HERE IS THE NEWS

During lockdown, my most prolific writing is in our family's Group Chat. Let's not 'despise the day of small things' so here's some extracts from one strand as we try to share hope, hunour and sense of connectedness. I hope it brings the same to you a little.

21^st March

Thought I would share what lightens my heart in the mornings. Look, the first tulip coming into bloom in our garden. Zoom in on the other photo and you'll see a bud (in March!) on Nanny's rose.

That's a great sight for this morning

24^th March

This morning's Garden News:

The wood pigeons' nest in the yew tree appears to be finished now and she is sitting quietly on it, beautifully camouflaged unless you know where to look.

Tune in tomorrow for more!

Loving the positive news

25^th March:

Today's Garden Update is three stages of narcissi.

26^th March:

News from my work garden today: here are our most regular visitors at the moment. You'll have to zoom in - use my shadow as a pointer in the first and then look along the ground line from building to hedge in the second.

Hahaha that's cute mum

They can be a bit of a distraction in meetings!

Yeah they keep rabbiting on when people trying to get on with stuff!

27^th March:

Today's Garden Headline: Scientists Discover World's Original Freerunners.

Running along walls, scaling uprights at speed, leaping seemingly impossible distances at great height, ladies and gentlemen, I give you....

Squirrels!

Haha at least someone is getting out and about lol

30^th March

Garden News: It's a quiet day. Clocks going forward means we're an hour later listening to the Dawn Chorus, which is actually loudest about half an hour before sunrise. But the shrubs all have fresh growth on them and the battle against sycamore seedlings continues on a daily basis.

2^nd April

Here are today's Headlines:

In the continued fightback against the spread of sycamore seedlings, some plants are defying the odds.

The first buds on Clematis Montana are spotted a month early:

Glad to see the garden is doing well

These little beauties grow bigger around the cleared pond:

And finally, a mystery: This flowerhead was discovered abandoned at the bottom of the oak tree. It is not a plant that grows in our garden.

How did it get there?

The authorities suspect fowl play!

Hahaha certainly the suspect has now squirrelled themselves away out if sight now

The suspect was last seen petalling away on their bike

3^rd April

Apologies for the lateness of today’s edition.

This time we sent our roving reporter to give us Estate News.

Daffodils Still in Bloom

Daisies in the Verges

Haha daily exercise getting the latest scoop

And further proof that weeds can be beautiful too with these self-seeded forget-me-nots. An apt flower for these social distancing times.

6^th April

Dad and I have been ordering fruit trees.

Sounds lovely mum what trees you gonna get?

Plum, cherry, pear - one of each. Columnar trees so they don't take up loads of space or cause much shade. To go alongside the apples.

We're going to plant up some old veg seeds later this week

That sounds sick mum sounds like The Good Life lol

7^th April

Time for another Garden Update.

Spotted what I think was a male common blue butterfly. Its wings sparkled in the sunshine. Didn't get a photo but here's a link to what it looks like https://butterfly-conservation.org/butterflies/common-blue

Enjoying the update mum

Bringing the outside to you

Breaking Garden News...

These irises didn't bloom last year - thought I hadn’t planted them deep enough. But look!

Buds!

Plants doing very well

Looking forward to when we can all enjoy it together

8^th April

And now over to Gardening News Headlines (we need a theme tune!)

New tulips change from bud to bloom

In true British spirit of ingenuity, the trend for converting exhibition centres into hospitals moves on to conservatories becoming greenhouses

Haha you love it

Greenhouse gang

Here you see potatoes being chitted (yes, that's a real word!), alongside the propagation of sunflower seeds and broad beans. Donations of Tupperware lids for trays and unused pots came in quickly. We only wait for your dad to open the facility officially - once he wakes from his nap.

Wowee loving the updates mum

We hope in future episodes of Gardening News to have updates from our foreign correspondents in Berkshire and Yorkshire with their specialist updates on strawberries and microgreens.

Haha will do mum x

Feels like BBC South in here lol

Lol I missed this thread when I was snoozing. And now over to the weather in your area

You're our 10 o clock correspondent

11^th April

Garden News on Catch Up:

As earlier daffodils fade, these baby ones have taken their place

And as the dwarf hyacinth finish on one side of the garden, they are replaced by their bluebell cousins

Not forgetting the apple blossom about to pop

Very nice mum, always appreciate the updates

12^th April

The iris buds are actually not one fat one each but four per stem. Plus the first leaves on the oak tree and first blossoms on the apple trees and Clematis Montana Elizabeth open - how apt to see the blooming of new life on Easter Day

( Liz Manning fits writing around being an Occupational Therapist, BB captain, wife, and mum to two adult sons. Or perhaps it's the other way round. She blogs regularly at https://thestufflifeismadeofblog.wordpress.com/)