Frost guaranteed

I was certain this morning we would wake to a hard frost, as yesterday amongst the many jobs we achieved over the weekend, I cut back all of last years growth on the perennial plants, exposing the new shoots just appearing above ground. I also pruned all the shrubs that needed doing. The grass was cut and the edges trimmed. So the back garden at least is beginning to look a little tidier. The border still needs gently forking, weeding and compost adding.

The vegetable garden is now ready for sowing. The runner bean trench has been dug and filled. All the compost which has been brought bucket by bucketful from the yard over the past few weeks has been rotovated in, the ground raked.

The greenhouse is clean and tidy and there are even a few seed trays in there !

I still have the side border and herb garden to sort but at least now I feel as if we have started.

At the yard we removed the worst of the brambles and Old mans beard from the churchyard hedge. The muck heap has been completely sorted now, ready for filling again. The chickens have had the most wonderful time scratching around spreading the straw about faster than we could tidy it.

Fred has been moved in with the Welsummer flock, just for a week or two. He was beginning to pester the ewes, head butting them and chasing them around. With less than ten days to go before they lamb it really wasn't wise to leave him in with them. He seems happy enough where he is, he has the pig ark for shelter and a hay net to provide extra forage and with people around most of the time he has company.