The Hawthorn

It’s been touch and go with the fairly extreme temperature changes, but the Hawthorn on one of my borders has finally committed itself and flowered. The bees must be pretty pleased, but they are so few and far between you’d be forgiven for thinking they haven’t even ventured out yet. The butterflies are more determined though, those brave souls who hibernate in my garage. When I arrived home yesterday there was a Peacock butterfly gently tapping on the garage window so I duly let it out. Do look out for them, check they’re not shut in on warm days – you’ll be glad you did.

The Yellow Garden
In Spring my garden is yellow, not so much in “tooth and claw” but certainly flower and foliage. There’s nothing more attractive than the yellow-green essence of new foliage alongside the promise of fragrant early daffodils and the subtle emergence of a secretive Mahonia that gradually illuminates a shady hollow.


A word about Cats
I am not a cat lover, needless to say not an owner either, but nevertheless I am compelled to cope with the stinking mess they leave behind in my garden. I no longer garden without gloves and spend £s every month on repellent, which inevitably needs re-applying after rain. If owners provide the animals with adequate toilet facilities they will not feel the need to defecate elsewhere, since cats tend to be creatures of habit and like their comforts, but it seems that we must all pay for irresponsible and selfish owners. On a lighter note, I have never understood the attraction of an animal who sits in the middle of the sitting room floor and licks it’s genitals then wipes it’s face all over it’s owner. Cat lovers will find my words offensive – I find cat-poo offensive…….oh, and our Mr. Blackbird doesn’t hold cats in too high a regard either.