Our gardens change with the landscapes which surround them, and today thunder storms have buffeted both my garden and the hills around me. Now gone, they have left a wet blanket of mist ensuring we end the day obscured from one another.
The summer which took forever to arrive has flounced off in a tantrum, the washing hangs sodden on the line, my shorts have gone back in the drawer, replaced today by jeans and a jumper. For once though I timed a garden task just right and cut the last little patch of long grass in my meadow lawn yesterday.
It had to be done or the sodden vegetation would sit all winter, as it did one year when I braved the criticism of strict meadow managers, but the following spring’s bare patches and subsequent coarse grass tussocks taught me a lesson. Now I grit my teeth and get it done, consoled by the knowledge that I am following nature’s pattern and the traditions which led to the assembly of flora and fauna that in years past would have been common pasture species, and in a few fields, still are
I dread it though and hate the damage I cause as young frogs and grasshoppers leap out of the way, moths flutter up, disturbed from their daytime hiding place and vulnerable, and this year besides the usual and anticipated victims of homelessness, a long legged and thin bodied spider slowly carried her burden of a huge egg sack out of my way as I stood watching, apologising profusely.
Although the rain seems to have made little difference to the pond’s water level, it must have been just the encouragement the wildflower seeds I sowed a few weeks ago needed, little pairs of seed leaves are sprouting. I’m relieved and delighted to see them and reassured that my plan to follow nature’s lead and take advantage of the damp humid conditions, to sow what I hope will be new life into my poor little meadow lawn.
While I’ve been sitting with a cuppa building up a bit of momentum, a fat pudding of a wood pigeon has been hoovering up sunflower hearts from beneath the busy bird feeder and I’ve been wondering if he will feel full enough now to leave the broccoli and kale leaves alone. We have hedgehogs to chew the slugs and snails, but the baby I’ve been feeding isn’t going to scare off a pigeon any time soon.
There are gold and green finches, blue and great tits on the feeder but just out of interest I ask Merlin (a brilliant app) to listen and identify the other birds twittering and chirping in the trees. Besides the robin, dunnock and jackdaw which are almost always around, within ten minutes it also heard grey wagtail, spotted flycatcher, pied flycatcher and hawfinch. Justification for a smug grin on my face for the rest of the day I think!
