GARDENING AS A HOBBY? STILL WAITING FOR IT TO GROW ON ME...

Despite coming from a family of gardening experts mysteriously the gardening bug just hasn't bitten me.

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing I love more than a beautifully laid out and well manicured vegetable or flower garden. To see the way that creative gardeners manage to make you stop and admire their work. To sample the hard earned harvest of super fresh vegetables and fruits, or indeed the sight of an unkempt vase of English Garden flowers.

In truth, Hubby and I (despite our tender years) often enjoy summer Sunday afternoons dodging pairs of spinsters and groups of dutiful offspring accompanying their parents to the local 'Garden Open Day'. We quite enjoy marvelling at the work of those who have a remarkable skill that just hasn't sprouted in our minds.

At home we have a simple 'courtyard garden'. Not very big, lots of pots, mostly full of moss and/or weeds, an air raid siren (yes), and the obligatory garden furniture and BBQ that get used maybe once or twice a year.

There are two planted raised beds which have a host of shrubs and bushes. Some inherited, some purchased and planted by us in a heady moment of domesticity and middleagedness.

Don't get me wrong, some of these shrubs and bushes are beautiful, probably because we never, ever, touch them.

However, a couple of weeks ago, after seeing 'The Little Shop of Horrors' Hubby and I decided that we simply must do something about the 'monster plant' that was taking over. It had somehow managed to reduce the size of our garden by about 1/3rd and was showing no sign of holding back any time soon.

So, we attacked it, as only Hubby and I can. Without ANY skill, delicacy or strategy. We just attacked it as if the survival of the world was wholly in our hands and we had been 'chosen' to slay the monster!!!

It put up a good fight but there was no stopping us.... we simply had to win!

Covered in sweat, leaves, scratches and bugs and after filling two wheelie bins and three black bags with branches, leaves and bits of tree, we had to stop (lucky for us). No, not because we had won, nor because we were knackered and in need of wine (although we were). No we had to stop because we had unearthed a nest.

Unsurprisingly, after the noise we had been making there was nobody at home in the nest but there were 5 egg and that meant stopping.

Having kept cats for many years the novelty of a nest in our garden was so, so exciting. We just hoped we hadn't messed things up by our pathetic attempt at saving the world.

Needless to say we downed tools straight away and did our best to rearrange what was left of the 'monster tree' to afford the nest some privacy and safe coverage. This we seem to have managed with some success because fortunately, later in the day, when we had retired to the chilled Sauvignon Blanc, the Blackbirds returned and have been sitting, in shifts, ever since.

The whole experience has awakened my maternal instinct and I have spent the last two weeks monitoring the comings and goings at 'Chez Blackbird'. There has been the odd fight with a crow who got to close, unexpected rain showers which resulted in rather soggy birds and to be honest the battling winds of last night didn't do much to improve the remaining branches surrounding the nest.

Throughout all of the above I have been feeding the expectant family on a feast of vegetation and have managed to determine that when it comes to blackbirds, their least favourite food is bread and, it seems the RSPB agree.

http://http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/helpingbirds/feeding/whatfood/scraps.asp

Our particular blackbirds seem to like apples (gala seem to be their favourite), new potatoes (lightly roasted in olive oil and allowed to cool) , carrots (batons cooked al dente, if you please) and most remarkably cabbage (savoy, shredded and steamed of course). Today I am experimenting with banana (fair trade) and will record my finding accordingly.

You may think that I am over reacting to having a nest in the garden, perhaps I am, until recently even the sight of a bird anywhere near the garden was unheard of. So having a nest all of our own really brightens my day. Nature is a truly remarkable thing.

At the risk of sounding like Bill Oddie on Springwatch; I'd love to hear your stories about your garden and what makes it special for you.