Had a couple of hours fun, clearing the couch grass from the fruit area. It was nastily entangled in the gooseberry and redcurrant bushes. One gooseberry bush I had to dig out, as it was being strangled quite badly. I managed to get the couch roots out (hopefully) without damaging the bush's roots. I forked some blood, fish and bone into the hole and replanted it. Part of the bush was in fact a small, and separate, bush, so I planted this further forward.
I now have 4 gooseberry bushes, 2 medium and 2 small sized, a redcurrant and a blackcurrant. 3 plum trees, an apple tree and a smallish patch of strawberries. Next task is to weed the border of the fruit area and the raspberry canes. This may be difficult as raspberry are shallow rooted. I want to put more canes in the gaps also this month if they are going cheap anywhere.
There was about four horseradish roots in amongst the fruit, I hope I got them all up as they spread aggressively. Shame we're not planning to have beef any-time soon. Could have some with mackerel I suppose.
On the way home I glanced downstream, when crossing the bridge over the River Pool. I glimpsed a flash of electric blue and almost fell off my bike after braking sharply: the Kingfisher, after a lengthy absence. It's good to see him, I wonder if it's the same one? As if to further enhance this welcome sight, a host of other, more common admittedly, birds appeared as he sat on a small branch overhanging the river. A wren skulked in the undergrowth at the waters edge, a robin perched on a stone in the river. Then a grey wagtail bobbed about the rivers edge, hovering almost kestrel like, for a while above the flow. On the banks, house sparrows and blue and great tits were chattering as they searched for food, briefly joined by a goldfinch. High up in the tallest tree, the ever present crows, swaying in the breeze. This all took place in the space of about twenty seconds. Magical.
