Arrested development

Very strangely this year, some varieties of hazelnut trees are much slower to come into full leaf than others. 

I have two White Heart trees which are completely clothed in their leaves, but this Merveille de Bollviller is tardy and seems not to have developed at all in the last couple of weeks.

Initially I was really concerned that it was something specific to this tree, but during today's dog-walk I noticed that the hazelnuts in my friends' orchard are looking very similar. They are as concerned as I am about the knock-on effects on the autumn crops.

We had a discussion about the possible cause and of course we conclude that it must be The Weather. Maybe there were a couple of frosts at a critical moment. Perhaps it's been too warm. Or too cool. Or too unhinged, because this spring is definitely that.

Following three days of persistent rain, we had three days of sun and in the low 20s. Today it is 12C with a southwesterly blast. Crazy weather.

The wind started last night resulted in me looking like a boiled owl when I got up this morning after a very disturbed sleep. I really wanted another four hours' kip, but there was a furry fourleggedy thing sitting on me at 7.20am, anxious that I might have forgotten breakfast.

I got up.

The advantage of the wind is that it dried the grass out brilliantly and I have mowed all the short grass in a marathon session. 

The chooks love the cuttings, so I always empty the catcher a few times into their run. The rest goes into the compost, or directly around fruit trees. There was masses today: the grass was long.

Anyway that's it for the day. I am away to the window seat, with a cup of tea and a Kate Atkinson audiobook for the rest of the afternoon.

Zzzz...