And Sow it Begins

 Some people will think we are mad sowing seeds when the weather is so foul, but we did. We just wanted to get started.

Over breakfast we both sorted through our seeds to see what should go in. Steve chose parsnip which he put straight into the ground and broad beans which went into newspaper pots. Last year we lost them all when they went in the ground. Mice \I suppose. I chose these ...

..... the propagator was ready.

It was a very good feeling to get my hands in soil. This year I am using John Innes seed mixed with multi-purpose compost. When I prick things out, there is going to be a significant amount of ordinary garden soil for the microbe content.

 

Just a few more packets to go.

It is an exciting start to the planting year.

Blue Sheep, Bunnies and Bunting

Well here we are more than halfway through February, with Valentine`s Day under our belts, literally.

It was a wet, miserable day and having exchanged cards and books, I decided we needed an extra treat .... what better than fresh almond biscuits, with our afternoon teabreak, still warm from the oven.

 

I have been busy using a lot of the crafty bits posted on a previous entry. The boxes are somewhat depleted through my crafting endeavors. And I am not finished yet.

 

I used a very spring mix of coloured fabrics for Easter bunting.

I had a roll of yellow gingham ribbon which was perfect for the bias strip but I have hardly made a dent in the roll.

 

I can`t wait to use some of this in my Easter displays.
 

I`ve had some very soft blue baby wool for some time and thought it was time to use it up.

I`m not sure the concept of blue sheep works so well but 

hey ho, here they are. I think they look a little peculiar.

These Easter owls are made from tapestry wool, given to me many years ago. I`ve chosen the wools to match and complement each other.

 

And these Easter chicks were made with scraps of wool and ends of balls, keeping to the colour theme.

 

I use a set of pompom makers which means a lot can be made very quickly.

 

Who remembers cutting circles from Cornflakes boxes and spending whole winter afternoons making one pompom?

There was always a lot of excitiement and a certain amount of trepidation as you cut into it, because they sometimes fell apart before you could tie the wool round.

I still get that feeling  now and love making multi-coloured ones.

 

I had some bobbly wool to use up as I don`t

 like to knit or crochet with it.

I made larger bunnies. I used a stiffer felt sheet for the ears and purchased pompoms for the features. The eyes are also tiny pompoms, as it can be quite difficult to set bead eyes in pompoms securely.

 

And there are the inevitable fairies. Again I used the stiffer felt sheets for them. So easy to cut out. And can be sewn by machine. These are mostly hand-sewn.

 

 

And an odd little assortment of experiments, some work, some don`t. But it`s fun trying.

 

This year the crochet eggs are in multi-coloured wool.

 

And on one day this week, with the first butterfly and numerous bumble bees spotted, with the propagator set up and the sun shining, I did find the urge to begin the seed planting very soon.

 

Keeping Warm and Keeping Fit

Lots of  things to be excited about, though maybe some people may not agree!!!

Tim has brought us a fabulous load of well-rotted horse manure.

It is easy to lift and great for spreading even though we have had to remove a few nettle roots. It`s full of worms. We`ve got loads spread already.

And as we drove into the main yard we espied a huge new pile of bark chippings.

Oh my cup brimmeth over.

 

And its a great time of the year to do all this barrowing, keeping warm, keeping fit and feeling satisfied.

Today Steve did part of the polytunnel .....

..... I did the rhubarb and part of the fruit net which needs a little more weeding.

 

We have made a start on the veggie beds and begun the annual decisions about what is going where.

I have nearly completed the first flowerbed.

The second one is waiting!! It is a challenge.

So much moss. A good mulch of manure will help. Firstly I need to remove a great deal of the over-powering Michaelmus daisy.

Elsewhere around the garden, the winter honeysuckle smells sweet. 

The broad beans in the polytunnel are doing well.

And finally
Steve discovered a nest of mice under carpeting. They soon scurried off.

Altogether a great start to February.