Farewell Madam Black

When we moved the chickens over the yard, one of them, a a Jersey Giant, refused to lay her eggs in the new house. Every other day she'd fly over the wire, make her way to the old hen house, lay one, then saunter back. We started to call her Madam Black because she was so proud and independent. For some reason she could never fly back to the hen run. She used to hang around the gate until someone let her back in.

Then she stopped going to the old chicken house. She had a nest somewhere among the hay bales and she'd access it by the scrubby trees behind the shed. We'd have to go in there, catch her and return her to the run. The odd night she stayed in the barn. It wasn't going to end well. She was missing this morning and this is all that was left of her. Foxy and the cubs will have had a very good meal.

Poor Madam Black. I'm going to miss her proud ways. But we won't miss her eggs as we never did find her nest. As the bales come out it will reveal itself and those eggs will be stinking.

To Flickr, on the 16th of April. No interesting photograph today as it was here before. This is the 16th most viewed, clematis florida "Sieboldii". Ain't it pretty? 924 views. I don't think there are any in stock these days.

Potter's World of Owls

On Saturday afternoon Bert, myself and a selection of Banjos went to World of Owls in Randalstown to plant climbers. These climbers were mainly Clematis montanas, and they're going to help give the owls a bit of privacy. When they grow. If they grow.

I uploaded a few pictures over in Flickr.

It was a very owly Saturday. Ballymena's Tower Centre had a Harry Potter themed day and one of the 'attractions' was a display of owls from a local school of falconry. I don't think the owls were Potter fans for they didn't look too delighted to be there.

So I suppose loads of you, besides Ed, bought and read the latest of those damn books that have made JK Rowling, Daniel Radcliffe and the rest multimillionaires. I shan't be reading it just yet. Maybe if I'm ever serving a jail term I might get round to it. Despite my reluctance to read it I'd like a private email telling me what happened and who died.

Clematis florida 'sieboldii'

clematis florida 'sieboldii'
Originally uploaded by NellyMoser.

So this wee garden centre man phones up and says,

"Have yez any of that clematis Garibaldi'?.
"We have indeed."
"Keep me a whole big pile of them. I'll be up with the trailer tonight.

Well I knew he meant 'Sieboldii' but as you know the customer is always right.

I was telling Bert about it and he said,

"Oh I know that wee boy. He was up with his trailer one night loading up with clematis and he says to me, 'Can you sell them oul clematis?' and I says to him that I could sell them to a band playing and he says to me as he loads them on thick, 'Thats funny for I cannae sell them atall.'"

Flipping Clematis

I have been asked for advice about overwintering clematis in pots. Bert the resident expert has been consulted and this is what he suggests. He overwinters clematis both as liners and full-grown plants. They are kept in unheated polytunnels. He advises some frost protection if it is very cold and to plant out in spring. Don’t worry if they die back a bit, as they’ll sprout again in spring. Don’t overwater. Good luck!

A Free Society

"Most Northern Ireland households can expect to pay up to £415 per year in water charges, it has been announced. The average household will pay £115 from April 2006, that will rise to £340 in 2008. " Won't be long now before we are paying for the air that we breathe. This is one of the joys of living in a capitalist society. Mind you this household has been paying for its water since the house was built so we shan't notice much difference to start with. The last half-year bill was over £500. Clematis* production uses a lot of water. That bill was not usual, its normally much less but we had a leak under the kitchen floor. The cement had corroded the copper piping and we didn't notice until the quarry tiles started floating. When youse wans start paying for your water, you'll need to watch for leaks and so on. The Water Board, or whatever they're going to call themselves, will hold you responsible for your leaks. *I'm trying to sneak in at least one mention of flipping clematis a day