BIG GARDEN BIRD WATCH Have you noticed how many birds there are in the garden at the moment? During the cold weather after New Year we’ve been inundated with blackbirds and other thrushes, tits and finches. Bullfinches, stocky black and pink fellows who show a distinctive white rump when flying away, are as exciting to [...]
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Posts Tagged ‘january’
31 January 2010 DIRTY NAILS’ BLOG by Joe Hashman BIG GARDEN BIRD WATCH
Sunday, January 31st, 201030 January 2010 DIRTY NAILS’ BLOG by Joe Hashman IN THE NICEST POSSIBLE WAY
Saturday, January 30th, 2010IN THE NICEST POSSIBLE WAY In the nicest possible way, Mrs Nails came down the bottom at just gone four to prize me away from the jobs in hand, and bring to a very satisfying end a good two hours on the plot. One of the finest afternoon’s, sunny weather, time and place-wise, in a many [...]
Read More »29 January 2010 DIRTY NAILS’ BLOG by Joe Hashman YESTERDAY MORNING
Friday, January 29th, 2010YESTERDAY MORNING Stepping out the back door and up in to the garden coincided with the passage of nine noisy ravens overhead. I stood, looked up, observed and counted. Though my breath condenses into steaming clouds from mouth and nostrils, this morning it feels definitely milder. You can read it in the birds. There’s rooks [...]
Read More »28 January 2010 DIRTY NAILS’ BLOG by Joe Hashman TEA & MARMALADE
Thursday, January 28th, 2010TEA & MARMALADE My sister-in-law called by shortly after 9am with a jar of home-made marmalade. Typically self-depreciating, she warned it was too runny and the jars hadn’t been sterilised properly so once opened, eat it quick. Actually it’s perfectly delicious, the jelly thick and spreadable with strongly flavoured orange shreds. “Tell you what, My [...]
Read More »27January 2010 DIRTY NAILS’ BLOG by Joe Hashman ROADKILL
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010ROADKILL Randy dog foxes are on the move. The lust inside males of this species seems to be as strong as that which grips two-legged mammals. In these long dark months before the spring he’s out and about, hot-footing it through the landscape in search of a mate. I saw three stark signs of sex in [...]
Read More »26 January 2010 DIRTY NAILS’ BLOG by Joe Hashman HAPPY TO CARRY ON
Tuesday, January 26th, 2010HAPPY TO CARRY ON The sun didn’t come out in Shaftesbury until early this afternoon though it remained bitter cold. Shortly before 3pm I moved from raspberries in the shelter of a barn wall onto the big bed, which I’m reclaiming slowly from 18 months of weeds, and into full sun. By then the fire I’d [...]
Read More »25 January 2010 DIRTY NAILS’ BLOG by Joe Hashman MATTOCK IN THE RASPBERRIES
Monday, January 25th, 2010MATTOCK IN THE RASPBERRIES Today I used a mattock on raspberries growing as weeds. It’s not a tool I own, but I found one in the shed where I was working, examined it and thought that the feel of it in my hands and shape of the business end kind of made sense. It did. I [...]
Read More »24 January 2010 DIRTY NAILS’ BLOG by Joe Hashman SUPERMARKET SWEEP
Sunday, January 24th, 2010SUPERMARKET SWEEP When I saw a tin of organic tinned tomatoes in Somerfield priced at £1.49, but two of the same on sale in (dread word) Tesco for £1 I had a difficult decision to make. Having been a refuser since the store opened in 2004 (or was it 2005?), suddenly I became a customer. It [...]
Read More »23 January 2010 DIRTY NAILS’ BLOG by Joe Hashman ROAST
Saturday, January 23rd, 2010ROAST What’s nice about tonights roast dinner with Sue and Tony is that all the veg remains home-grown. Despite concerns back in the harvest period about the long-term storage viabilty of certain crops, they’ve all lasted really well. Sure, much has been lost along the way, but I’ve been meticulous and consistent in my weekly examinations and this attention [...]
Read More »22 January 2010 DIRTY NAILS’ BLOG by Joe Hashman BEDFORDSHIRE CHAMPION
Friday, January 22nd, 2010BEDFORDSHIRE CHAMPION A filthy morning weather-wise. Heavy rain and wet wet wet. I was at the computer for most of it. However, managed to get into the greenhouse just before lunchtime to try something a bit new and different – sowing onions from seed. Fellow gardeners I’ve talked to reckon that done this way makes [...]
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