The last couple of blogs have very much focused on the wildlife that I've been able to take time to observe during my stay in the cabin, so much so that I might be giving the impression that the acre has become a wildlife sanctuary and not a garden! Of course it fulfills both functions brilliantly, but living here and experiencing the natural world during it's most active time of the year has been both magical and eye opening.
Out of the cabin window I am currently watching the three male blackbirds that fight daily to maintain their territories, each assigned a role in the theatre they provide - protagonist, defender and interloper - and they seem to flip between roles depending upon which few yards of garden they are fighting over. And this happens every morning and carries on through the day and into the evening. It's both fascinating and magical and mimics our lives in many ways - the need to gather food, to defend our patch of land and to raise and protect a healthy family. We are not that superior after all, our basic instincts are similar but somewhere along the line we've over complicated matters and this current situation has taught me that I need a lot less 'stuff' to remain happy and contented.
The acre is putting on another growth spurt and as it's raining it follows that the strimming and grass cutting carried out at the weekend will need to be repeated, sooner rather than later. The greenhouses were becoming so crammed with trays of seedlings that there was little room for any more so many have now been potted on. These are now in the 'hardening on' process on the benches outside and are covered at night to protect them from frost. We have an excellent array of Bidens, Cosmos, Nigella, Delphiniums, Zinnia, Rudbeckia (among others) which will be ready to plant out in the coming weeks - hopefully when the restrictions have been relaxed so we can create the garden together.
Elsewhere, in our vegetable patches, there is a palpable sense of expectation and excitement as we wait for even more seedlings to pop out of the rich earth. Already showing early promise are peas, rocket, radish and turnip whilst the potatoes are flourishing too. Yesterday evening our first cauliflower put in an appearance and by the end of the week I expect to see even more vegetable activity - brilliant! The fruit bushes are looking extremely healthy, as are our strawberry plants, whilst the apple and pear trees have had a mass of blossom which should indicate a good harvest for later in the year. We shall have jam!
Keep safe, keep well and keep in contact.