There were starlings everywhere when I turned up, all over the car park, then on my fences. A couple had also worked out how to cling to the fence to eat the coconuts that I’d put there for the robin and blue tits.

The pond had held its water level, which was a great relief. The water is still down from the top and needs more to really look good.

I’ve finally sown a pot of chives with seed I collected a year or two ago.

I weeded Bed 7 and here and there around the plot. The parsnips have germinated quite well under their protection. I have a big space between the two rows and the wigwam and I’ve added short rows at the side of the bed of lettuce and radish. The seed is old though, so might not do anything and there’s still quite a gap that I don’t know how to fill in a little.

The Russian sage has clearly had it and I’ve replaced the second one with one of the over-wintered calendulas.

I’ve broadcast the final cornflower seed in a few places. I just need it – and the other seeds – to germinate and get going at last. The anise hyssop at home has stalled, so I’ve put some seed in a pot by the shed to give it another chance. I’ll do another tray at home too, this time from the seed that hasn’t been refrigerated.

I sowed the second rows of carrot and beetroot in Bed 10. The first couple of carrots are up now.

The everlasting peas are starting, so I’m trying to keep them propped up and free of weeds.

I rebuilt the pond and filled it high with a mix of the tap water that’s been airing for several days and the rainwater I’ve gathered. I’ve now  completely drained the water butts, so a night of proper rain would be good please. Fingers crossed the water level is ok tomorrow.

I used the final 4.5 litres of water to mix up some seaweed, which I gave to the three bear’s breeches, the callicarpa and the three brachyscome.

We had some light rain this morning, which took care of the seed watering that I’m not doing. Bed 1 is turning greener. Some good seeds are coming up, but I know a lot is weeds now. I’ve removed some of the borage that threatens to later block my view. I’ll see how it goes with what I’ve left.

I did some general weeding and edging along the left boundary and here and there. I have more of that to do across the plot. There are some volunteers in Bed 6 that need to be moved, possibly to Bed 1. I dug up some leatherjackets for the coconut, but the robin didn’t seem very interested; the crushed mealworms are much preferred.

I took the English bluebells down to the plot in their pots. Most have gone between the apple tree and fern bed, the pot of 4 is now sitting on top of the bug hotel.

The elder is now coming in to leaf on the small pieces  that were uncut. Looking at the new leaves round on Bob’s side, I found that my grape hyacinth have jumped through the fence. I also noticed that there’s a big clump of physostegia in D’s path.

Time to fix the pond again. I took off all the stones, washed the beach pretty clean and let it dry in the sun while I did other jobs. I examined the patch and found no problem with it and then, happily, found a new small hole that has no doubt been the problem. I found a few dents in the liner too, which might be weaknesses, so I patched those and the hole with glue. I then put a patch over the new hole and ran a new bead of glue around the old patch, just for luck. After this, if the problem still exists, I think I need to consider remaking it – the sand underneath isn’t great either.

I finally did some lawn work and put down a bag of top soil across three patches: by the water butt, in front of Bed 3, and in front of the bird feeder. I’ve put a liberal layer of grass seed down, which will hopefully get a sprinkle of rain over the next few days.

We put up 8 sweet pea strings on each of the poles in Bed 9. I have semi-ok sweet peas at home, but I’ve direct sown 2 Galaxy Mixed seeds at each string. I have nasturtiums at home too, but I want this bed to be full, so I have sown lots of Orchid Flame, Jewel Mixed and Trailing Mixed seeds all over the bed.

I transplanted some volunteer nasturtiums from Bed 5 too. I removed one of the dead Russian sages and replaced it with a volunteer sunflower. With Bed 5 empty, I sowed 2 cucumber seeds at the foot of each cane. I have three seedlings at home. This year’s approach is to encourage competition between the two approaches, like the first year I did them.

In the empty part of Bed 6 I’ve sown two nursery rows of cosmos and zinnia. Home’s zinnias aren’t bad, the cosmos are all bendy and silly.

Wildlife-wise, the Robin took great advantage of the mealworm dish, but threw them every which way when they were whole, so I have to make sure they’re crushed up. Sitting by the shed adding a tidy pot of calendula to the nursery corner, I could hear bird feet on the shed roof, which turned out to be a magpie, which took fright once it saw me. And finally, a bee somehow got caught inside my veg net. I left the side open for a while, so I hope it found its way out before I shut it again.

I discovered that the reason I’ve been staring at a completely empty tray of marigolds is that the seed was from 2023, which is too old for marigolds. I’ve resown the whole tray with new seed today and put it on the warm hall floor.

