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| Water everywhere... |
Rain, Rain Go Away
This
week has seen dark skies over Leebotwood, and more rain than we’ve seen for
months! The roadside ditch outside the garden gate has actually had water
flowing along it! The powers that be are telling us that these rains will have no
effect on their drought plans! The water must be going somewhere! In our case
to the brook a few yards down the road!
Devastation in the Garden
As
if my rain induced confinement (it hasn’t even been warm in my refuge – the greenhouse!)
isn’t enough I have had two garden catastrophes this week! (Waiting for the
third!) Firstly my beautiful lilac tree is dying off! It is a particular
disappointment as I grew it from seed and waited patiently for years to see it
flower! Over the past three years it had gradually built up its flowering
capacity and has been an absolute pleasure as its perfume pervaded the whole
garden. Yesterday I discovered that half of my buddleia, which I also grew from
seed, had snapped off! That’s probably partly due to my reluctance to ‘prune’
sufficiently. I like the ‘wild’ look!
Swifts, Ducks and Geese
Swifts
were spotted over the garden earlier in the week and wild ducks were seen
‘quacking’ along above the brook. I suspect the swallows have given up and gone
back to Africa, as the weather has taken a turn for the worse since they
arrived! A couple of mornings this week I have seen and heard geese honking
away as they flew in formation across a cloudy sky. And still my bird table is
awash with twittering sparrows. I have reduced their feeding, but they still
turn up about four in the afternoon for ‘tea’! The robin flies off with its
beak full of goodies, so he’s obviously feeding a family somewhere.
St George
Last
Monday, 23rd April, was St George’s day! Patron saint of England!
Slayer of dragons and rescuer of pretty ladies! Or so the legend would have us
believe! But on further research I found that, although George was a real
person, he was a Roman soldier born in Turkey, who probably never even came to
England! And on even further research I found that William Shakespeare
(1564-1616) was probably born on the 23rd April and definitely died
on that date so it seems to me that we should make Shakespeare our Patron Saint
instead! We don’t even need to change the day! At least Old Will was English
and a celebrated ‘bard’ to boot!!! Maybe we could even have a new ‘bank
holiday’ in his honour! (That would make up for all the hours I had to study
his writings at school! Hours of studying The
Scottish Play in class followed by watching a performance of the aforesaid
play in the chilly grounds of Ludlow Castle!) Only joking! Let's hear it for Mr Shakespeare!!
Thanks
for your time!
The
Bumpkin Rambler xx
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