Fifteen fruit trees, corralled

You would think that I had herded the trees into a corner and threw a rope around them.  But it was similar sensation.

I have built anti deer protection today around each and every tree in the orchard.  Most of them look stately and organised, and these little ones (the baby almonds) look ridiculous.

They are the perfect height for a deer to stick its head over the top of the cage and munch the juicy tops of the leaves.  So I have draped a complicated bit of netting around each of the lower trees.

It was extraordinary slow work as I had too many layers of warm weather clothing on. And it was hot.   Hot and still and stunning for the end of winter.

I had to retire to the house to find a sun hat and take off a fleece and two gilets.

And then once the new trees were tidied away, I decided to give all the other trees in the orchard  a good sorting.  Weeding, mulching, clearing away debris, checking the ties, and generally paying a bit of attention to the poor trees.

I must confess I do neglect them somewhat during the season. Or in large garden terms, I let them get on with things on their own.

I will need to add mulch around each tree of the weed suppressing variety. but that’s about it.

And by lunchtime, I was more than ready to scuttle out of the sun. So I spent a happy hour removing about fifteen feet of stinging nettle roots from the north side of the stables.  It was wonderfully shaded and nettle work is a true guilty pleasure for the weeder.

Yanking on nettle roots in soft soil is such a joy; you can really unzip the critters out of the soil and get a few feet of pest in one pull.

It’s most addictive. And I only stopped when I realised that my glove (washing up variety; the only sort for nettles) had a small tear and the stingers were getting under my thumb.

Later I set out with all the tools for a task I have been wanting to attack for months.

When we had the flood, most of the gravel from the courtyard ended up fifty metres below the house on the main terrace that was once a lovely sward of grass.

It is deceptive in the picture, but the gravel and stones are about 10cm thick. And packed hard from all the rain.

It didn’t take long for my little friend to join me.  But I can’t say he was much help. He kept lying elegantly on the stones and demanding to be loved.

But as you all know, a semi wild cat does not have his tummy rubbed. I would have been shredded in seconds.  I stayed well clear and kept picking the stones around him. But he did look fetching.

I collected all the stones in buckets and then heaved them onto the steep slope nearby.  I think it will hold – I can’t face another landslide of stones after an entire late afternoon of stone picking.