Various holes in the sunflower, gourd and nasturtium trays have been resown too. Those trays are in the conservatory. In the office I’ve nipped the tops off my terrible sweet peas and I’ll direct sow others at the weekend.

We finally had some rain last night and I collected a total of 6 litres in all the buckets I’d left out. I went down to amalgamate the treasure into one bucket and found that the fiddleheads on the second Polystichum setiferum have already grown up above the foliage.

The parsnips have appeared in both rows now, but I’ll keep the covers in place for a little while. Hopefully Bed 1 will take off now too, having had a proper watering.

Sure enough, the pond had sunk to just below the big patch by this morning. So next weekend I’m going to have to dismantle the beach and see if I can patch it underneath as well. Meanwhile, all the buckets are out to catch any drop of rain that comes in the week. We may be due a little on Tuesday.

The plot is bone dry and waiting to spring into action. It just needs water to get going.

At home I’ve pinch out the terribly leggy sweet peas. Next weekend I’ll put seeds straight in the ground too.

The first tulips are open in Bed 3 and some double-headed ones are coming along. This autumn I’ll be planting more bulbs as I don’t think it’s only the pink tulips that are missing. The foxgloves are taking off though and I think I have some more that will flower this year. Next year I’ll probably be complaining that I have too many.

The pond was low again and I added some rainwater and some tap water that had been left open for a few days. Its first tap water!

I finished weeding the ledge and cut the grass back from the front edge of it better. It’s been a while since the wooden pole was seen, and bugs like to hide in there. I’ve planted 3 x brachyscome Mauve Delight, which is a mat-forming daisy that can fight it out with the fleabane when that starts growing. I’ve tried to keep them away from where the sweet williams or everlasting peas will flop. In the spaces I’ve then broadcast the remaining flax seed.

I’ve made a bug dish for the birds and hung it on the fence near the coconut. There are just crushed mealworms in there for now, but it’s intended for any grub I dig up and want the birds to have. The robins aren’t tame enough to come and get anything from me yet.

All four ferns now have fiddleheads at their bases, waiting to unfurl, which is exciting. Lots of green seedlings are coming up through the bark, but I’m not sure what they are yet. There’s bound to be some corn cockle.

Bed 1 is turning a little green too, though it’s too soon to tell what’s what. I managed to give it a light watering, but it really needs some rain to get the seeds going. There are lots of borage plants coming and they’ll be thinned and topped as needed so as not to block the view.

The various sticks and branches I’ve been keeping around have now been reduced down to a few useful straight ones. I haven’t thought about their usage yet, but the strongest ones may go in with the canes.

I’ve sowed:

• 8 runner beans
• 4 x La Diva cucumbers

Chances are the cucumbers will snap in transplanting, so I’m hoping they’ll then chivy on direct sown seed like in the first year.

I’ve potted on the cerinthe too, burying them a bit to stop them being so damn leggy.

I refilled the pond after work. I’m very low on rainwater now, so this is pretty much the last test to see if it’s mended.

First time driving down this season, so I took the strimmer with me and did all the edges. In  the afternoon I mowed on 1 too, so everything’s neat for a while.

I set about re-gluing the beach patch and while I was at the pond I saw my first bee fly. It was interested in the blue flowers. On the other bank one of the white mazus has reappeared. I think the other one might be gone. I’ve put stones back on the beach and I’ll refill in a few days. Hopefully I’ll have enough rainwater in my butts for it. Rain is coming soon – we’ve had dry weather for so long, a complete reversal of last year.

Two robins were constantly gathering food from the plot. They’ve evidently made a nest in the neighbouring damaged shed.

I spread more flower seed in Bed 1 and in the front, left and right borders. It got a vague covering of compost at the end of the day, but really needs to be watered. The successional sowing should still do ok, as there are various green seedlings now popping it. I think it’s all at the point of leaving it for a few weeks in order to determine between flowers and weeds. Related: I think I’ve found the leaves of a dog violet in the woodland bed.

• (Big?) poppies: left and front
• Corn cockle: back of left bed, back of ledge
• Poached egg plant: front, left corner 3
• Iceland poppies: front left of 1, right between bear’s breeches and feeder
• Red poppy: bed 3
• Godetia: front, patches in triangle and to gate
• Flax: right of 1
• Cornflowers: over previous sowing 1, left in first gap, first gap left border, woodland bed
• Cerinthe: front, woodland
• Purple candytuft: front, left in front of teasel
• Greater knapweed,  few seeds left of Veronica

I cleared another quarter or so of the ledge, but had to make myself stop as at that point I’d not covered all the other seed. I’m planning to sow flax in the gaps I’m making on the ledge.

When I returned to the car I found three great big molehills had appeared while I’d been working.