Well if you thought that the February fill dykes were full last week you were wrong! They are now well and truly over filled. The Stour at the bottom of the hill from us has spilled over into the water meadows creating a huge temporary lake. It’s what they do – the clue is in the name, and the wildfowl love it, but from a purely selfish point of view it is somewhat inconvenient, because it closes off one of the prime dog walking options, and down on that grassland is currently one of the few places where you don’t return with stilts of mud on your wellies. The alternative walking routes are currently dangerously slippery mud rinks. Touch wood and whistle I haven’t gone over yet, I hope that’s not tempting fate.

The continuing soggy weather has meant that any work outdoors has been very limited. Yes of course I could dress up in wet weather gear and get thoroughly miserable pruning apple trees with water running up my sleeves or down my neck, but at my time of life I would really rather not. Anyway, on my very heavy soil I would just make a terrible mess. So it’s been more jobs in the greenhouse and polytunnel – hoeing the spring crops, and tackling the fig trees. One of them grew so vigorously last summer that it sent shoots out the roof of the greenhouse, through a small gap created by a slipped pane. I now have to get the big ladder out to cut the stems off at their point of exit, some 20 feet up, and then try to retrieve the branches that fall outside into the gully formed between the rooves of the glasshouse and the potting shed, otherwise the rainwater will not be able to get away freely and will cause problems – it’s a roof with a very large surface area, so efficient drainage is important. I’ve said it before, but those three big fig trees are far more trouble than they are worth.

It’s now time. I have shown restraint and held off until now, but the time is right to start the seed sowing in earnest. Thus far I have only sown the onions, but tomorrow I will get on with tomatoes, sweet and chilli peppers, lettuce and early cabbages. I will fill the heated propagator to the gunnels, and when the alchemy of germination has happened the trays of seedlings will be transferred onto the benches in the propagating house. At that point the propane gas heater will be ignited to maintain a gentle heat to bring on the young plants and to protect them from cold shock. It is a very exciting time in the growing season – a highlight indeed.

I know that the weather is gloomy in the extreme, but signs of a change in season are now evident. The Canada Geese have returned to Moyns Park, where they will be in residence until the autumn. They come around now each year to breed, spending their time on and around the moat and ponds. They are very good parents, keeping their young with them at all times, even when the goslings are as big as they are. They are quite vocal, so you can’t miss them, and if you are a pedestrian and dare to go with 10 metres of them the huge drakes present in such a way that one is likely to reconsider one’s route to one’s destination – one maybe too late if one leaves it until he lowers his head and starts spreading his wings back, it then becomes a foot race, and he’s quite nippy! Another early sign of spring is that the cock pheasants are engaging in fisticuffs, establishing their breeding territories. It’s mostly handbags as 5 paces, but sometimes it gets quite unpleasant, with one leaping on the back of a rival, pecking and scrapping. Several of them appear near the potting shed door in the morning for a feed, during which time there is an uneasy truce before hostilities recommence.

There is a symphony of bird song at dawn now too. The other morning at first light on my Nellie walk, I turned on my Merlin identification app as I approached some ponds in a copse to see what it picked up. The results read like this: Robin, Song Thrush, Fieldfare, Wren, Blue Tit, Linnet, Nuthatch, Dunnock and Starling. Thee was one other that I have disregarded – a Common Greenshank. It really isn’t its habitat, and Baz the birder told me that the Thrush probably confused the app. On my way back Skylarks were up and about. On the same walk I snapped this photo above of lovely fresh new growth of the deadly Hemlock.

There was blood orange mania last week, and when they arrived they were larger than anticipated, so the 20kg I had ordered didn’t go as far as I was hoping they would. I have ordered extra this week, so fingers crossed there will be enough for all. The variety is Sanguinelli. The lemons were like hand grenades again, so I am having to keep the price as it is in case they are the same again. This will probably be the last opportunity for you to get Seville oranges, so if you haven’t made your marmalade yet time is running out. On the vegetable front Savoy cabbages are back, plus spring greens, Brussels sprouts and broccoli. Leeks, celery, sweet potatoes, both types of carrots, beetroot, mushrooms, Acoustic and Cara potatoes.

I have been distracted by the Winter Olympics so I’m going to call it a day now. Have a good week.

Phil