Sit Still Sundays

A beautiful sunny Sunday in February saw me out in the garden secateurs in hand. I have small stretch of beech and hazel hedge across a part of the garden so like to try and control its height. I don’t prune it but gently lay it so the branched entwine horizontally. Not only does this give a nice thick hedge but provides a safe place for the birds to nest. I knew I had to get this done as the birds are looking to nest already so I must finish my pruning before they do. I also throw post grooming dog and cat fur into the back garden as the birds use this to line their nests.Twisting and turning through the hedges is wild jasmine which in the balmy summer evenings fills the garden with the most exquisite scent. This one plant was rescued about ten years ago when its natural hedgerow was being destroyed for new houses and now stretches up high into the surrounding trees and across my garden. As I worked quietly the busy sparrows hopped room branch to branch to furtively feed from the bird table and seed feeders about 3 feet from me. A high pitched tweet announced the arrival of a flock of long tailed tits who regularly come for the nuts. I stood spell bound as they tweeted and flitted next to me in the buddleia. Further down the garden the two robins were as usual flitting amongst the bushes along with two pairs of blackbirds. The gentle rat a tat tat of a woodpecker echoed up from the adjacent woodland. The long tailed tits were joined by coal tits, blue tits and great tits.I felt so privileged to be a part of their world and thought wouldn’t it be great to have Sit Down Sundays where people, young and old alike, sit quietly in the garden, by a rock pool, in a park or in a wood and be amazed at all the livings they will see.Agent Diamond