Look away now......

For those of you who don't know or have forgotten this is why they are called Naked Ladies in the Bath...

If you have a vivid imagination you can see a blushing damsel in a slipper bath. It is more commonly known as Bleeding Hearts, but where is the fun in that?

(I apologise to all the young men who have Googled 'naked ladies in the bath' and have ended up here)

No so ugly ducklings.

We have two mallard ducklings on the pond. What with lambs as well we are feeling positively fecund. 

I am turning the old pig wallow behind the summerhouse into a bed for two magnolias - the summerhouse should provide some shelter from icy winds and frost. 

Earthing up the potatoes ready for the frosts at the weekend. 

Grass cutting day.

And the crab apple blossom is spectacular.

Back to work!

Not really, just gardening. Weeding and planting. 

Amazing colour on this Acer. 

Naked ladies are looking good!

This wild patch at the bottom of the bracken field is looking good too. 

A tub of goodness. 

Back from another holiday!

We have been in Cumbria for two weeks settling Arthur into new home and a few other things. 

Everything in the garden is bursting with spring fecundity including the sheep in the sheep field. Which is a surprise to us and Neville as they were supposed to be fattening up for the table! One was born while we were away and this one appears to have been born earlier today. 

Neville and Liz have collected mum and baby to give them some TLC up at their place. 

Here are some highlights from the holiday. 

A fine day in the garden.

Mainly cutting the grass. We will have to rename the bracken field as regular mowing is keeping the bracken at bay. Perhaps we will call it the Orchard field as we plan to add to the fruit trees already there. 

And I love it when seedlings push their leaves up. So proud!

Progress.....

Planting stuff. And seeds are coming up. 

And redpolls feeding in the garden. 

Various garden jobs.

Planting snowdrops in the green on the bank by the car park field. 

Digging out one of the beds to make a bed for stand pots in 

Cut up builder's bags as membrane then gravel and sand. 

Also spreading muck and magis around the fruit trees. 

Oops. Friday's blog....

Working on the treehouse. I have fixed netting as a safety cage, put mesh on the floor to make it less slippery and put netting as a roof to fix the bent branches to. The netting is invisible at a distance so doesn't spoil the view!

Planting....

Potatoes and onions. It is a bit early but I want to be able to earth up the tatties before our next holiday. 

Also radishes, parsnips, carrots and lettuce. Of course the polytunnel is packed with trays of seeds too.

The frogspawn has turned into tadpoles - loads of them - but too small to eat. 

Wildlife update.

Today has been a water day. Dividing plants in the pond and planting them further down the waterway. It is a good time to spot what is surviving - quite a few goldfish, millions of tadpoles, toad spawn, newts, leeches, and no end of little mammals.