Council has planted tree on my land.

Where we go on holiday, in France, across the lane is a hunting dog kennels. These naughty dogs keep getting out and leave little surprises for us in the garden, usually late at night. Have to be very wary when nipping out for early morning swim. Smells and animal noises are all part of the countryside.

Like it, orca!

We live in framing country too- plenty of manure around, and muck spreading from time to time. You makes your choices ...

We do get flies in the Summer - so we've put screens on one window per room- but the problem is the kitchen door, as I + dog go in and out every few minutes, so closing the screen is useless. We will invest in one of those beaded curtains this year, and see if that does the trick.

Just too many of us want our cake and eat it though. One of the joys of Summer here is watching the swallows and housemartins dash in and out of our large roof barn, where they live - no flies, no swallows- and on balance, I'd rather have the swallows ... so will have to accept the flies.

People want pristine gardens, and wonder why wildlife is no longer abundant...

orca Does that mean he's been 'goosed'?

Good one Orca!

Orca.....now thats pure class on your behalf! Well done.

In incomer complained about my geese honking and waking him up in the morning. I told him I'd deal with it and sent him one, all nicely plucked and gutted for Christmas. He's not mentioned the noise since!

OH is delighted as he spoke to farmer and he can go and get manure for the veggie patch when he likes! -

Sounds very much like us Bez, but in deepest Herefordshire! Lambs next door - Welsh black calves and their Mums in next field - and tractors hauling just about anything depending on time of year. At the moment its muck, but its good stuff!

When we bought this house in rural France it was in our agreement that we could not complain about country noises or smells! We are opposite a farm and a crop field surrounds us - we find watching the processes interesting.

That seems most unfair......mind you we hear of holidaying folks around here who rent a cottage deep in the country...then complain about the countryside sounds!

Agree - a dog kennels of long standing near us was forced to close due to complaints from a couple of houses a new development.

Quite granjura - buyer beware as they say!

Very different of course if such trees are planted when houses are adjacent - but people have to take responsibility for what is around them when they buy.

We had a Leylandii hedge at the bottom of our large garden, planted by the previous owners- with a large paddock behind owned by our neighbour, and with a Covenant on it, that it could never be built on. Neighbour sold to a local builder and Covenant didn't hold - so we had a whole cul-de-sac of houses built behind. We did regularly cut them down to about 12ft - but you could never believe the complaints we got!!! The hedge was of course there at least 20 years before the new houses we built - were there when the developer bought, when he built, when people bought the houses, signed the contracts and moved!!! They knew the hedge was there - full of birds and tawny owls too. It's still there I am pleased to say.

Watch out for cupressus macrocarpa too. They are leylandii 's daddy - the fast growing half - maturing at around 120 feet. Certainly not suitable for a suburban garden.

ginny........sound like the dreaded leylandii. I adore trees, love 'em to bits but ill considered planting of leylandii should be a hanging offence. We bought a house 5 years ago and when insepcting the back garden realised owner had planted a new row of them all down one side of garden (it turned out he had just fallen out with the neighbour on that side). Upon moving in we heaved out said leylandii (they were only 3-4footers then) and planted a mixed natural hedge. Result happy new neigbours. Leylandii also practically kill anything in their shade and suck the life out of half the garden.

granjura!
Wish you lived near Frank

Just bought a cherry and a pear to add to the orchard. I wish I lived near you Frank (well sort of) so I could come and pick up that maple and plant it with the other ones. I am sure the council will soon find it a good home- don't massacre it just yet please.

Please forgive the typo's in my post. All fingers and thumbs this morning !

soop #leaveme'lone

...after a whiz on your exercise bike, jings

I love to see tree, but in the right place. The people who live at the back of us have a line on conifers which they seldom cut and we spend hours each year cutting back the brances on our side. we would be unable to use about a third of our garden if we did not. They also have a beautiful willowbut the problem is that it is too near the houses and the roots are begining to affect the drains. It also makes a terrible mess when it drops its leaves .

I might go and count my trees - laters.

Sometimes to get from A to B you just cannot walk due to distances - on those occasions it is wonderful to drive along tree lined roads.
I am fortunate to have a garden large enough to have something like 50 trees growing in it - a number are fruit trees - so can walk around, touch them even, whenever I get the urge.