Meadow going to sleep until the spring

Sadly I cut most of the meadow yesterday.Weather wise its been the most dreadful  summer with constant rain Ive not been able to collect and seed to sow for next year the seed heads just too wet to collect

This is the machine I use for cutting .You walk behind it like a lawn mower. I had to cut three times as the grass has never stopped growing and it kept flattening instead of cutting

After cutting I have to collect it by hand then transport it down to the bottom of the meadow and build it into a stack this will take the best part of a week.When this is all sorted I will do
the final cut for the winter with the ride on mower.

From failure to success

At the end of June I had to weed killer a small piece of the meadow  as it had become infested with thousands of rape seedlings . I re sowed it with lots of odd and old packets of seeds,with added Buckwheat .The Buckwheat was a great success, absolutely loved by the insects I'll make sure I sow plenty of it next year.The rest of the bed has erupted into a riot of colour .I am so pleased it has performed  far better than I had dare dream, knowing that it would be so late to flower I didn't expect much.

Resown after 21st June

Resown patch

Pink Shirley Poppy
Papaver rhoeas
2012m208

Coral and White Shirley Poppy
Papaver rhoeas
 2012m208

Deep pink Shirley Poppy
Papaver rhoeas
 2012m213

Clarkia unguiculata
 2012m207

Calendula officinalis
2012 m212

Alstroemeria
2012 m214

Forget me not
 2012 m91

Meadow birds

Lovely sights today there must have been about 50 gold finches feeding on the flowers that have gone to seed in the meadow. they very timid add fly off quickly then sit a distance away resting on the telephone wires waiting for me to go so they can continue their feast.

This evening the swallows were gathering they are getting ready for there flight back to Africa . Some of our chicks had only fledged on Friday after the Sparrow Hawk attack wiped out three nests in the out buildings .