Netherfield

Claverham Monday Badminton Club: The first session of the New Year was great, well attended and fun. Of the 11 people who arrived to get back into their playing regime, not one left before the end. Yes the competition was tough but who would want it easy? So, just turn up and get fit. First week for all newcomers is free. It starts at 20.00 (or 8.00 pm in old money) and goes on until 22.00 (or 10.00 pm). The normal cost is £5.00. That is £2.50 per hour for a good time. If you are interested ring Maurice 01424 838410, text 07957588172 or email [email protected].

Reflections on a garden: The number of birds in the garden over the last week seems to have risen dramatically. The odd thrush or two, starlings, sparrows and the ever present robins have given my wife and I such a thrill. It has meant that the bird feeders have taken a terrible bashing, but the seeds and fatballs are a small price to pay for woodpeckers, blue and coal tits and the odd pheasant or three to be seen from both out kitchen and bedroom windows. We like to think they are attracted by the relative safety of our plot and the fact that our interference on their presence is only to top-up their source of food.

From the plant point of view, we are still viewing a sea of brown, broken only by the patches of green that we called lawns in the summer. These, I guess, will soon be cut back to their former glory, as they are every year, when the shoots of regeneration begin to appear in the not to distant future. I enjoy the task of running the mower over the sward every week, at the height of the season, as it always gives me a great sense of satisfaction to see the lines appear once again in the garden. I am obviously a man of order.

More next week.......

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