Spring....or an early summer!

Our village is surrounded by farmland. At the moment, the oilseed-rape is in bloom, so the countryside is yellow. This also marks the start of the hayfever season, of course, and I get it, and so do my children, so we will soon be walking around with toilet rolls stuffed under our arms and slitty red eyes. Not to mention noses. Medication??? Of course. But does it work? Not really. It just looks really lovely though.

I walked to the edge of the village, which is 3 mins away, (around the corner) and took these photos, and on the way, I walked past this tree covered in blossom. It is huge, and so magnificent, isn't it!

It has been really hot today. In fact, I can't remember when last we had any rain. The doors and windows are open, and people are out in their gardens enjoying the sun.

This is a photo which combines the blossom and the oilseed-rape, and now you can see what our corner of the world looks like. Pink and white blossom on the trees, lambs in the fields along the road. All the other trees are in leaf now, and the clematis is flowering too. My lilac has also started to flower.

I have no idea why these photos are all on the side. I distinctly remember selecting "centre" when I uploaded them. Oh well. It really does not matter!

14 of us had the BIG ALLOTMENT dig this morning, and for 3 and a half hours, we dug. And raked, and lopped, and planted and watered and constructed the wigwam thingys for the beans. Geoff's allotment has sprung to life again, and I have some photos on the other computer, so will post them later.

You know what I mean when I say we were dripping???? Absolutely drenched in sweat. No "glow" here. We were reduced to wiping our faces with the Tshirts we were actually wearing. Leaving soil marks on faces, and shirts. Elegant? I don't think so. But we were working. And laughing, and having a great time. Potatoes, onions, courgettes, beetroot, butternut, lettuce, and more. All in. I am feeling saintly. I can also hardly move. I was seen at one stage, treating the spade as a pogo stick. It was not a pretty sight. The ground was unbelievably hard, but the areas we covered with carpetting last autumn were wonderful when we uncovered them. Damp soil, and no weeds. We have covered the other half of the allotment with the carpets now, and hopefully in a couple of weeks, the weeds will have died down, and it might have rained, so we can dig up that section too. I have great plans. Free food. Sounds good to me.

Here are the photos of the finished dig. Please note a great use for unwanted free CDs. They make a perfect bird-scarer-away-thingy. A new word I have just invented.
Note the carpets in the background. All we need now is a couch or two.

Gardens

We are having the most glorious weather here, and it has reached 20 degrees C in the past few days. If you walk into the garden, (the newly hacked back one), you will hear voices from all the surrounding gardens, and lawn mowers, and strimmers. There is the smell of newly mown grass, and of BBQs being hauled out and lit. Spring really starts now I think, and we come out to discover that our neighbours are a little older and greyer, but still there, after the long winter hibernation!

Soon it will be time to go and buy some bedding plants for all the pots, but traditionally, that happens at the end of May, once danger of frosts is gone. My lavender needs cutting back too. I forgot that yesterday. I love scented plants, and the lilac is indeed in bud.

I should be washing my car. It looks tired and grubby after the winter. This is not something I feel moved to do often. I am just enjoying the sun for a change!

Spring is here

The sun is shining and the daffodils are all in bloom, and the temperature was 16 degrees C, so I think we can say Spring has arrived! In Switzerland, however, they had a foot of snow yesterday...and that is more than they have had all season. No spring there yet. We don't move to British Summer Time (BST) until the 25th March. This year they have got it right. It is usually on Mothering Sunday (next Sunday) and it has always been a pain missing one hour of sleep on the day mothers are supposed to lie in, have breakfast in bed and be spoilt rotten. Mind you, with David, my only child in residence, away for the weekend, I will be making my own coffee.

It has been a quiet weekend. I could have been at a cabaret last night but decided the head would not cope, so I was in bed early. I still have a headache, and can still see my eyebrow, which is not something I care to see on a daily basis. It seems to be at a rather strange angle over the bump, and I think I last saw something like it in Star Trek. I could be starting a new "style" of my own here. Frowning or laughing is not a good idea either. It hurts!

I did go to a silver wedding celebration this afternoon though, and that was great. Church is always good, and it is just 3 weeks until the Easter holidays! I am really looking forward to the break this year.

Now I have lesson plans to write for this week, so I must stop putting off the evil moment, and get to work. I will be back later.

Spring is beautiful

Or it was until the thunderstorm an hour ago. The trees were full of blossom which is now all over the drive like snow. We have had a few really hot sunny days and what a difference that has made. It is only 3 weeks since I talked about shoots popping up in the garden. Well, in 3 weeks, it has grown to a jungle. I love this time of the year. There are so many shades of green, and more flowers are coming out every day. I have planted the summer annuals, and changed the pots and the patio is no longer a death trap. The roses are in bud, and the lilac is stunning. Tall irises are about to bloom, and appleblossom is falling on the patio. My friend Jean is giving me some marigolds, squash, tomato and beans for the garden too, so this year I will have more than flowers and herbs to pick. The light seems softer and more golden on the old stone buildings in the village, and eveyone is out in the sun after a long grey winter. And my mood is lighter. So is everyone's. The scent of spring is everywhere. I love it.

It is the FA Cup Final tomorrow. I will be out doing something else. The garden centre may well be empty. Sounds good to me. One can never have too many plants. Rugby I can watch. Football? Not really. I would rather watch cricket or tennis of course. Then the World Cup will be upon us. Football should not be allowed in the summer. It is a winter sport.

Right then. I will go out and take some photos of spring this weekend if the sun is out.After coffee at the garden centre.

Happy Easter!

The daffodils are late this year and there are no tulips out yet, but the signs of new growth and emerging life are everywhere to be seen. It is Easter, and it is really special to celebrate it here in the northern hemisphere, where nature reflects the essence of Easter in the rebirth of life. Along with the rest of the country, I spent a glorious day yesterday in the garden. In my case, hacking back everything with gay abandon. Give me loppers and I am a woman with a mission. Hah! It is now manicured. Not quite what I intended, but it will do. The fact that the paving slabs are lethal with at least 3 years of accumulated slime when it rains is irrelevant. Skating round adds to one's options for entertainment. The power washer can sort that, and it will be safe to wander round and watch the shoots popping out of the soil. Then the annual war with slugs and snails can begin. I never did much gardening in South Africa, but here it seems to be something that is infectious, and I have the bug.
Have a great Easter. The Easter Bunny still has to go and hide the eggs.......................!