It's been far too long since I posted on this site, mainly because recent storms have meant I have spent very little time in my garden. I'm posting now largely to reassure readers that I'm still alive!
So, today the wind finally abated enough for me to get outside and see what needs doing. There are LOADS of weeds to be tackled, but I decided that the most urgent job was to remove the small branches which have blown onto my lawn before they do any damage:
Now is also the time to fertilise vegetable beds before I start planting, so I have quite literally been shovelling ... well, you know the rest! I start with a 3 inch layer on the soil (in this case a raised bed) then thoroughly dig it in, taking out any roots I find while I'm at it. Finally I finish it off with my new owl solar light, a lovely gift from my daughter, which hopefully will deter foxes from digging my young plants up:
Speaking of foxes, there are definite signs that they're active in the garden at the moment. They've been digging into the side of a slope trying to get at the rats which have created a nest in there (a good reason not to discourage foxes TOO much in my opinion!) and leaving some less pleasant traces on our decking. I'll be putting out some scented pellets on the decking area to dissuade them from using it as a toilet, they're intended as a dog repellant but in my experience they work well on foxes too. Foxes are wild but in a lot of ways not unlike their domestic cousins, even when it comes to playing; we frequently find chewed up gloves or slippers, or - as shown below - toys which they have stolen from neighbouring gardens (I think this was once a monkey!).
