GHOSTLY tappings on the bedroom window at night can’t be branches on trees close to the house as John has cut them all back. No. It is more likely to be one of the many tomato plants I have sown in the greenhouse and which are now struggling to contain themselves as they have not enough room to grow.

I freely admit I have gone overboard with tomatoes. If all of the plants bear even a reasonable amount of fruits, I shall shortly be contacting Mr Heinz (or his descendants) to see if they need a new tomato supplier. And some of my tomatoes could be quite exotic. One packet of seeds was for purple fruit and another for yellow. If only I had remembered to label everything I could tell. Instead of which I am hoping for a series of surprises.

When we went on holiday the orderly rows of plants in my greenhouse seemed to have ample room to grow. Extra seedlings in plant pots nestled in between the more bigger tomato plants and I even decided I had space for courgettes, peppers and cucumbers.

“I think you’ll be surprised at how much stuff has grown,” said my friend Mike, who was house and dog sitting for us. He was not kidding. Open the door of the greenhouse and it was like stepping into the Amazon forest.

I have also been amazed at how much all the poultry and lambs have grown. The five big geese have turned into real bullies and harass and peck ducklings, hens and goslings. Must be the pecking order. The ducklings have it sussed though. They make a beeline for the pond and only come back up the field when they fancy wheat in the feeders. So far the big Toulouse geese have not followed them there but I notice that our smaller domestic goslings have followed their friends the ducks and enjoy a splash round in the pond.

The geese have had their comeuppance though. They are no longer the biggest bullies in the paddock. This morning we moved five of the sheep and 10 of their lambs into the paddock. So that the sheep don’t quite literally blow themselves up by gorging on wheat from the poultry feeders, John has created a barrier so that the poultry can get through but no the sheep.

That is not deterring the newcomers however from having a go, and when they find they can’t, the sheep are taking it out on the poultry that can. And the hissing, bossy, cantankerous geese are coming off worst.