And the results are in!

We've just done it, Pip and me... our annual contribution to the Big Garden Birdwatch. (Ok, so we did it last week too, but that was just a practice run!)

We woke up this morning to a light covering of snow, which made everything look pretty again, which was nice. I was extra pleased though because last week it was quite warm when we did the Watch and compared to the numbers of birds we had been seeing over the past few weeks when it was freezing we hardly saw any birds. So the snow this morning meant that it was cold out there - which hopefully would mean we would see more birds.

And since we have last week's Bird-Watch information I thought I would record both for comparison's sake:

Sat 23
Blackbird 4
Robin 1
Dunnock 2
House sparrow 6
Carrion crow 1
Chaffinch 1
Goldfinch 2
Greenfinch 1
Blue tit 2
Great tit 2
Magpie 1

Sat 30
Blackbird 5
Robin 2
Dunnock 3
House sparrow 5
Carrion crow 2
Chaffinch 2
Goldfinch 5
Greenfinch 3
Blue tit 1
Great tit 1
Magpie 2

And our bonus extra bird this week was that we saw Mr & Mrs Bullfinch!!! So lots of finches and hardly any (well, 2) tits! We do see lots of tits generally, so not sure why this week and last week they have been low.

False Alarm

Ok, I'm wrong. It happens every now and then.

The Big Garden Birdwatch is NEXT weekend...

Don't know how I got it into my head that it was this weekend... but it's not. So you still have a week to stock up on birdseed. If you haven't already, start feeding them now so they get used to the idea that there's food available in your garden.

And next weekend I am going to haul my butt out of bed at 8am so I can get the best chance of seeing lots.

Great Garden Birdwatch Weekend

This is it. The weekend of the RSPB's Great Garden Birdwatch.

I only turned on the computer to print out the counting sheet, and to remind those of you in the UK to sit in a window with a cup of coffee (or tea, juice, water or gin if you prefer) and count the birds that visit your garden. All the instructions are here so please join in! Last year we saw a sparrowhawk make off with a sparrow in our very own garden! Such excitement! Who knows what we'll see this year... I am hoping our woodpecker will visit, and perhaps the bullfinches?

So off I go... to top up the feeders before I boil the kettle for my cup of hot.

Good News and Bad News

Look who came to visit me today! I am so excited! Gorgeous Mr Bullfinch, at last we meet!

He came the other day too, but I didn't manage to get a picture...

And if you're wondering, yes, I am very disappointed that the snow is almost all gone, there is no prospect of more, and all the Met Office can offer me is leaden skies and rain, which means mud until spring. I no longer crunch my way over to the bird feeders, I squelch and try to avoid huge puddles.

I don't care what anyone says...

... we just love the snow!

I know it causes travel trouble, but look outside! It's just so PRETTY!

I am tired of everyone moaning about being fed up with the snow. It's great! Yes, it's cold.

But guys... it's winter! It's supposed to be cold! Just think about all the bugs it's killing off with this freeze. I remember one winter recently when it was so warm that the caterpillars were still munching on my plants in January! Now THAT'S not right!

And this cold weather has been such a bonus for us garden-bird watchers. We've had loads in our garden eating all our food, and a lucky friend has even had bullfinches in hers!

This morning's feeding frenzy after I had refilled the feeders.
A chaffinch being its gorgeous self.

A group of shy-er ground feeders nibbling on crushed fatballs under the hebe bushes.
The bossiest and most charming of all our garden birds. Just look at how he's giving me the eye while I snap this shot! Cheeky!

Veggie-planning

Winter is traditionally, in the gardener's year anyway, the time for seed catalogues. And I suppose I really should get on that...

I have been in a bit of a gardening funk recently though. Nothing did brilliantly last year. The peas were ok, but not as good as the year before. The runner beans from my Grandad's garden survived, but weren't exactly prolific. The potatoes were fine, but I never managed to get them all dug. There are some still in there now, probably turned to mush under all the snow and frost. Except for the ones that are going to come back and haunt me with volunteer potato plants for years to come. The onions were fine. The garlic was fine. The shallots were fine, but so fiddly I can't imagine why anyone grows them. The asparagus died. Blah blah blah...

The trouble is that we go away for 2 weeks in the summer, just when the plants need most tlc, or when they are at peak production... whatever. We always get it wrong. I always get it wrong. So what's the point? Blah blah blah...
And this summer we are taking the boys to visit the American grandparents... for the whole of August (well, GardenBoy is going to join us for the last couple of weeks, but it'll be me and the three boys out there for a month). Which will be fantastic! But not for the 'garden left behind'.

So I haven't been able to work up much enthusiasm for seed catalogues.

I need to find crops that peak in June-July and then ones that need no attention all of August and then peak in September. Suggestions please?

I had thought about strawberries for the early crop, but apparently you need to get them in the year before. Oops.
Onions are always reliable, but not exactly exciting.
Potatoes I need to take a break from. Overdid it this year, as I said earlier, and besides, the rotation system of my small garden needs to have a potato-free year. And that means no tomatoes either... but then they were out anyway because they need attention in August.

Perhaps I'll have a big sweetcorn year. Pumpkins would be good except they need more heat than we're likely to get and I don't have a big pile of manure to sit them on. And the last big pile of manure I got was full of couch grass! Big mistake.

Maybe looking at a catalogue is just what I need... inspiration awaits!

My new toy

This is what I got myself for Christmas...

It's a little, digital window-thermometer so I can see what the temperature is outside. It appeals to the scientist in me. I have a sneaking feeling that the temp right next to the house is just a bit warmer than the temp in the middle of the garden but it's a good rough guide. I may buy myself a traditional thermometer, perhaps with max and min readers and hang it on the 'bird tree' so I can check that when I go out to refill the feeders and compare. Hmm....

Am I boring? Yup, you got it. But then, you probably already knew that.

It's the little things that make life interesting... and for me, this is one of them.

So how about you? What do you love that your average man-on-the-street would think 'boring' about?

A breath of fresh air

Christmas Day has come and gone again. And it was a 'white' Christmas, although snow didn't fall on the day there was snow on the ground. And it has fallen since, but not in such quantities as that last fall I talked about. But it was lovely, full of family, food and presents (oh, the presents!).

Spikey got up close and personal with his Great Grandma and explained the intricacies of Pingu, Wall-E and Monsters vs Aliens. Here he is demonstrating being an alien using some of his new Kid K'nex...
Today we decided we had been cooped up long enough and went out to the beach at Saltburn. GardenBoy took his Grandma for a drive while I took the three little monsters (or is that aliens?) out for a run on the beach. There had been a light covering of snow overnight so it was quite scenic. We wrapped up warm in waterproofs, wellies, fleeces, gloves, scarves, hats and coats and headed out to make sandcastles!

Pip took his turn with the camera and snapped this one of me with the snowy cliffs in the background. Not bad for his first try at photography, don't you think?

Then we decided to do our favourite Saltburn beach activity. We filled our buckets with stones and walked to the end of the pier to throw them at the waves (carefully missing the crazy surfers below). It had started to snow gently by then.

A nice man snapped a family portrait... by which time it was starting to snow more seriously.

This was the scene when we finally turned back to meet our GardenBoy and GardenGrandma in our nice warm car. The snow was pretty serious by then and sticking to the roads which were getting slippery already, so we decided to forgo the pub-lunch at the scenic pub in the moors and head for home. Has it snowed here? Not more than about 10 flakes... we were hoping for an afternoon sledding, but it isn't to be. Still, we had a nice lunch at a pub much closer to home.

And we are dry, warm and safe, and feeling like we actually DID something today.

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you are all as warm, full and contented as I am.