I manage to visit the library but little else. The garden is a sea of Bluebells. The pear trees are in blossom and the apples will soon be. My roots sowings look disappointing, only the radish has sprouted. I will give the others a little longer before doing another sowing. Likewise, the peas appear to have also failed.
Tuesday – Home – An area of high pressure is drifting southwards from Iceland bright sunshine but a cool wind. We decide to start repotting the tomatoes which are getting leggy in the bathroom. A dozen are potted up and into the greenhouse. Yesterday a tray of beetroot was sown as there is still no sign of those sown in the bed earlier. A tray of lettuce is almost ready to plant out. A trough of lettuces sown in the winter are now being harvested. The first potato has emerged.
Gulls are wailing overhead. Wood Pigeons clatter in the trees. I think they are responsible for considerable damage to a row of radish shoots. The resident Chiffchaff calls intermittently as does a Great Tit. The grass needs cutting but that is beyond me currently.
Sunday – Home – After several bright, sunny days this morning has returned to Leominster Grey. Over the last few days the rest of the tomatoes have been repotted and moved to the greenhouse. Aubergines, courgettes, cucumbers and another tray of lettuces have been sown. The greenhouse reached 44°C yesterday afternoon.
Kay has cut the grass on the lawn but the rest of the grassy areas will have to wait. A Blue Tit is observed using the nest box on the summerhouse. Spotty the Blackbird is busy searching the lawn for food. He occasionally disappears behind a large Berberis bush so there may be a nest there. A pair of Speckled Wood butterflies and pirouetting along the path. Orange Tips fly past at speed and a little blue butterfly, probably a Holly Blue, is flying around the tops of the large shrubbery.
This morning I sow some French beans and more broad beans in big pots and put them in the greenhouse. Some rhubarb is pulled and stewed. A newly fledged Robin is squeaking in the shed. I try to persuade it out and fail but it finds its own way out as I am preparing the compost. The Red Duke of York potatoes have sprouted.