pumpkinstrokemarrow

So a hundred or more daffodil bulbs now planted in the area bounded by the two lines of little white posts, with the aconites and snowdrops to the right and left of the white post lines in due course. A proceeding which was hugely speeded up by using a bulb planter. I had had one before and it collapsed on the second or third bulb so, I thought that this time I would get a fancy looking heritage one, for £10 rather than £3. Sturdy stainless steel affair with a real wood handle, with the two parts being tied together with a pair substantial looking brass nails.

Soil in good condition and the planter crashed through the lumpy compost full soil admirably. But you could feel that it was taking some stick. That a £3 one might well have collapsed. And as it was one of the substantial looking brass nails worked loose - although it held on to the end. But off to Screwfix in slow time to get some more sensible fixing. Heritage might look fine but it doesn't fix like the modern gear does.

Having got the bulbs planted, the next step was to plant grass on top - low maintenance daffodils being what we have in mind. So continuing with the heritage line of thought, put out £10 on country meadow mixed grass seed, which prompted me to wonder how much it would cost in seed to do a whole lawn and which came in the same sort as packaging as tuna fish - in the sense that the box was about four times as big as it need have been for the amount of grass seed & etc inside. Ploughed the field and scattered (as we used to say in infant school. See http://www.hymns.me.uk/we-plough-the-fields-and-scatter-hymn.htm for a good rendering) and then gave thought to foxes and squirrels, both of which are apt to dig up freshly ploughed ground.

Which thought resulted in the rather awkward hanging of two sorts of net illustrated. The law of Mr. Sod meant that I had disposed of most of my supply of garden netting after I disposed of my supply of allotments. But so far, a rather half hearted attempt by a squirrel apart, the ground has been left alone. Green shoots are starting to appear.