Dusting Down the Cogs

OK, so here I go again.    Ming Ming has missed my blog and, truth be told, some small part of me has missed writing about life around this place.      

Over the years I have found many 'treasures' around this place.   These two large lumps of metal were buried deep underground, I still recall my excitement as I carefully dug them out.  They now grace the foot of the old Rowan tree which marks the end of the garden and the beginning of the woodland.

May is such a special month as everything begins to celebrate the warmer days and suddenly the woodland is filled with a froth of cow parsley and a marvellous and ever-increasing array of wild flowers.

The cow parsley reaches a height of almost six feet in some places and grows so quickly that if tracks and pathways are not used for a few days they become difficult to follow.   Toby Too used to love having a game of 'fetch' in here - nowadays we keep losing the balls.  I suppose we shall find them all come autumn.

We also lose the hens, but they are easier to find as they come running as soon as we call them.   Here we have Do-Do in the lead with (left to right) Queen Mab, Shaggy, Frankie, Suzie and Dusty.     

I love having this motley crew around.   It definitely makes it easier to learn about individual hens - for instance - Shaggy (the white one in the background) is always the first one to go to bed in the evenings, way before the others even think about it.

The bluebells are incredibly beautiful and somehow we also have a single white one this year, stuck all by itself on one of the tracks.

Some pathways are strewn with small yellow flowers, golden pathways which fill me with delight.    The wild garlic has definitely taken hold and is in full flower right now.   I harvested some of the leaves and used them in salads and as a garnish, I also whizzed a lot up and froze them in small cubes ready for cooking through the year.

Meanwhile, the gardener has been busy, though there is still so much more to be done.

The gardens are filled with flowers and burgeoning foliage.   This is my small white patch, tulips, Solomon's Seal, and hidden below are my longed-for lily of the valley flowers.   Each year I hold my breath as I anxiously check to see whether they have survived (the woodland ones all died) and I am happy to say that they are flourishing.   My mother would have loved them, they were her favourite flower.

Despite being pruned the old Bramley Apple tree is covered in plenty of blossom, fingers crossed for another decent crop later in the year.   

So, there you have it.  A whistle-stop tour of the place, Ming Ming.    

I have lots more to show you, but I have a sewing project which I hope to finish later today.