So where's the storm?

Batten down the hatches we're in for a big one the weathermen warned yesterday. Torrential rain and high winds to gale force, in excess of 60mph they said.

I woke this morning to the blissful sound of bird song and church bells. Wind? None whatsoever, only from the senile Collie curled up fast asleep on the bed snoring her head off.

So after a cup of tea and a ciggy, I went into the garden to feed the birds and the fish. No more frog spawn had been left in the pond, I felt slightly disappointed after finding 3 huge balls of the stuff yesterday morning. I walked across and checked on the 2 balls of spawn I'd put in an ornamental water tub, not expecting to see hundreds of tadpole eyes gazing back on me, but just to check they were still ok and hadn't been eaten by birds or other predators. They were both safe, floating beneath the water. I have noticed that those 2 particular clumps of spawn have ying yang dots in the centre rather than all black. Maybe they're chinese frogs?

After negotiating the mud at the bottom of the garden and trying not to fall tip over apex as the weed control fabric slithered beneath my feet, I placed the bird's breakfast on the bird table and threw some bread on the ground beneath for the black birds and thrushes, as they are supposed to be ground feeders. My blackbirds obviously haven't heard that, because they push and shove the starlings out of the way on the table to get at the food.

When I first moved here last July the garden was just a plain oblong of lawn, in a very sad state I must say. There were no birds in the garden, nor any nearby apart from a few rooks and crows and the odd starling, but even they weren't interested in visiting. It seemed quite strange when I moved here not to have birds in the garden, I've always encouraged them and thought most people did, but everywhere I've lived I've had to feed them and look after them as none of the neighbours seems to take the slightest interest in them. Maybe it's a modern trend? But now it's so rewarding to see the wild birds gathering in the trees at the bottom of the garden waiting for their food, and to hear them chirping and singing their little hearts out as if to say 'thank you missus, at last someone cares enough about us to feed us.'

I worked solidly for a month to landscape the garden and plant shrubs, flowers and trees, and of course install my fibreglass pond complete with Cornish stone wall around one side, curving around the pond and leading down to the bottom gateway.

The result was amazing. From the lounge window I now look out on a lovely curved border one side with pond near the house, and along the bottom and up the left hand side of the garden another long wide border with evergreen and deciduous shrubs that flower all year round to bring colour and interest. I've made a hedge (or it will be in a year or two) of buddlea at the back of the long border, with smaller shrubs and plants infront. Within the the opposite 'pond' border I've planted different types of slow growing non invasive bamboos, 2 tree ferns and heathers. The only work left to do in the garden this year is to complete the patio area infront of the lounge window. I already have the grey slate slithers and paving for there ready for when the mood takes me.

It should be lovely to sit out on the patio in the summer gazing across the Devon hills and valleys as I tuck into a BBQ feast.

I put up a 3ft reed fence down one side of the garden and an ornate woven 3ft high fence at the bottom (the right hand side is bordered by the neighbours not very attractive 6ft boarded fence). I then installed a 'cat fence'. After spending hours online looking at cat fences and deciding they were all over priced for what they were, I bought a fruit cage frame and some gull netting. I then erected the frame in a long run rather than a box cage, and it does the job just as good as the £2,000 cat fences for sale online. I still have to put up the right angled aluminium brackets on the neighbours fence which supports the net which prevents cats getting into the garden and mine getting out. Not that they're that athletic, they're all 13yrs old and over, but the two boys would climb Everest to see what was on the other side, even if it half killed them.

I also want to put up a proper 6ft fence along the bottom. There's an access pathway the other side of my fence, for my neighbour. Not that I don't like to see him pushing his lawnmower along the path, but the people at the other end of the terrace have a rotteweiler and it's always peering through my gate. It's friendly enough, but my Westie isn't so she could very easily start something between them. She doesnt realize she's a quarter the rotties size. I've got a big 6ft wooden gate I brought with me, so that would go nicely in place of the silly little metal one there now. It would make the garden much more secure, private and it would stop the rott. But as my house is only rented, I'm still dithering about whether to spend out on fence panels and posts, or whether just to get used to Bonnie trying to savage the rottie through the gate. There's a fruit cage frame/netting door over that little gate, so if anything did kick off between the two dogs, they'd probably both end up wrapped in gull netting and squirming around hog tied on the lawn.

I have this weird fear at night when I let the dogs out last thing, and I know it's stupid. There is nothing behind my garden apart from miles of rolling hills, but I would feel much safer in the garden if the fence at the bottom was pannelled and secure. I'm not sure what I expect to lurch over the hedge and through the trees, maybe it's a primevil fear deep inside me. But it's there and it won't go away, so a panel fence it must be I think. Unless I take a shield and spear out with me at night.

Back to reality, it's Sunday morning. Most of the congregation are now leaving the Church after Sunday Service, and the village green is a hive of activity as they drive out of the village. I probably won't see any sign of life there again until the sunday lunch brigade arrive at the pub.

I'm having a lazy day today. I'll probably be online on my computer. Yes, I'm addicted and you can't comment as you must be too if you're reading this blog!!!

I'm not expecting any visitors. I only see my brother who visits once or twice a week, sometimes staying overnight as he lives some distance from here. So I'm left to my own devices surrounded by 5 cats and the 2 dogs. But they're great company and much better than human company as they don't argue, don't hog the remote control and don't complain that I'm 'on that damn computer' too long.