Sorting the grassy knoll

So much for the plans to launch straight into the potager. Snow. More bloody snow.  It wasn’t what I was hoping to see when I drew the curtains on the living room first thing this morning.

And the bird feeder was buried under the white stuff. Grrr. So I topped up the sunflower seeds and the mystery bird mix that the siskins love, and came up with a plan B.

Mooching in the potting shed in the freezing cold seemed to be the solution.  Artur was yowling and complaining as much as I was.  He only settled down onto his blanket when he realised I wasn’t going anywhere for a bit. (It’s affection of sorts.)  

I thought he would climb into his warmer box which I had lined with a fleece. but he didn’t seem to want to, so he huddled every tighter into a ball to keep warm. Silly cat.

I felt like huddling with him. But I had seeds to sow.  It is early. And it’s freezing, but I have sown some broad beans, some peas and some verbena bonariensis. Oh, and two varieties of cabbage.  I brought them into the office where they will be warmer.  And hopefully they will have germinated by the time I get back at the end of March.

By lunchtime the snow had stopped and it thawed quite quickly.  So I nipped out and cut back all the miscanthus grasses on the edge of the lawn. These are the last grasses I needed to cut down before March so that’s a minor thing to tick off the annoyingly long list. 

And then, oh joy, wood cutting. We went up to the forest and brought down straight tall chestnut trees for the potager design.

And I have a huge haul of yet more sticks. I do like a tidy forest. And the floor is littered with perfect chippable sticks.  So I grabbed armfuls of the stuff in between hauling out perfect straight logs for the sides of my raised beds.

I did cheat when it came to dragging them to the garden. I backed up the car and loaded the boot.  Naughty, but it did save my back.  I think I need about seven more trees to complete the design.  But it’s a work in progress. So much so, I haven’t taken a late afternoon photo.  Maybe tomorrow more will be revealed.