Under glass

My new greenhouse is now fully in place - :)).  Today I bought it a heater, and some bubble-wrap, to prepare it for the winter.  The more tender plants have been sheltering in there for a couple of weeks while the greenhouse was being finished (long story there....) and they seem happy, but the temperatures have been relatively mild on the whole so far and they'll need a little heat to tide them over the winter months.  The sweet peas have been put in there too, and seem to be coming up better than they were doing in the cold frame (which has been relocated next to the greenhouse door); this could be because of the better light, slightly better warmth or the fact that they're now out of the reach of slugs and snails (there are a couple of truncated shoots that look as if they've been nibbled off).  I have good intentions of better-organised sowing for next year ....

The weather has not only been on the mild side, with only a few frosts, but also quite dry.  We're wondering whether we might actually manage to cut the lawn, which is looking decidedly shaggy.  Colder weather is forecast for next week, but that leaves me time to get my tulips planted: a Sarah Raven collection of Prinses Irene, Couleur Cardinal and Havran (a deep purple).  They will go in the bottom bed under the big tree, where I hope they'll make a good splash of colour.  I haven't managed to organise the pots this year; they still contain last year's bulbs, which probably won't do well, but maybe that will make me more willing to dig them out after flowering so that summer bedding can go in.

The yellow chrysanths are still blooming, a little shabbily now, but otherwise it's winter colour only - the viburnums, winter jasmine and, if you look closely, a few cyclamen.  The holly berries have all been eaten by the birds (but we managed to pick some for Christmas decorations before they all went).

We do have a lot of blackbirds this year.  A large flock of small birds has been in the top of the ash tree a few times; it's hard to see what they are (finches? buntings?).  A wren has been around, which is encouraging after our run of hard winters.  And one day we had at least 50 partridges in the garden; they just kept on coming.  They seem to be finding food in the veg plot; this must be weed seeds (there isn't anything else there at the moment other than the leeks and garlic, which are ok) so I'm happy to leave them to it.  The sparrowhawk still visits occasionally, although the closest shave in the last few days was when a cat - a new, blue-grey one - pounced on some birds feeding on the patio (they all escaped, fortunately).