The garden starts to spring to life reminding me that I really should have done my autumn tidy-up. I used to love gardening, but I just don’t seem to have the time or the inclination these days.
Spring is charging at us at a rate of knots. The hedges are bursting with new life & the memory of the horrendous winter storms begin to diminish. There are primroses nestling everywhere I look & I’m sure there are more this year.
Looking over the fields, they start to be punctuated by the unnatural acid yellow of the rapeseed crops.
The birds have stopped visiting the feeder so much – I’m sure (hoping) this is because they don’t need it so much, not because they don’t like it
My little cluster of cowslips have poked their heads up. They turned up one year & whilst they are in residence all grass cutting is punctuated with “keep away from the cowslips” followed by me going out & showing ‘them’ what a cowslip looks like.
The main indicator for spring in our garden is the ducks…. Usually 2 ducks take up residence for about 6 weeks….there’s generally quite a lot of ‘frisky’ activity which sees a poor beleaguered female being constantly pursued by her ardent suitors.
I have noticed, however, that she is quite loyal & only has eyes for one. Whether this is the same one or just the one who got in first is anyone’s guess.
Though for the last couple of years there was one drake with a wonky beak so it was easy. It looks as though he hasn’t survived or has moved on…. Who knows?
This year’s ‘he’ is very protective & viciously defends her honour. We see ducks everywhere though, on roofs, under bushes, down the road.
The bulk of the unattached drakes are under the protective custody of the 2 geese who escort them between the village pond & the manor farm pond. We see them every morning – one in front & one at the back & they gently herd them along, hissing and honking at anyone that gets in their way. Their guarding duties switch to the ducklings once they appear, though they are pretty rubbish because the poor little things walk over the drains and disappear down the gaps….
‘Our’ ducks have their own little routine which sees them scour every inch of the front and back garden, punctuated by little rest stops…always in the same spots. He’s very good and stands guard while she ferrets around and gets all she can. He stands tall & is constantly making quiet little quacking sounds. If you go too close he hisses & gets quite loud and animated.
She has taken to sitting a lot under a particular bush. No doubt she has laid the one egg she always lays. It never comes to anything. I can never find it at the time, but generally find it when I tidy up in the autumn
They will disappear shortly & then the ducklings turn up with the goose patrol…
It’s quite nice to see them & equally nice when they move on….
In the meantime, we are sharing our back garden with ducks who don’t mind us as long as we don’t mind them…
My Middle-aged Meanderings 