Blooming

It is wonderful that the jonquils are starting to come out. I have three containers of them outside the new cabin where they enjoy some protection from frost (-4 again this morning) and in full sun. 

It has been another stunner of a day, but oh so chilly in a biting wind. 

Bean and I walked briskly for an hour and a quarter, part way through which I had to remove my beanie (the other kind: she would be precarious perched on my bonce), gloves, scarf and even unzipped my coat. It was a case of serious overheating.

And this afternoon I very carefully got out the steps and stood on the bottom rung to saw off three large weeping willow branches. Being enormously sensible I then stopped, despite there being more branches to reduce to firewood. They can wait, and I intend to remove two tomorrow or Monday, two later next week, and then I shall inveigle a neighbour with a chainsaw to cut off the final three which are too thick for my bow saw.

I planted the weeping willow as a sapling in 2017, just below the grey-water drainage area (from the kitchen and bathroom). As a result it has grown enthusiastically, to say the least, and I am pollarding it this winter. 

My plan is to use future annual growth for basket and fence weaving. At the very least, pollarding it will get it under a bit of control.