The Garden at Nesh End

Here are some definitions of “nesh”

1. sensitive to cold: very sensitive to cold temperatures
2. timid: lacking courage or self-confidence^.

In it’s earlier use – when Hardy, and also D H Lawrence were using it in their novels – it can mean

‘Soft, tender, delicate’

Well, there is something “nesh” about how sensitively exposed this garden is to the elements. There’s a bracing wind that blows cold into all your soft bits.

Yes, “nesh” seems fitting somehow to how tender and delicate Porge is.

And she definitely don’t like cold!

I’m thinking of changing the name of this blog to “The Garden at Nesh End”

Nesh End…

Piany told me one day that he had heard the word ‘Nesh’ in one of Thomas Hardy’s novels…..the word Nesh (in Dorset speak) means:- ‘tender’..!!??

When I asked what is so ‘tender’ about this house and garden!?…..(as its stuck right on the end of all the houses, in the heart of Dorset countryside….with views way off over the valley and hills and is highly exposed to all the elements…. particularly the wind! ) …. Piany said….

“Your tender” !

Such a beautiful name and i’m going to have a plaque made or knit one !!!

Thanks Piany, a great name!

The cat shat on the…. pat (ch)

“You aren’t gonna like this” said Porge.

“There’s 3 cat shits on the beds”.

The wind blew the green mesh off and these little shits – sorry – “cats” were straight in there, bespoiling our carefully cultivated soil.

We don’t have photographic evidence. (Not that I, or you, need to know)

But what we gonna do?

There’s probably some anti cat-shit herb you can use to keep them off.

Altho probably the best method is to shoot them up their tight little arses with an air gun.

Grrrrr! (yeah, that’s me doing my dog impression)

Yellowhammer summerfella

“Seeing a yellowhammer is the first sign of summer”

The males have a bright yellow head and underparts (or possibly underpants)

This is a male.

Georg saw them in Jenny’s garden. Don’t know if they wanna come up to ours.

Apparently their high pitched song is the well known “little bit of bread and no cheese”.

Find out more about them here. There’s a recording of their song (but it’s crap)

Herb Circle

Or maybe it’s a jacuzzi.

Slide down a chute from the bedroom window.

Whoosh! Splash! Straight in

to a hot tub of luxurious bubbles.

Lovely.

I strip 3/4’s of the circle of its turf in 2 hours flat.

I’m impressed (with myself)

Porge has laid fine green mesh over the veg beds.

No cat shits. Ist Verboten!

Chitting

Here is Porge chitting.

Her potatoes.

And she’s sowing neat trays of broad beans, mange tout, salad leaves, peas, toms.

All to be planted out in those beds I’ve raised.

As soon as the frosts have gone.

Raising the beds

A couple of sunny days means we can get cracking on.

This is me vigorously forking.

I learned it at The Geriatric School of Digging.

Hand-on-knee technique its called.

Oh, look who we have here

Sauntering slyly by.

Ginge the Minge.

He wants to shit on t’ patch.

As soon as your back’s turned

cats cack on your raised beds. They do.

(and sure enough – he did)

Here’s the raised beds.

Raked the soil into a fine tilth. Picked out tons of pebbles and stones.

Then folding the earth up in rows.

George is gonna run a line of fishbone and blood across the tips.

She loves fishboning and blooding.