Saying Goodbye

I have been relocating my belongings from my rented cottage to my new attic room, and that has involved a fair amount of disruption in my garden. Yesterday I moved some some more pots and plants from the soaking wet garden to the relatively dry carport and I suddenly heard a chattering in the hedge surrounding my house. I have had Blue and Great Tits in the garden but this time there was a group of about a dozen Long-tailed Tits hopping between the branches of the laurel. Then, just as soon as they appeared, they vanished again. It was such a lovely way to remember the garden as I have enjoyed sharing the space with the local wildlife. There are lots of windfall apples with various signs of munching and pecking. I’m not sure if it’s badgers, foxes or deer enjoying a fruity treat but the birds are certainly making the most of them.

I will miss my tangly, jungly garden but I’m really looking forward to developing and establishing a productive and beneficial garden here at the new property. There are lots of mature trees in the vicinity so more potentially more woodland than farmland birds might visit. I have seen Long-tailed Tits in the hedgerow behind our house but sadly no birds on our feeders as yet. Our neighbours have a peanut feeder but that seems to be mainly frequented by Jackdaws and Magpies, as well as the odd Wood Pigeon when the bird table gets refilled. I have put berry suet pellets in a feeder at the front of our house in the hope of attracting some perching birds, but we are having the kitchen and bathroom done at the moment so there is a lot of noise and disruption. Hopefully once that is over, and the spell of stormy weather has passed by, we might get some takers.

Here is a picture of an entry in my Nature Notebook from last year. Most of my art things are buried under tiles and hefty Dewalt boxes while Tim works his magic in the en suite but I’m hoping to get my new IKEA pegboard up later in the week which will organise my drawing, painting and printing supplies in a handy space so I can access them whenever I need.