Picture the scene.
Hell for leather I’m going, chasing a squirrel down the garden with the water pistol. As you do.
Normally in such circumstances it dives under the rhododendrons. Anticipating the move, I can usually score a direct hit.
But squirrels, as we know, are far from stupid.
Suddenly he veers right, instead of left, and leaps up on to the handrail of the steps going down towards the river.
My quarry is not going to get away that easily. Especially with a large chunk of wood from the corner of the nut feeder still clamped between its jaws.
He scampers off down the rail and I make to follow. But halfway down the steps it’s clear that something has changed. The squirrel disappears into a mass of tangled branches. My way forward is blocked.
We hadn’t been down to the river since last autumn. It was overgrown then, certainly, but not impenetrable like this.
I have to climb down the hill further along the riverbank and circle back to this spot.
One large tree and several smaller conifers collapsed in front of it like dominos.
Oh dear. The chain saw will be out again.
Is that what you have at the bottom of your garden? My goodness me! You are good at choosing a wonderful place to live.
It is totally overgrown and mostly inaccessible. It was also a surprise. We knew there was a river, but there were no pictures on the estate agent’s details. It was only after we’d moved in, armed with wellies and something to hack away with, that we got down to it. I hope one day we can make something of the feature, but the pictures show just how much work is involved!
Firewood?
The large tree belongs to our neighbour, it was growing on his side of the river. Hopefully that also means he’ll help shift it!
I am with heda – you have a river? Running through your garden? Magical. Add a chainsaw, and I am nearly profoundly jealous, but a quick glance out of the window at the wind-torn sea cures that 😉 Enjoy the chainsaw and the resulting firewood. I am still chuckling at the thought of you racing down the garden brandishing a water pistol!
Much of the land down by the river is semi permanent bog. But that opens up a whole new plant habitat that I’ve not encountered before. As we’ll now have a big gap perhaps a gunnera!
Our local wood is strewn with fallen trees and branches – all casualties of the last couple of months. At first I wasn’t terribly concerned, but then it dawned on me, that all those ominous creaking sounds I hear when I’m walking the dog, are not just the gentle breeze in the trees, but probably the noise branches make just before they fall on your head. Our walks are quite quick at the moment…
Exactly! Amazingly, we didn’t hear this one fall and it’s huge. Must have been out..
Lots of firewood!
Perfect for a mammoth Gunnera … we have a stunted one in a tin bath outside our back door!
PS: Three cheers for Mike the plumber’s success in the last post!
I’ve always wanted a Gunnera. It should take out at least a couple of square metres of weeding!
I can’t get the pictures to load thanks to my narrowband issues but I’m imagining it all, particularly given your use of the word veering. I know exactly what you mean there. Little devils they are. Are you good with the chainsaw?
It helps not to get the chainsaw stuck in the tree..
I’m sure he thinks its one big game Jessica. He probably relies on you for his weekly bath…. As the others have said- beautiful river, lucky you. CT x
They do think it’s a big game, absolutely. And keep coming back for more..
Buy an air rifle and shooting lessons
Give yourself a head start
They’d find a way to come back from the dead. Squirrels are like that.
How lovely that you have a river running through you land, something I’ve always wanted.
I think it looks fantastic as it is, a brilliant natural habitat.xxxxx
The woodland needs properly managing, it’s congested so nothing grows very well. But I would want to keep it natural. It’s a wildlife space.
I hope you have a log-burning fire for all that free wood;-) It does look very picturesque, though.
Not yet sadly, a working fireplace is on the to do list!
It looks like squirrel heaven at yours! All those trees…the free nut bar…the entertaining lady who plays games of ‘Chase’…
Oh, they’re in their element all right. But the lady has a cunning plan and a new game for them to play…
Dare I say, ‘mwahahahahahahaha!’ and twirl a devilish moustache???
You’re going to have to explain that one..
Where was Mike during this???? He takes a photo of your, um er, best feature with Ptylome in the garden but misses the chance to photo you stalking a squirrel, like one does, with your squirt gun at the ready??? Too Funny! Thanks for the giggle. Lovely garden! Endless possiblities: water cress? gunnera? ducks?
He takes his turn at providing the squirrels with their daily exercise routine.. it keeps us both fit!
