[fusion_builder_container admin_label="" hundred_percent="yes" hundred_percent_height="no" hundred_percent_height_scroll="no" hundred_percent_height_center_content="yes" equal_height_columns="no" menu_anchor="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="https://www.rustyduck.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Robin-012.jpeg" background_position="left center" background_repeat="no-repeat" fade="no" background_parallax="fixed" enable_mobile="no" parallax_speed="0.3" video_mp4="" video_webm="" video_ogv="" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_loop="yes" video_mute="yes" video_preview_image="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="100px" padding_left=""][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" layout="1_1" spacing="" center_content="no" hover_type="none" link="" min_height="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_position="left top" undefined="" background_repeat="no-repeat" border_size="0" border_color="" border_style="solid" border_position="all" padding_top="600px" padding_right="0px" padding_bottom="0px" padding_left="0px" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset="" last="no"][fusion_separator style_type="none" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" sep_color="" top_margin="" bottom_margin="0px" border_size="" icon="" icon_circle="" icon_circle_color="" width="" alignment="center" /][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container admin_label="" hundred_percent="no" equal_height_columns="no" menu_anchor="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_position="center center" background_repeat="no-repeat" fade="no" background_parallax="none" enable_mobile="no" parallax_speed="0.3" video_mp4="" video_webm="" video_ogv="" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_loop="yes" video_mute="yes" video_preview_image="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="50px" padding_left=""][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" layout="1_1" spacing="" center_content="no" hover_type="none" link="" min_height="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_position="left top" undefined="" background_repeat="no-repeat" border_size="0" border_color="" border_style="solid" border_position="all" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset="" last="no"][fusion_title hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" content_align="center" size="2" font_size="" line_height="" letter_spacing="" margin_top="100px" margin_bottom="0px" margin_top_mobile="40px" margin_bottom_mobile="" text_color="" style_type="none" sep_color=""] Merry Christmas! [/fusion_title][fusion_separator style_type="single solid" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" sep_color="#8bc34a" top_margin="0px" bottom_margin="20px" border_size="2" icon="" icon_circle="" icon_circle_color="" width="30px" alignment="center" /][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="no" equal_height_columns="no" menu_anchor="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_position="center center" background_repeat="no-repeat" fade="no" background_parallax="none" parallax_speed="0.3" video_mp4="" video_webm="" video_ogv="" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_loop="yes" video_mute="yes" overlay_color="" video_preview_image="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" padding_top="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" padding_right=""][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" layout="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" border_position="all" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" center_content="no" last="no" min_height="" hover_type="none" link=""][fusion_text] The birds have had a Christmas present. We'd noticed that every time a new batch of mixed seed went out there was a feeding frenzy. But a selective feeding frenzy. Just like opening a tin of Quality Street really. Don't those big purple ones always go first? For our feathered friends the same is true of the black sunflower seeds. Late comers would dive head first into the seed and rummage furiously, hurling the lesser favoured varieties hither and thither in the process. And so, when Mike returned from shopping a couple of days ago he left a large bag of black sunflower seeds, and only black sunflower seeds, on top of the shoebox in the lobby. We'd open them on Christmas Day. But wouldn't you know it. There was no way the birds were going to stand for that. Our mistake, perhaps, was in leaving the door to the lobby open. It is, after all, our main thoroughfare into and out of the house and between the two of us it's in use most of the day. By the time Mike returned to put the bag of seed away in the shed 'someone' had already pecked a hole in it. With the element of surprise gone out of the window, or the lobby door even, there was nothing else for it but to put the seeds up for grabs. Three in a beak is just plain greedy.. "Come on, get a move on. Can't you see there's a queue?" No pressure.. Have a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year! Jessica x [/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Peony 'Bowl of Beauty' Red is a strong colour in the garden this Spring, nestling amongst the bright apple greens of the emerging foliage. Bonsai Maple Pieris Epimedium x versicolour 'Sulphurium' Sometimes it's not only the leaves that are red. Injury Season has begun as well. I could have said 'kicked off' except that might be ill-suited from a recumbent position on the sofa with a heavily swollen ankle perched high on a pile of cushions. When one toils in the most extreme of circumstances these things are to be expected after all. However careful the gardener is, gravity, eventually, cannot be denied. And how did it happen this time? Slithering from the top to the very bottom of the Precipitous Bank? No. Falling out of a tree while pruning? Nope. A headlong dash up the 84 steps in anticipation of the next plant delivery? Not even that. Tumbling off the terrace wall straight into the penstemons? It wouldn't be the first time now would it.. No, I stepped off the patio on to the lawn. All of six inches. Like I've done so many thousands of times before. The most galling part has been gazing out of the window at the near perfect Spring weather we've had this week. There's so much going on in the garden right now. And so much to do. Sanguisorba 'Tanna' Perfectly crinkly leaves edged in crimson. Peony 'Pastel Splendour' (Itoh Hybrid) No buds yet but the foliage is almost enough on its own. It's amazing how much growth can explode if you are absent even for a couple of days. Ferns have started to uncoil The Crocosmia seems to have doubled in size. Lily Of The Valley Soon enough there will be flowers but for the moment their foliage shooting up between the primroses provides a pleasing contrast. Like little exclamation marks. There's just no holding things back at this time of year. It could be worse. The gardener may be injured, but she has a plan. Yesterday, with Mike's assistance (and wearing one of his shoes), I managed to tend to my young charges in the greenhouse. And when the attractions of the sofa are wearing a little thin, there are other ways to rest and elevate an offending limb. Hills can have their uses too. Linking to Christina at My Garden of the Hesperides for Garden Bloggers’ Foliage Day . Click through for more delightful Spring (or maybe even Autumn!) foliage. [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="yes" overflow="visible"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"][caption id="attachment_18730" align="aligncenter" width="200"] pin it?[/caption] [/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]