Burrowing Bees and Ladder Shots

What a strange April we are having! I heard on the news that out of 20 days in April so far, 15 have started with frosty mornings. Every evening I have covered my vulnerable seedlings and plants with fleece. After all the care we have taken with the new plants/seedlings, we don`t want to lose anything. 

I have begun to move things on and out, under tunnels of fleece, mainly to make more room. Steve has been busy making me a coldframe out of the old greenhouse and that is going to help.

The little nursery at the garden, is up and running and people are already finding some gems to take home.

My job for the morning was to remove the straggly lavender, over-run with couch grass and then prepare the bed for some wild flower seed mixes.

It was hard work as it is so dry and there`s still a horrible corner to tackle next time. It will involve moving a shrub as well. I won`t sow the seed mixes until we have had rain.

I was thrilled to find 6 eggs in the robin`s nest. Despite leaving an open-sided nesting box in the cobshed, they chose to build their home in a carrier bag of pine cones hanging on the wall. The robins do love our cobshed....

.....and so do the bees.

They are burrowing into the walls.

 

Incidently my mason bees are hatching out at home. The flight box and home was a present from my nephew and niece-in-law last year.

Steve planted the first lettuce and rocket, though I felt ill-at-ease, leaving them to their own devices, after all the nurturing.

They look a little lost in the raised bed.

I climbed the ladder to get this shot. It shows the damson blossom at its best, miraculously intact after the frosts. 

Other views around the garden .....

 

....and the blue of the grape hyacinths.....

......and a new butterfly.

 

A warm start and a cold finish, typical April.