Kerboom! The buds are fattening…

05 Feb Kerboom! The buds are fattening…

Good evening. A really good one for me. We felt real warmth in the sun today. How warm? The glasshouse doors and vents were slid open and I was down to one gilet over three layers – slowly getting there! In the peach house the sap is rising and leaking from the branches, the bees were on the wing and everywhere buds are visibly fattening.

Lovely to have Paul and his five strong crew join us today working hard on  the polytunnel. They still have the skin to put on and temperatures are predicted as low tomorrow, so we’re not expecting completion until Monday.

Here’s another of my notorious ‘before’ and ‘after’s.’ I decided to concentrate on an as yet, understated entrance into the walled garden next to the old bothy, now the chapel. Martin is lovingly restoring each door which involves removing each one, stripping, filling and repairing original hinges and latches. In homage to our new doors and symbolic of entering this year afresh each entrance is being tidied and tended.

My robins were with me throughout the day. I’ve noticed that their song changes when they are by my feet or hands. They sing, but almost in a whisper; more of a burble. I wonder why that is? It puts me in mind of watching the Dawlish seagulls as a child; the fully grown up offspring – often much bigger and fatter than their parents – comically followed the female making little noises and opening their beaks mimicking a newborn chick in a plea to still be fed.

I put the finishing barrow loads of scrummy compost into the vine house which we’ve all worked hard on, but none more than Pip who added a really nice touch under the tap with a slate slab we found on the other side of the potting shed. The best thing about the vine house? It smells amazing! All that fresh compost has a resin kick to it thanks to the oodles of shredded bark.

Isn’t this a great little specimen? Prunus lusitanica or Portuguese laurel sits by the  tool store, lending the whole area a Mediterranean air. The shapes in the garden are so pleasing. The curve of the box and the vertical lines of the peach house. Can’t wait until we can reach out and eat the view.