1st cut of grass

[tim361]

1 hour ago, David Cropper said:

Just sat down in the living room and spotted a brace of partridge popping through the fence from next doors orchard. Made my day. Crap photo taken on my phone and enlarged. They were about 6 metres from the window.

We had 40 of these take up roost at our place. We’re surrounded on three sides by a shoot and seems a lot have decided they prefer of barn roofs to the shoot ground. 

[Guest Gimlet]

Did a first cut of moss yesterday.

[spudulike]

I'm on about cut No 5 this year, the grass was in such a state last year down to the previous years drought so thought an early cut may stimulate a bit of growth.

[David Cropper]

1 hour ago, Stubby said:

A few insects about now the sun has come out . Just what they need .

I'm so glad I've stopped spraying weedkiller on the grass  on my drive. The amount of insects I've seen in the past week has been incredible. I use a flamewand  to kill it off,  expensive for the gas, it's 60 metres long, but worth it to see the birds. I used a hoe the first year, took me a couple of days. A real ballache.

[AJStrees]

5 minutes ago, David Cropper said:

I'm so glad I've stopped spraying weedkiller on the grass  on my drive. The amount of insects I've seen in the past week has been incredible. I use a flamewand  to kill it off,  expensive for the gas, it's 60 metres long, but worth it to see the birds. I used a hoe the first year, took me a couple of days. A real ballache.

Yep loads of bees, bumbles, flies of all sorts and first signs of peacock and other butterflies today. Spring in all fairness is now on its way......

[gary112]

2 minutes ago, AJStrees said:

Yep loads of bees, bumbles, flies of all sorts and first signs of peacock and other butterflies today. Spring in all fairness is now on its way......

Seeing all these things just makes you feel better about everything,don,t you think

[AJStrees]

10 minutes ago, David Cropper said:

I'm so glad I've stopped spraying weedkiller on the grass  on my drive. The amount of insects I've seen in the past week has been incredible. I use a flamewand  to kill it off,  expensive for the gas, it's 60 metres long, but worth it to see the birds. I used a hoe the first year, took me a couple of days. A real ballache.

With the various legal things coming out about the use of round-up, we went to various things including the flamewand, on a 60 acre estate though, it would take a looooong time with the flame wand and a lot of gas. So we have tried the salt and vinegar routine and a few other things mainly just on pathways and hard surfaces. But I can imagine things are better without the weed killer being used. 

[AJStrees]

5 minutes ago, gary112 said:

Seeing all these things just makes you feel better about everything,don,t you think

Yep for sure. Even the birds seem happier now that less green house gases are being pumped out all over the place. For a short while anyway. 

 

But yeah its definitely time to lift the tone of things. All this doom and gloom is a bit much. Mother's day to day as well.......

[David Cropper]

3 minutes ago, AJStrees said:

With the various legal things coming out about the use of round-up, we went to various things including the flamewand, on a 60 acre estate though, it would take a looooong time with the flame wand and a lot of gas. So we have tried the salt and vinegar routine and a few other things mainly just on pathways and hard surfaces. But I can imagine things are better without the weed killer being used. 

I found a dead hedgehog last year under my flowering pear, that made me reassess my priorities. Not used any sort of poison or weed killer since.

[AJStrees]

3 minutes ago, David Cropper said:

I found a dead hedgehog last year under my flowering pear, that made me reassess my priorities. Not used any sort of poison or weed killer since.

Well on the subject of hedgehogs, I am glad you brought that up. Good for you though on sorting that out. 

 

I have worked on the same Estate for over 20 years in the middle of the countryside and have never once seen a hedgehog here. The Widlife Trust assure us that there is no need to re-introduce as they are on the come back. There is an idea that badgers will eat them all and we have badgers, but I can't see how that makes any sense because badgers and hedgehogs have been in England for a good few thousands years co-existing I would have thought.