Joys of Spring

Oh dear, I think a barn owl has taken up residence in a niche in the house wall again. A spring of snuffling, snoring, squawking and screeching lies ahead...

Too early!

Hope you get some for St. David's day, Jess.

Ms. Dove does NOT know best - nest abandoned with two eggs.
I wonder why?

Not a cloud in the sky! must find a daffies for tomorrow. I don't have any leeks!

I think the sun must be out down there jeni it is mild here, and contemplating a little session with the secateurs, but we are under thick grey cloud. St David's day tomorrow!

Can't believe it! It's February and I've just sat outside in a shirtsleeved T for 1/2 hour reading!

Flock of 10 goldfinches in the garden at the moment and sloe gin in the cupboard.

mmm - collectors eh? [shrug emoticon]

Gosh!

remodelista.com/posts/worlds-most-expensive-snowdrop-and-an-alternate?utm_source=Remodelista+Daily+Subscriber+List&utm_campaign=c9302007e0-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=ema

Ah, it is probably the most common hedgerow bush around here.

I LOVE BLACKTHORN too! Beautiful flowers. Lovely fruit (in gin). It doesn't grow around here. Too wet, perhaps? But my Oxfordshire allotment was surrounded by a hedge of blackthorn and elder. Wehad sloegin and elderbery wineeveryyear!

Obviously made my keyboard drunk too!

That would be it, Mamie. We're deep S.W. - Very south of the Loire, where the weather changes

Gardening different in France, Bootairnoot? Apart from the fact that you can buy baby leek plants and not runner beans it seems more or less the same to me? Maybe because we are in Normandy which is pretty much like England really.

JessM - Blackthorn blooming and Mr. Toad being rampant certainly sounds as if Spring is finally here. Hurrah!

As soon as she saw him
With a twig or two
To make the scruffy, scrappy nest
Ms. Dove delivered
As one does
A beautiful white egg
Hanging on for dear life
In the Eucalyptus
And I wonder how it stays there
With such an insubstantial nest
But I guess
As one does
That Ms. Dove knows best.

Humph. no frogspawn here in chilly edge of east anglia either. It is milder near the sea methinks.
BUT
Not only a few daffs but the BLACKTHORN IS OUT - yes i am shouting. It is my official indicator of spring. I am very aware where the earliest blackthorn is in the area - just next to the bridge over the mainline railway.
And despite the lack of frogs my solitary mr toad was at it again - clasping the poor goldfish in a passionate embrace. Bet that poor fish was surprised to have that happen again, after all these months of neglect
I do need to dispose of the woodcock though. I think the notion that I will eat it has now gone past its pluck by date...

bagitha
They were late in my pond last year as well. Just lazy frogs I think

It is, Mamie, it is! I tried the potage for a couple of years, but it was too exhausting. It's now a beautiful lawn ! I never knew gardening would be so different here.

Definitely called Bootairnoot in our local market. Bit like toopairware parties, you must have those in your bit of France.
Yes far too many beds, have done four for onions, only spuds, salads, brassica, courgettes, aubergines, toms, beans, peas zzzzzzz
I seem to remember some romantic notion of moving to France for the good life.

There's masses of frogspawn near Bristol, jeni. It must be something you (or your gardener) said!!!

You might not be able to do the interactive map thingy on your iPad. I can't. I had to go to the big comp.

My dot isn't showing up yet on the map because I've only just entered our earlier-in-February sighting.

Chuck the chafers to the chooks, butty!

jeni, maybe Bristol isn't wet enough yet? Should be though, on the west. Who knows? I'm going to check naturescalendar and see if other people in your area have frogspawn......

Backsun, as Pooh Bah would say.

Blimey, Mamie - that's a lot of raised beds. I've only got four quadrangles to dig over - I'm trying to develop a curate's garden - mixed veg, herbs and flowers.

Wishing you good luck and a strong back for the remaining beds.

I haven't come across Bootairnoot.

The colour is coming back: cornus mas in full bloom; camellias responding well to the ericaceous fertilizer they had last year and rhododendron praecox flowering away happily.

Wish I could summon up more springtime energy for the 24 raised beds still left to clear and prepare. I have done four. Sighs.
PS Butternut - do you pronounce it the French way Bootairnoot?

Anybody want some root feeding cockchafers? I empties out two large pots today because the shrubs were not thriving - and found these pests. I stopped counting when I got to 50! .

Thing is, I don't know what to do with them. Dare I feed them to the birds?

I'd much rather have some frogspawn - Swap anyone??