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.

Bindweed too dangerous to use as compost

It took me 5 years after I moved her, but I cleared my garden of bindweed, only having the problem the bindweed coming from my elderly neighbour's garden.

She is now in a home and her garden has been cleared and a six foot fence put up. I have been pulling up the bindweed coming through my side of the fence and putting it in a bucket with some water to make liquid fertiliser when I had a dreadful thought.....

Though I can see the foot of the fence on the side that was Dorothy's I haven't notice any weeds, including bindweed, coming through the brown turfs in her old garden. (The turfs are brown as instead of laying them within two days of them being delivered they didn't get round to it until at least a fortnight had passed).

The builder was there one morning before I left for work so I asked him if he had put poison on his side - he had. 

Most of the bindweed is growing so presumably OK but some of the bits of root I've pulled could have been dead so I daren't risk using my bucket of liquid as fertiliser. And for safety's sake will bin all of the bindweed for the rest of this year.

Easter cycling a disappointment

Last weekend it was warm and sunny.

On Saturday I was out on my bike for an hour and a half - practising on the hills in Springfield Park, then down the canal to Wick Wood. This is the best time for cycling through the wood when the canopy is not too dense and sun shinning through makes dappled shade. Then along the track between the football pitches to the path by the old river (where I met too people I know from kayaking choosing a log for wood carving from the remains of a tree cut down).

No kayaking on Sunday so out on my bike again. Springfield Park then all the way to Victoria Park, both East and West sections, back home, taking in Wick Wood on the way.

Lots of people, particularly joggers.

This weekend I had plans for a long cycle ride everyday. Yesterday morning I left the house but popped back in within seconds for my cycling jacket, and I stopped after 5 minutes to put gloves on. Chilly today also. So both days only to Springfield Park then home again.

So I doubt I will be doing the Limehouse loop tomorrow.

Sparrows using the pampas plumes

When they cleared my next door neighbour's garden they left a clump of pampas that had encroached into my garden.

I chopped down as much of the leaves as possible - oh so much space it's given me! But I left the plumes as last year the sparrows used them to line their nests.

The weeks passed but no sparrows. I wondered whether it was because of the loss of the bushes in Dorothy's garden. Then on Sunday afternoon just before I finished my session reading in my hammock I saw two sparrows collecting the fluff from the plumes. I saw them again when I opened the curtains on Monday morning.

Not as much activity as last year, but at least they have taken some.

A colleague at work spins, and those birds in her garden who line their nests get bits of alpaca wool!

Pretty salad

Yesterday I made a salad from leaves from my garden:

chives
celery leaf
flat-leaved parsley
3-cornered leek (stalk and flowers)
small swiss chard leaves

Looked very pretty but didn't taste of much