Rural Life

Flood time

Across northern Europe, rivers are rising.  La Loire and a number of its tributaries (la Sarthe, le Loir, le Maine, le Vienne) are all pretty full, with la Loire living up to her reputation of being la Sauvage.  In Paris, they are holding their breathe and watching as the waters rise up a statue - if the water reaches his beard, it will be a record breaker, but central Paris is likely to grind to a halt.  Already riverside roads and paths are inaccessible.

In the UK there is also a lot of water about, and as ever, the Severn has broken its banks where it is constrained (so in the towns and villages).  In Shrewsbury today, the riverside walk is flooded to some degree and you can't walk along it.  A number of trees have their roots well into water, and below the English Bridge by Wyle Kop, where there is normally a willow tree with a little bit of land, there are just some branches above the flow of the river.  Today three cormorants were using that as a point to watch the river and think about fishing.

January jobs in the garden

To be fair, apart from keeping the fat ball holder full for the small birds and trudging across the garden to deal with the chickens, there isn't much to do in the garden at this time of year.  But there is one very important job, and it is very much mine - pruning the fruit trees.

We have one old Williams pear tree, one quince tree we planted 13 years ago, and three apple trees (one Granny Smith, one Reine de Reinette and one Belle de Boscoop) that need to be pruned at this time of year.  The plum, cherry, peach and apricot trees all have to be done in the summer, once they have fruited.

Today I managed to do two thirds of the quince tree (the other bits are too high for me to reach), the Belle de Boscoop, the Granny Smith and half of the Reine de Reinette.  This last one is the most difficult, as it has little blossom and little fruit, but instead sends up loads of close packed sappy shoots.  I think it wants to be a poplar tree.  This year I am taking quite a bit of wood out of the centre in the hope that will encourage more blossom, and that if any fruit sets, it will actually get to see sunlight and benefit from the breezes.  The pear tree suffered last season with the weight of fruit, so we need to do some serious work with a bow saw to deal with the damage.  That is a two person job.

The other January job is to admire any snowdrops that are daring enough to show themselves.

A hint of things to come

Every year, and usually in January, there is a day when I know that spring will happen.  There is something about the quality of the air and light that gives new hope.

It isn't always linked to any physical signs of spring, although today I did spot the first tips of snowdrop leaves pushing up around the base of the quince tree.  The bluebells have been pushing up for a while now.

It also isn't linked in general to any wildlife signs, although today I was keenly aware of small birds in the garden starting to prepare their mating songs.

It is also not the end of the bad and cold weather - while today we have seen a bit of sun for only the third time this year, I know that we still have a lot of frost and rain and wind to come.

But there was definitely something in the air today, and I am now inclined to think about pruning the apple, pear and quince trees and what crops I might grow in the potager.

 

Winter storms

It is winter - we should expect weather that is challenging to our comfort.  Wind, rain, snow are all on the menu at this time of year.  Those driving to ski resorts in the Alps should not be surprised if their journey is challenging because of snow (you do sort of need snow to ski).  We should not be surprised by wind and rain either.  Having said that, the new style for giving storms names does make for interesting headlines.

Carmen and Eleanor have both brought problems around Europe, although Carmen wasn't quite as bad as feared.  However she may have weakened things, so that Eleanor could cause more damage.  Today is also windy, but doesn't have a name.  However today more than ever I will need to check out properties, as the near incessant rain and the unpredictable gusts may have brought down branches and trees and shifted outdoor furniture.  Yesterday we found a heavy winter swimming pool cover in a hedge - not something you see every day.

But these storms aren't all bad.  The weather maps and images of lightning strikes or of winds are very attractive.  Carmen was really rather pretty!