In Oxfordshire we often see red kites.  They were introduced to the Chilterns 20 years ago by Paul Getty and have been an astonishing success.  Its not uncommon to see several in the sky at once and to hear their screeches. 

Thankfully they only eat carrion so our hens are safe, but our underwear may not be as they are known to steal knickers from the washing line to line their nests.  A small price to pay in my view.

One minute there's nothing and the next they're shooting out of the ground like nails in a James Bond torture sequence.

For the next few weeks we can enjoy one of the tastiest seasonal vegetables there are.  It knocks the all year round imported stuff into a cocked hat.

To satisfy demand from an asparagus loving family I have planted a second bed, this time the early variety Ariane.  Unfortunately we will have to wait a year before we can harvest it.

Last year my paranoia of pigeons meant I kept our early broad beans so well protected that even the bumble bees couldn't get to them.  Which meant that they were less well pollinated and so many of the flowers never made it to beans.

This year I have planted some rosemary at the end of the bed, which is one of the few plants to flower at the same time as overwintered broad beans so it should attract pollinators.  This is good for the beans, but also good for the bees, which need every help they can get.  As well as a shortage of food, bees are struggling to find nesting places in our tidy gardens.  If you can't live with a messy garden, but would like to help bees, do please consider hanging a pollinating bee log or bug box.  They are easy to make and are unusual garden accessories, even in a tidy garden.

This horse chestnut is 12 years old.  It was given to us by a friend who grew it from a conker. We planted it in a hedge so it's unlikely to reach the height of other chestnuts but it nevertheless seems very happy. 

These sticky buds look good enough to eat.  Which is what horses can do with ground conkers.  Which is why they are called horse chestnuts.  Now you know.

Our birdboxes have seen a lot of action already this year.  The blue tits have been checking out their options for a few weeks and every box now seems to have residents. 

The birds seem to cope well with the snow (unlike British Airways) and keep singing, but they find it more difficult to find food when its cold so keeping the garden bird foods topped up is important.  Bird seed sunfllowers are a good option at this time of year as the seeds are fine for adult birds and their fledglings.

At last its the rhubarb season again!  Usually by now we have gloriously bright pink stems poking up through the darkness of our rhubarb forcer.  But this year the strong winds seem to have dislodged the lid, which has meant the yellows and pinks have given way to greens and reds.  I'm sure it will taste just as good though, especially with a liberal dousing of elderflower cordial.