Learner driver - new version of blogger to work with...

It's been a while since my last post, mostly due to pressure of work and an illness which knocked me back for around a month.  We've not been completely idle though...

We've had the hedge laid down as you can see here:

The reduction in barrier led to the first intrusion we've had for some time, someone decided stealing two bird feeders full of seed would be a good idea... they also pushed the structure down to get over the fence but being a living thing it's fairly resilient, and is growing into a natural barrier again.  Within 12 - 18 months it will be thicker, stronger and even more of a natural fence along the long side of the garden.  The continuous rain will have helped too.

As it did our first produce of the year, lots and lots of purple sprouting broccoli:

After a burst of summer heat at the end of March, that brought out the first blossom of the year, always peach:

Together with some pear:

Flowering Cherry:

and Apple:

The rains set in.  The continuous downpours and lots of cold weather has meant little or no fruit has set.  We've also not seen the bats since that early warm spell.  I hope they didn't starve, having stirred early from their hibernation and then not finding much food around.

The sun's been out in part for the last day or so which is bring the next wave of blossom, including more apple:

 

Bird Cherry:

 

And Rowan:

Fingers crossed for some better weather to help these all set and indeed the veggies we have at seedling stage grow, they need to be planted out and survive!

The birds are busy too.  This photo was taken just after I finished a feeding top-up this morning:

The stuffed bills are indicative of feeding at the nest.  We know we have Blackbirds, Starlings, House Sparrows and Great Tits nesting in our garden right now, we suspect Robin, Blue Tit and Coal Tit.  Our latest garden list addition is a very intelligent corvid, the Jackdaw, who makes daily forays to fill-up first itself then its bill before heading off to the open land behind.