The soil has certainly warmed up this week, planting out seedlings in bear feet the earth was warm on my feet and despite a short hail storm today it felt like the time was right to begin moving the baby annuals out into the warmer ground. Two beds of Limonium went in; pale blue, apricot, and the pink poker variety, all to be used in my dried work later in the summer. Cosmos went in amongst the daffodils to take their place with the Ammi and Daucus. I don’t know what it is about this time of year but the soil feels almost magnetic, I try and begin a job indoors and without my realising it, I find myself back out in the garden- the house work can wait.
Fresh flowers are finally adoring the cottage again. I keep my little snips in my pocket to snip what ever takes my fancy as I go about my jobs, things that I’m trialing for their vase life for bouquet orders and old favourites too. Posy’s of tulips, honesty, forget me nots and the first of the beautifully scented wall flowers get dotted in handblown glasses all over the house.
A tiny bunch of the scented wall flowers and narcissus early cheerfulness I place by the bed so I can enjoy the scent as I go to sleep.
The roses and the peonies are putting on a lot of growth and it won’t be long until we see the first buds appear. We have had beautiful misty mornings this week which make the blackthorn blossoms look so magical. In the evenings as the sun goes down they glow pink! As I enjoy the glowing blossoms I pick the rhubarb to make a crumble, the blackbird sings his merry tune- there is so much beauty to take in just being in the garden, enjoying and participating in a simple life.
The lambs are jumping around in the evening sunshine, it’s about 7pm, the same time every evening and every spring they seem to form a crèche, the ewes exhausted from their day of parenting flake out and the lambs play together, jumping from piles of old pallets and logs…Robert pulls up for the last check up of the day, he has finished lambing, he declares it triumphantly- that’s it for another year, he is tired out- he must be coming up to 80 years old! But what would I do if I didn’t do this he says! Very wise I think!
