We have been back at Le Hot for a week now and have been revelling in all the hard labour of preparing a large garden for the summer ahead. Not to mention all the indoor jobs. We have lucky enough to have some good sunny weather for all the work, though that East wind has been CHILLY!
The stork couple in the nest on our telegraph pole have surveyed all our activities calmly, whilst they take turns sitting on their eggs. Several times we have seen small parties of young storks flying over surveying for suitable nest-sites – just like ours did in 2014.
The moorhens on the pond are getting used to our presence again, though they made a fearful racket the other day when a mallard drake and his mate landed on the water to check it out! Our avian residents do seem to defend their home territory fiercely!
I have been spreading a great deal of compost on the borders and veg beds, planting potatoes and shallots, doing lots of weeding and pruning, a myriad of different little gardening jobs. Nigel has cut the grass, tidied the drive, done some chainsawing…..his big task of the week was to put a rope banister on the stone spiral staircase – about time too, probably! It’s looking good.
More blossom has been opening on the trees daily – blackthorn, pear, plum, magnolia were already in full flood when we arrived
The Amelanchier has got better and better, and now the apple blossom is opening, which is perhaps my favourite of all.
Rainy today, so it’s more indoor jobs – and garden writing!
Manoir Le Hot 