Snake in the Grass

This post has been prompted by my friend Janet who told me recently about seeing grass snakes Natrix natrix - don't look at the link if you are squeamish about snake pictures! I haven't seen one for years and would love to see one again. I looked them up on the net and am in awe of their beautiful colours. They really are a sight worth seeing. I had a compost bin for my birthday recently so perhaps I will end up with one in there! You never know. Talking of which it's amazing how much waste one collects just from one meal. It makes me realise all the glorious compost I could have been making all along. I have yet to site the bin properly as it has no bottom so it needs to be placed directly on top of the soil. I am quite excited about having it because it means we can improve the quality of the clay soil here at no extra cost and I don't have to feel guilty about throwing out kitchen waste!

I put a load of old pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds out for the birds but I haven't seen one bird eat them yet. Instead they have become covered with slime trails as the slugs and snails have had a feast. Yuk! Where are all the thrushes when you need 'em?