After making the tough decision that my hazel and Judas trees had to go, I have been struggling to find reliable people to carry out the task. Then 3 came along at once! Suffice it to say that just before Christmas the deed was done. Unfortunately, the hazel stump still needs to be removed as the stump-grinder was too big to go along the passageway by the side of the house, so it is still taking up a lot of space which I was hoping to use to plant my potted-up tulip bulbs. Hoping we can resolve that one asap....
At the same time I had the totally dilapidated trellis removed and replaced with a more substantial structure. It's actually - visually - a bit more substantial that I would have liked, but it was a necessary job well done and well-timed as the ground is now rock-hard after the recent frosts!
Inevitably, the narrow access for all these activities necessitated lots of tramping across my tiny patch of grass, so it will need some major attention. But with the frosts it will have to wait a bit. It is rather exciting having to plan what I will do with the new space and light!
One of the things concerning me about the tree-removal is how the birds will respond. I've become used to seeing flocks of long-tailed tits, blue tits, blackbirds, robins, chaffinches and the odd sparrow making use of them. But I came across a really shocking sight on Christmas Eve. What seemed like a tiny bundle of yellow feathers flopping about on the brick terrace revealed itself to be two blue tits locked in combat. I shot out and disturbed them but only to see them fly into the hedge before landing again on the ground and grappling with one another most aggressively. After repeatedly disturbing them and seeing the same thing recur - watched from a nearby branch by another blue tit - they eventually went into next-door's garden, carrying on the battle. One of those cases where we have to realize that nature is nature, red in tooth and claw, whatever we'd like to do change things. But I would like to know what it was all about!
