The Garden in April

At this time of year and for the next few months, a lot of my time is spent in the garden. Spring has finally arrived this year, and as a result the garden has burst into life with colour and texture, and we have been able to get the vegetable garden started with shallots and first early potatoes.

Fritillaries emerging

Fritiallaries in bloom

two weeks ago

Today

Apple trees in bud

Apple trees in leaf

Bulbs in the border

bulbs in flower

Shallots just sown

Shallots emerging 

Out and About

Over the Easter weekend the weather was not very pleasant, it was grey, cold and often wet. On Easter Monday we went out for a walk anyway, and it was nice to be out in the fresh air. The most noticeable thing was the lack of colour in the woodlands and fields.

DS and his GF looking across the Surrey hills

A ploughed field

View across the farmland

Crows in a field

Belted Galloways at Newlands Corner

A path through the woods

Throughout the week the weather slowly improved, and by yesterday it was sunny and felt almost warm as long as you had a thick sweater on! We spent the afternoon at RHS Wisley, where we visited the orchid display in the glasshouses. The colours were so bright and warm!

 Then we went to see a Birds of Prey display.

Eagle owl

Kestrel

Easter

This weekend it is still cold, but dry and bright. I'm really in need of a break as I have been so busy at work since February, so today I enjoyed getting out into the garden and weeding. Braveheart planted the first early potatoes yesterday. I think we are going to put some fleece over the bed in case they come up and get frost bitten.

Tomorrow we are going walking with DS and his GF and then coming back to lamb slow cooked with new potatoes and cabbage and carrots from the garden. Mmmm!

I've started on the first sleeve of Driftwood and am reading some of the recent bargains I have downloaded from amazon. It's been very relaxing so far, and lovely to get outside each day, even if it is so cold I can only manage a couple of hours!

And I finished my beret which is bright and warm.

Spring Just Around the Corner

Since last posting, the seeds I sowed have started to come up and are doing well. The potatoes are still in the utility room as it has been so cold and wet! We are determined to plant them over the Easter weekend.

I have knitted some fingerless gloves using the Elisabeth Beverley merino I bought at Unravel, and I am making good progress with Driftwood.

Driftwood is easy to knit but rather dull, and it seems quite endless! So I have treated myself to this little beret knitted in Mochi Plus, by Annette Petavy - Grenobloise. I am using the colourway Brandied Apricots.

Unravel and Sowing Seeds

As I said in my last post, I went to Unravel in Farnham a couple of weeks ago. It was a great day, there was so much to see and I met up with some friends, too! I just had to take a photo of this sheep which was at the bottom of the stairs.

I had a shopping list and I pretty much stuck to it. I bought some Easyknits yarn to make the shawl  La Vie En Rayures, some Elisabeth Beverley plant dyed merino to make fingerless gloves and a cowl, and some balls of Ecological wool just because I liked it.

I've since designed a crochet blanket using the Eco wool, so I need to swatch a bit more to find out how many crochet squares I can get from one ball, so I know how much to buy. It's so soft!

Last weekend I washed all my seed trays and propagators in dilute Jeyes fluid, because it's time to sow seeds for summer vegetables and bedding plants. I sowed tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, marigolds and Russian Campion, and they are all in the lounge under propagators. The tomatoes, sweet peas, marigolds and campion have all germinated now - and it has been snowing today! It's hard to believe it is Spring. I love growing from seed, it's such a miracle watching the seedlings grow and I feel so proud when I am picking pounds of tomatoes that I grew them all from seed.

We also bought some First Early seed potatoes and they are chitting in trays in the utility room. The bed has to be dug over and they should go out in a couple of weeks. I've never done first earlies before, so we will have to watch out for frost and fleece them up if necessary.

Still Winter!

After a few days of mild temperatures and bright sunshine, today it is snowing again.
Luckily I have finished my Log Cabin Shawl, so I am warm as toast.

Tomorrow I am going to Unravel. This will be my fourth year at this delightful event and I am looking forward to it. Last year it was so mild that people were eating and drinking outside in the sunshine, but that isn't going to happen this year! I don't have many plans for purchases, but I would like to get some hand painted sock yarn and a toning plain colour to crochet La Vie en Rayures.

I've made some raspberry muffins to share as I hope to meet up with a few friends.

Is it Spring Yet?

Today it looks like Spring outside, as the sun is shining and there isn't a cloud in the sky. But outside it is cold! I've put two washloads on the line, though, as there is sun and a nice breeze, so I think things might dry quite well.

I've washed the recycled skeins I  unravelled last weekend and they are drying:

I've found this pattern,  Old Forge, which I think might look lovely in the recycled yarn, paired with a bright aran for the centre.

And finally, I'm on the last strip of the Log Cabin Shawl, after which I just need to add a border. I'm loving it so far!