Strawberry-like fruit of Cornus capitataWhat amazing rain we've had over the last 10 days or so - and more is promised for the weekend! On Tuesday I emptied nearly a foot out of the wheelbarrow, which I wanted to use to pick up clippings from the Evergreen Oak hedge. And today there is another 2 or 3 inches. Of course the mouth of the barrow is bigger than its base, but that is still a lot of water.
Susanna has started to feed the birds again: the birdtable is out by the kitchen window, and the peanot holders are on the espalier wires. The tits found them straight away, as if they had just been waiting, just like the rats, who have been climbing up to the table. There are few finches as yet, although I see the usual winter gangs in the hedges - I suppose there are still plenty of berries for them. Blackbirds and thrushes have been testing the cotneaster berries I can see from my study, but they are not yet ripe enough I think, or they would have been stripped in 10 minutes. Somebody has been at the large strawberry-like fruit of Cornus capitata, but I haven't detected who yet - probably the thrushes. We have half a dozen of them, grown from seed by Susanna, all now flowering and fruiting.
A bird has nibbled the Cornus capitata fruit
The Cryptomeria japonica given us by Grania has really taken off this year. It is a form that retains its juvenile foliage, which turns copper in winter- you would almost think it has died, but it will come back to life again in the Spring.
Grania's Cryptomeria japonica
2 comments:
I bet your wheelbarrow has filled with rain a few times since - or perhaps even blown over! We're battening down the hatches here...
It has indeed, Daniel, but it's still standing there overflowing!
Yesterday I noticed the water fountaining up from a storm-drain down by the water, and Lough Derg is extremely high. But I think you have been having it much worse in West Cork. My prayers are with all those struggling with wrecked homes and businesses
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