Thursday 31 March 2011

Doing me a favour.........

Hello my lovlies - finally the daffodils are beginning to come out today - they've done me a favour - and made me smile, its been a long time waiting for them and they are a welcome cheery hello at the top of the drive, well I mean the track - its not a drive by any extent of the imagination! And, finally something the chickens don't like to eat - so they are very safe! Here they are, the whole chookie crew - four black bottomed girls, six lovely brown chooky lasses and one very handsome Einstein - keeping everyone safe. NO daffodils in tummies here, just lovely scraps - so I'm happy too finally some of the garden they don't want to eat! The girls are still laying we get 8-9 eggs a day - all through the winter - they are very clever indeed!
Today I've been at work (writing, writing, writing) and I've been lucky enough to have been able to cut back a hedge for some friends. When I mean I'm lucky, I truly mean it - I needed some willow cuttings to make a larger hedge here, they needed their 10-15 m long, 4-5 m tall (or so) hedge cut and I needed a bit of exercise to be honest - writing up research, even outdoor planty research, makes you incredibly tied to a chair infront of a computer. I hardly remember being out there in the field day after day! Where did it all go all that lovely field work? Anyway, time to dust off the tools, these came in very very handy! A borrowed bow saw, my trusty wonderful well used loppers and a pair of 99p secateurs from Lidl's, which have been better than any posh ones I've ever bought  or used at work - there you are eh? Posh doesn't always mean they don't make your hands hurt after a million snips. Oh yup and a pair of stolen wellies - um, I mean rehomed wellies!
Anyway I've had a nice day looking forward to getting out there and cutting something back in the manner of a deranged lady! I like physical work - the sideways rain and gales, um, not so fond of - but at least I was outside, not staring at a computer monitor! My tools did me that favour! I am very thankful for the daffodils beginning to hark of spring coming.
Hip hip hooray for favours from flowers and friends allowing me to do them a favour too - I'll enjoy the hedge here once I get my cuttings done from their hedge which is now nice a short, um very short hedge (10 cm) which will come back soon from its coppicing!

14 comments:

  1. Wow, you track looks Soooooo different (and beautiful!) covered with daffodils! How gorgeous for you! :)

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  2. what a lovely way to be greeted on your way home. All those daffodils bowing their heads to you as you trundle on down the track. Glad they did you a favour you deserve to be cheered up.

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  3. Oh how I envy you your Daffs right now! Mine are going into the ground soon for myt Spring Show!

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  4. Beautiful daffodils, and I enjoyed your writing!

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  5. your daffodils are lovely. they are such a cheerful flower ... i'm glad we get them in march/april, after the winter.

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  6. Your daffodils do look exceedingly cheery--that's what I love about them.

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  7. Hi Fay,
    The daffs and the hens lift the spirits don't they?
    Its such a good feeling to get out when you feel you've been cooped up too long.
    Have been catching up on last weeks posts,congratulations on your contract by the way!And well done on surviving a trip to the dentist,I hate going.

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  8. Hello beautiful chooks and Fay! What kind of writing do you do? Daffodils are so cheery and uplifting, even if your chooks don't eat them, I'm sure they ingest their cheerfulness!

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  9. What a lovely sight - daffs bobbing their bright yellow faces in the breeze. Mine are still snowed under. Looking forward to seeing how you root your willow cuttings.

    Can I ask, hat is your thesis subject and how far along are you? I enjoyed writing papers for school so am curious about yours. Hope it's going well.

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  10. Your daffs look terrific and flowering at the end of March, not so bad. Something very homely with chickens having the freedom of the garden, have to look for more plants where the hens say gads fit a taste.

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  11. Alistair the hens here would say 'Hids no tasty'

    :)

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  12. Kris - I root willow by putting it straight into the ground 20-25 cm cutting hard wood - works like clockwork - 99-100% of the time.

    Thesis subject is in willow - finish very soon - blind chaos and panic here!! Nice to see you!

    Mrs B - I write anything plant related - often about wild stuff but at the moment its about crops - glad the chookie don't like the daffy - they are very pretty!

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  13. Julie I hope youre having fun! Nice that you're caught up I always feel on the back foot!

    Carolyn and Carolyn shade (both of you!) - they do look cheery, don't they!

    Journey to scotland nice have something to look out and be so bright!

    Goodluck for the daffie and the show when they both pop up Gardening blog!

    Cheri and Daffy - thank you - and it changed the look of the place immediately! xxxxx

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  14. Hi Fay, it does feel good to get outside when you have been tied to a computer for days doesn't it! In my case an hour on the allotment planting spuds and weeding in a strong wind. Bliss. Hope you have lots of other opportunities to be outside, too much time inside will addle your brain and make the work go slower.

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