What's outside

Our snow still not completely gone despite temperatures well above zero and a lot of rain. Ground/snow must have been very very cold.

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Just to confirm, mae’r eira wedi mynd nawr! (The snow has gone now!)

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Apparently the international term for this is “feetings”.
I saw these webbed footprints set in the concrete at Newport Docks.
Incidentally I understand that 100 years ago, the Newport Docks were the largest in the world, in terms of expanse of water.

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Pedair eurbinc ar fore glawog:
(Please correct my mistakes. This should say four goldfinches on a rainy morning.)


I’m not certain of the identification either, but here’s another:

and a blue tit, too.

It was pretty miserable this morning but it is forecasted to improve!

Raymond

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We’d say ‘pedwar nico ar fore glawog’ - we’ve never heard anyone saying ‘eurbinc’…:slight_smile:

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Thank you, that’s helpful. The dictionary gave both for ‘finch’ but not for ‘goldfinch’ and most dictionaries don’t tell you what is in general use.

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I had the same problem as @yorkshireend but I found a very cheap (£3.00) copy of ‘Llyfr Adar gan Iolo Williams’ on a secondhand bookshop site and it is really useful.

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This is a fabulous book and a favourite in our house. I would recommend anyone wanting to birdwatch in Welsh to get themselves a copy. :slight_smile:

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Thank you. I will have a look for that.
Raymond

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Snowdrops - Eirlysiau neu Lili Wen Fach ddoe.

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I would love some Lili Wen Fach in my garden! We’ve only been here for a year and a half and this will is our second winter and spring. So I haven’t yet become fully aware of the rhythms of the garden and it’s plants. Last year many different types of Daffodil emerged as well as some Bluebells, But no Lili Wen Fach. Anyone had success with growing them? Are they as easy as most other late winter and spring bulbs?

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I think they pretty much like the same moist conditions as daffodils, so they should thrive - the best time to plant them, strangely and unlike most other bulbs, is when they still have green leaves, so some time in the next month or two I guess.

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Ah I never knew that! Diolch yn fawr iawn for the info! :slight_smile:

I agree with John, above. They like good drainage and do not seem to mind if soil is acid or not. Mine are in a bed I specifically made friendly to my, then, baby camelia. Janet has some in a bed with slightly alkaline soil, based on what else is there! I’d put’em where you want’em and only move them if they don’t like it or if you need to spread out an overgrowth of them! Oh, ours are no where near out yet, I don’t think the leaves are even showing!

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Yes, they call it planting them in the green. You get a much better success rate than if you put them in as dry bulbs.

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A number of years ago I noticed that we had some snow drops (lili wen fach) around the front steps. Only some, not a lot. But since then the number has increased exponentially (at least that’s how it seems) and when spring weather starts (which it hasn’t really, here) they bloom all over the place! (I don’t mind that at all, because I, like Catrin, love them!) Just get them started and you should have plenty before long, @CatrinLliarJones!

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I think a trip to the local garden centre is in order! :slight_smile:

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Or find a friend with a profusion, who doesn’t mind doing a little thinning out! I don’t think I ever actually bought snowdrops! I’m not sure if there are ‘bred’ cultivars or non-indigenous varieties! I believe there are places where the native populations have nearly vanished due to sales to garden centres in richer countries! I was shocked when I read that. It made me wonder if the dreaded Spanish bluebells are now getting rarer in Spain!

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I’ve heard there’s a mind-boggling number of cultivars :worried:, but probably hard to tell apart by ordinary folk and most garden centres aren’t going to stock more one or two, equally good, types anyway :slight_smile:

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This was our view of the snow clad Yr Wyddfa yesterday as we climed Moel Tryfan - You can clearly see the cafe under snow, plus if you zoom right in you’ll be able to see some climbers up top!

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