We did see a lady duck down there while taking the photo, would be nice if she stayed.
Cann you please visit with your water pistol and get our neighbour’s cats, which are probably responsible for the missing collared dove??!!
Oh no!
You should get a water pistol, it’s great fun… 🙂 Mike wanted the one that is made as a replica of an AK47, but I drew the line..
It makes me laugh, your optimistic war against wildlife…. trouble is, you are so seriously outnumbered!
But I’m thinking of getting a water pistol now that two strange cats have started coming in to help my crew finish their supper; they’re both enormous, and two of mine are frightened of them, so there’s some territory-marking. Not pleasant….
That doesn’t sound very nice.. cats hate water don’t they?
The way it’s going, I’m going to have to start using the water pistol on the pheasants. They’ve taken to following me round the garden like overgrown robins. The trouble is, they also nip the tops off anything newly planted. It’s becoming a real problem.
Your garden sounds and looks amazing between the gardening and animal visitors you seem to be permanently kept busy, Thank you for making me chuckle!
Sarah x
I reckon the garden is a ten year project. But I said that last year too, and if anything the number of years will be going up not down. Especially if the wildlife continue to eat all my efforts.
I do remember a scoreboard in a previous post. Are you being a sore loser and not showing results any more!? Your river is wonderful and certainly worth putting up with squirrels for. Julie x
Sore loser? Moi? Perish the thought..
I’ve noticed many more fallen trees this year than last whilst we’ve been out walking. Looks like more hard work for you both but how wonderful to have a river at the bottom of your garden. I had to smile at your description of the squirrel with part of the nut feeder in its mouth:)
The ground has been so wet, it can’t take much to blow them over. I think in this case the river undermined it. It runs much higher, and much faster, after heavy rain.
My brother has a stream like this at the bottom of his land. He’s never short of firewood.
By the way, I doubt you will win with the squirrels – we made peace with ours years ago. Far less stressful.
Squirrels, mice, pheasants, slugs – on the last I hear today that we are in for a perfect storm. So many last year plus the constant damp conditions…
Storm damage? No way, the squirrels had a chat and got together and pushed it over for a quicker escape route!
(The thought of your antics with the water pistol has me in stitches 🙂 Thank you.)
You could be on to something there Rose, a bridge across the river..
We have a ditch in the back garden separating us from the field behind. I like to think of it as a streem. What a time you will have exploring & clearing down there !
Had to laugh at shooting the squirrel with a water pistol !
Ah now, what you have is a ha-ha. And I’ve always wanted one of those..!
Welcome back Penny, hope you had a great time in NY.
How fantastic to have a river like this; it’ll be a great place for wildlife.
I hope it will be. I want to get some better access to it though, and break some holes through the mass of vegetation so we can see it as well as hear it!
The evil squirrel probably knocked that tree down himself, just to impede your progress!!!
It would be in character wouldn’t it.
How wonderful to have some woodland – I never knew. So many possibilities. The squirrel obviously knows how to out-manoevre you. You are going to have to learn to run faster or get a water pistol with a longer range. Shame about the fallen trees though.
It is so windy this evening I fear there may be more..
On this occasion I have to confess to finding the damage looks rather picturesque and beautiful…
What’s hidden from the photo is the crown of the tree, and the tangle of branches created by the others it fell onto. I left that shot out because it was… just a tangle of branches!
That’s a real shame about the tree, but…you have a river!!! I can see how much work would be involved in clearing the area, but still, what a gorgeous feature.
So funny about you chasing the squirrel. They’re clever little things aren’t they! Mine have become immune to me stomping my feet, banging saucepans together and clapping loudly. No, I have to physically go out and chase them off now. I hope that wasn’t your lovely homemade feeder it had a chunk of?
Yes, I think Mike will have to replace the top of the feeder again.. the only bit of wood left on it!
my hubby ‘pruned’ a vitex to the ground a few years back and I cried. It was probably as old as our house (1923), and yes, it was rather out of control, but….it was history, darn it! It came back bigger and better than ever. (Unfortunately, now hubby thinks he’s P Allen Smith—-and hacks away at everything with as much gusto, but often with less glorious results!) Good luck with yours!!!
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. I bet your vitex looks glorious!