Britain shivers

What with one thing and another it was late lunchtime before I put my boots on to set off for a walk. Coincidentally this was the point at which the snow everybody else and their dog had been talking about all morning finally came out way. I changed my mind about going for a walk: the snow I didn't mind so much, the fact that it was falling horizontally put me off rather. 

The arrival of the snow, none of which actually stuck to the ground, prompted the disappearance of gulls from the school playing field. There has been a steady running down of numbers recently, we're now in the teens of black-headed gulls with perhaps one or two herring gulls and we're seeing multiple lesser black-backs more often while common gulls are visiting perhaps three or four times a week in ones and twos. The evening passage of gulls is becoming more of a feature, too. It's not often less than a dozen lesser black-backs passing overhead at teatime, the other night it was fifty-odd birds. Within minutes of the gulls disappearing from the field it was occupied by a small flock of fifteen woodpigeons, the first time this year there's been more than three of them at a time. The season's definitely on the change even if the weather's changed its mind.

I topped up the feeders in the back garden, supervised by a couple of spadgers and a collared dove. I felt a little guilty at having done some more pruning over the weekend, reducing the shelter  a little. Then I looked at how much pruning of the rambling rose and boysenberries there's still left to get done and I didn't feel so guilty. And there are enough evergreens in the garden if the cold wind gets really nasty. When the weather's really bad the silver team spadgers commute in via the ivy on next door's back fence and hop over into the pyracantha I've got growing with the roses by the feeding station. There are a couple of gaps I've been mulling over. In the back corner the elderly  flowering currant I inherited when I moved in has finally given up the ghost, leaving behind a couple of self-layered offshoots. I could do with something evergreen growing behind them deep in the corner where it's dark. And I need something in the side border where I had to remove a Hebe which was unhappy and cut back nearly all the Mahonia after it was got at by a fungal infection. I suspect the lack of Winter blackcaps and chiffchaffs this year is related to the having no Mahonia flowers to feed on at Christmas. I've a few ideas for both places but I'm going to bide my time and build the soil up a bit before doing any planting.

My boots have been feeling very comfortable lately which is usually a hint that they're not going to see the month out. I had a look at them today and besides perhaps needing new uppers and resoling they look OK to be getting on with but I've ordered a new pair ready for when the inevitable occurs.