Hot work

Hot work today in the garden, as Dad decides to empty one of the plastic compost "daleks" which is as ripe as a good fruit cake, and which has been nibbled through by r*ts. For a while they were sneaking in there and tunnelling up through the body of the dalek to a void just under the lid, so were able to chew on anything new added to the "heap". This drove we dogs mad because we could smell the little varmints but couldn't get into, or even dig wider, the little nibbled hole in the plastic

Dad put a stop to the rodentiferous game with a spare chunk of weldmesh, but the dalek was still doomed, and today it has been emptied, its contents used to raise the level in the woodland glade bit. The birds are now having a merry time with a square yard of worm-rich smelly goodness.

This all had to be accomplished in small nips in and out of the compost area, because there are bluetits in a box near there, feeding babies. Every time "we" nipped in and started shovelling, within a few seconds the bluetit swearing would start - we were busted! - we had to retreat lest we make Mr and Mrs Bluetit desert the nest. Hope they're now enjoying the compost strewn about. Lots of food for babies.

It was hot work - there and before that up at the allotment weeding onion rows, parsnips and baby leeks. The allotment is near a railway, and both bindweed and marestail get extablished very quickly if not chopped off on a weekly basis. We are all sweaty, smelly herberts as we sit down to our cajun roast chicken and (allotment) broad beans (barely blanched and then tossed in a dressing of garlic and anchivies..... Yum (for humans anyway - we got the chicken-spine raw as Dad spatchcocked the bird.

Replete
Deefer