venta

I live in a second-floor flat, and outside on a little brick balcony I have some window boxes. Right now they're rather sad, owing to post-winter and me not having had time/legs to plant them up for spring. Dad is bringing me some strawberry plants for one, but I could put flowers in the other.

Last year, I was surprised to find quite a large number of monkey nuts in my window boxes. I'm pretty sure they don't naturally grow among the roots of begonias. I gently asked ChrisC whether he was secretly stashing monkey nuts among the plants. He denied it and blamed the squirrels.

Squirrels? We're on the second floor! There are no trees close enough by, they'd have to run up a vertical brick wall!

I underestimated the average squirrel. Obviously needled by my accusations, ChrisC produced photographic evidence that squirrels make it up onto our balcony. While working at home yesterday, I caught one in the act myself. Not burying nuts, but cheerfully running along the wall and up onto the bird table.

I noticed the other day that quite a lot of the soil from the window boxes is not, as such, actually in the boxes any more. It is all over the balcony. Bloody squirrels!

But no, I am maligning the furry little beasties. Having got up relatively early this morning, I was treated to the sight of the world's largest magpie industriously digging in my window box, soil flying in all directions. Bloody corvids! Like yesterday's squirrel, he scarpered when I attempted to take his photo.

My balcony herb garden - growing in an old Belfast sink - is also looking terribly neglected and not quite as alive as is ideal. It needs some tidying up and maybe some replanting. And there are bits of beautifully-painted glass everywhere; the stupidly strong wind the other day blew the lovely ivy-patterned tealight holder (a keepsake from

undyingking's wedding) into the wall and it broke. And having considered taking photos of passing wildlife, I notice that the glass doors onto the balcony could do with a bit of a clean...

I may be stuck on the sofa at present, but I'm generating quite a to-do list :)

As regular readers might deduce, I am not in Manchester this weekend. I decided the sensible money was on not going to DERT. Mabel Gubbins are up there, and posting deeply terrifying photos on Facebook.
Edit There are DERT live streams broadcasting from 11, if you're interested! I had no idea. I am delighted; me and the Chromecast are settling in for the day :)
Edit edit As I might have guessed, live streams not working quite as well as hoped!