Green and country in the city 28 May

• Last Sunday there was a gull outside the changing rooms at Leaside eating an eel.
• This Sunday I saw a gull swoop down and grab a coot chick and swallow it(the chick) whilst in flight.
• Increase in bees in the garden this week - a few times there were 4 on the sage bush. Today two of the opium poppies had flowers open, One this morning had 3 hoverflies. Not up to the numbers of bees and other pollinators a few years ago, but better than recent years.
• Last Sunday I put out the tomatoes and the courgettes. Also the tree spinach and a meadowsweet.
• Swifts over the garden and martins over the Lea.
• First wild strawberry. Also berries from edible honeysuckle (not very sweet/tasty!)
• Sparrows still collecting the "fluff" from the pampas grass plumes
• Early autumn raspberries and red currants (the later from one bush - the other bush the berries are still small and green).  Having for breakfast.
• Bottled elderflower champagne. Did this after 5 days not 3, and also very hot - so strong yeasty smell!
• Got my wormery to the Transition Leytonstone community garden on a luggage trolley.

Green and country in the city notes 20 May

• There was a pair of foxes in my garden on Tuesday, both morning and evening. In the evening at the same time, there was a fox on the fence two gardens west.
• I got some thin strips of clean wood from the garden of my ex-neighbour.
• Wednesday I had off - not able to do all I would have liked due to rain. I put up workmate in the kitchen and sawed up three metre-length branches and all the strips of wood I rescued the day before.
• Today I went to the Transition Town Leytonstone community garden and offered the 2 wormeries I need a home for. They are interested so I now need to get them there.
• This morning the weather was sunny and warm and I went on a cycle ride. I have a badly bruised big toe so didn't try the hills of Springfield Park in case the peddling pressed my toe against my shoe. Instead I went down by the old river, over White Horse Bridge into the Olympic Park, along the old river there, then out on to the tow path by the Navigation and home.
• I took a slight detour to get elderflowers. Luckily despite the rain we have had the flower sprays both looked and felt dry. This evening I started off the elderflower champagne in a bucket on the dining room table.
• Saw some chives in a vegetable garden in full flower - no where near in my garden.
• Having last week mentioned lack of slugs and snails - I spoke too soon. Plenty since then (though not as many as usual after rain in my front garden).
• Got a nice brass necklace at a charity shop on Wednesday which I wore today. Also reading a book I got from another charity shop the same day - not sure whether I like it yet!

Green and country in the city notes 16 May

• The garden is now thankfully getting some rain. It is noticeable how few snails and slugs there are - presumably as the result of the dry spring. How long before showery days increase the populations?
• On Saturday I saw a magpie having a bath in the wildlife/cat water dish - such splashing!
• Saw a few sprays of elderflowers on Saturday. Today walking home from class saw several bushes with lots of flowers out. Got some lemons from Waitrose today and will get some white sugar tomorrow ready for a dry day when I can go and get some flower heads of elderflowers to make elderflower champagne.
• Saturday kayaking on the Lea Navigation towards Tottenham Lock. There was a heron on the towpath. A jogger approached. The heron just slowly walked out of the way.
• Occasionally disturbing frogs in the garden. There is at least one small one. Too big to be this year's, too small to be last year's. Presumably it is one from last year.
• Dorothy, my elderly neighbour (now in a home not knowing who I am) had a hanging basket outside her front door with a red geranium. In the last few years I had several goes at getting a cutting to root but luckily my last attempt succeeded. It was just had its first flower. Pleased to have this as a memento of a friend and neighbour for 20 years.
• On Saturday went with friends on the Epping-Ongar railway. This is the country not the city - but Tina and I got there by tube to Epping then vintage bus to North Weald (no suspension - thrown about when the bus went over a speed bump!).
• Both this morning and this evening a couple of foxes in my garden. This evening saw a fox on a fence 2 gardens away while the foxes were in my garden. The den in Dorothy's old garden now gone.

Nature red in tooth and claw

We were having a team meeting yesterday. Luckily I had my back to the window so didn't see the crow on the roof the other side of the courtyard kill and eat the thrush!

bees wax found

I have over the years found instructions to make things, particularly with herbs, requiring beeswax. But I never have had any beeswax.

This week I found a tub of beeswax (the beeswax looks like lentils!). This was at Alara's Health Food store in Marchmont Street, London, WC1.

Marchmont is a wonderful street - the opposite of a cloned high street - and just round the corner from Russell Square tube station in central London!

I hope I have enough chickweed this year. I managed almost to get rid of it as a weed when I found out it was my herbalist's favourite herb, and very good for the skin. So I have been encouraging it ever since but it has not been keen to make a come-back in my garden!  I will make some skin balm if I can.

My herbalist - Gail Farrow - is based in Walthamstow lindens@btinternnet.com 07815  168410

Ash trees gone, more light and some logs

On Thursday some men came and got rid of the ash trees in my next door neighbours' garden. Although they were only just starting to come into leaf and they were to the north west of my garden, it is amazing how much lighter the garden feels. The ash tree and the sycamore in the next garden along have only been trimmed so will not get as much evening sun as I was hoping for.

I plan to get a parasol, or an umbrella I can use as one, so I can use my hammock in the afternoon in summer.

Most of the wood went through a chipper but I did get given about 20 lengths of branches 4 foot-6 foot long and 3 inches or so in diameter. Sunday evening I was sawing them up to fit in the wood store to protect them from the forecast rain (which actually came).

Glad of the rain Sunday night and the heavy showers on Bank Holiday Morning (I was at a craft fair with friends and was luckily I was on the train/in a tent/in the tea room for everyone) as we have hardly any rain in April.