February Garden

When I went out yesterday morning there was nothing in this planter but a few struggling buds. When I came back yesterday afternoon it looked like this

Spring is sprung alright. There are frogs active in the pond (no spawn yet), oyster-catchers on the river bank, and I saw six curlews flying over the fields. I think they're probably heading towards Flanders Moss, but it was lovely to see them.

In the garden birds are claiming nest sites, and there has been some interest in the nest box on the birch. I am not quite as optimistic as I was about the possibility of wrens, because there is a grey squirrel, all spruced up and gleaming, far too familiar with this bit of the village. We'll see, however. There is a tangle of wild rose growing up all around it, which may deter him. There is one single aconite in the spring garden

and the witch hazel is in full bloom, and giving off that wierd but not unpleasant smell, like a mixture of coconut and turps. The new starwberry plants look as if they are settling in, and the chives are up. What more could you ask of February?