The end of the day

saw this at the allotments - anyone know what it is?

Aah, the end of the day. It can be blissful can't it. Children and dishes washed and put away. Peace. A little dish of salted nuts. I have a friend who used to be a model who tells me that with peanuts you count in calorie per nut. Am I bothered? Well, yes, I am a bit, but it's not stopping me.

I've been working hard down at the allotment and in the garden. Not all of the pictures above are my plot - the last five (the pretty ones) are elsewhere on the site. Courgettes and squashes are in. Beansticks are up. The strawberries are looking good after taking a year to get established. I have very high hopes for them this year. I've planted them through weedproof membrane which is a real godsend down at the allotment. Not the loveliest thing to look at, but the weeds are ridiculous and it saves me hours of trying to get them out. Plus it makes the strawberries much easier to tidy up at the end of the season. No doubt it keeps the moisture levels in the soil a bit higher as well.

I spent this morning weeding and then digging out bindweed and horsetail from a patch where I'll be growing cucumbers. I put up bamboo poles for them to climb up and planted them out. They sometimes look a bit miserable growing outside here, so I'm hoping the weather will be fairly balmy while they establish.

I have a spot that is supposed to be two rows of radishes, but they've been nibbled down by slugs, thousands of weeds have germinated, horsetail and bindweed are sprouting and a vast amount of potatoes seem to be growing. I haven't actually planted potatoes for a couple of years now, but they keep coming up anyway. I'm not sure whether to dig the patch over completely and start again or just to let sleeping dogs lie and grow potatoes instead.

In the garden the Worcester Pearmain apple is flowering. The blossom is white and even the buds are hardly pink at all. The Egremont Russet has gorgeous raspberry buds. As the flowers open the pink seems to stretch out and dilute. The scent is lovely. The first rose is open too, more beautiful soft scent. And on the school run I've been stopping to smell the hawthorn blossom. I love these subtle natural aromas. I keep the house fairly free of fragrance, especially artificial fragrance. I think I appreciate the smell of flowers all the more for it.

Does anyone know what the plant in the penultimate two photos is? I spotted it at the allotments, growing in a fruit patch. About 3' high, a small bush. I've never seen anything like it before, I'm intrigued.

Hope all is well in your gardens or pots.

Glorious spring rain

I can't tell you how much I've loved the rain. This is my favourite time of year I think. Suddenly everything is heavy and green and dark. When the rain falls it just seems to accentuate it. I can almost feel the plants drinking the water and growing, growing. Just a few weeks ago trees were still bare, but suddenly, bam, an explosion. The combination of warmth, light and copious amounts of water is magical.

I know some people don't like the rain. But without it we wouldn't have this amazing greenness everywhere. Our balmy little island needs to be soaked regularly to keep it washed and watered and beautiful.

I trotted down the back lane earlier, avoiding the puddles (mostly) and picked a few sprigs of the white lilac that I knew would be blooming at the end of it. In the garden everything is as pert as can be, even the artichoke cutting that I took for my allotment neighbour that I'd pretty much given up on. Turned out all it needed was to be drenched in rain.

I need to make some time to plant out the things that are crowding my windowsills. In the living room it's all gone a bit feral. The cucumbers are flowering and grabbing onto the courgettes. In the kitchen I have a tray of squashes straining towards the light. I read Alys Fowler's article in the Guardian the other day where she said that they will be slug food, I've planted them too early. Well, not mine specifically, but it did occur to me that mine have done exactly what she warned against. I'm learning all the time, next year I'll sow them later.

The lettuces have already gone the way of the slug. One day they were there, the next day I couldn't even see stumps. In a triumph of hope over experience I have more ready to be planted out. Somehow I usually end up with some salad leaves for most of the summer. At the moment we're having sorrel, which is perennial so it gets off to a better start. It's a great thing to plant so that you have early salad leaves, and it pretty much keeps going all season.

Tomorrow I shall sneak away from my desk (dining table really, but that doesn't sound quite the same) and do a little weeding then sow carrots. Better late than never.

Cotswold front gardens

Photos from a recent afternoon at Broadway in the Cotswolds. I was struck by how many of the front gardens had chosen evergreens such as box and yew to give permanent structure and interest. It's very popular in that part of the world and it always looks good, even in the depths of winter.

Something I always love to see is plants growing out of stone paving with seemingly little soil. Wisteria does this beautifully, with ancient plants growing to the size of a tree with no soil surface around its trunk at all. In the picture below right there's one to the left of the door growing out of paving stones. It's reached the full height of the building. It reminded me of the yews growing out of the pavement in Painswick that I wrote about a couple of years ago (photos halfway through that post).

Others have gone for a more formal look for their classy Cotswold houses. For those of you from other countries I'll just mention that these are expensive houses. It's quite a touristy area though, so you do have to put up with people like me taking photos of your front garden. Anyway, as I was saying, lots of clipped box and symmetrical pots of stuff.

I like the pretty softer country cottage look too though. At this time of year the fruit trees are in blossom and leaves are starting to spread out over old stone walls.

It's a lovely place for a wander and a little gathering of inspiration. Some of the yew trees must be ancient. I hope people are still planting them now. I have a couple of small ones in my front garden, although I have delusions of grandeur, my little house is nothing like these gorgeous Cotswold homes. A cat may look at a king though. And even put it all on her blog if she feels like it. Hope you've enjoyed having a nose round with me.

Down at the plot

We had an allotment day yesterday. I lugged three trays of flowers down to plant along with one tray of sprouts, the children and a bagful of food. The middle boy cooked lunch of rice and veggie sausages on his Trangia and then they disappeared into the wild to wave sticks around and get covered in mud.

I spent the whole time weeding and digging over an area to plant the sprouts. It took almost the whole time I was there, so I ended up bringing the flowers back again. Frustrating - allotment things always take a bit longer than I think they will.

There are quite a few plots down there now that are absolutely immaculate. It's brilliant to see, I love to have a wander and admire the beautiful weed-free earth around the fruit trees and neat rows of seedlings.

It was quite lovely down there in the late spring warmth. Everything was flowering - a  neighbouring quince tree, strawberries, blackcurrants and most of the many apple trees on the site. The bees were out and about enjoying the balmy air and taking their pick of blossom.

We left just as it started raining. I absolutely love when it starts raining just as I've finished gardening. It's so satisfying to see everything being watered.

I was in a bit of a state by the time I'd done a few chores around town and got everyone home though. I'm not sure why, but every time I go to the allotment I end up with a horrible headache. Yesterday's was the worst yet. It's really frustrating because it blights the rest of the day. I expect to be tired, but the headaches are verging on migraine at times. I think maybe it's a combination of the bright light, although it seems to happen even with sunglasses, getting hot and maybe not drinking enough. I don't get it in the garden, only down at the plot.

Anyway, I have plans to stay at home this afternoon. They probably won't go down well, but it would be a pleasure to do some home chores and not be in a constant rush trying to fit everything in. I'll let you know if I manage it. Wishing you a good Sunday. CJ xx

Hardly daring to breathe

look closely...

how many can  you see?

I'm still trying to fix the commenting problem I've got, where the email telling someone I've commented on their blog doesn't get through. I fiddled so much last night I lost the ability to comment completely and then I couldn't log in to my own blog. You know how late at night it can all be overwhelming? I was at the point of giving it all up and moving to Corfu to live a life free of technology (I caught the last half of the Gerald Durrell programme the other day).

Anyway, this morning I am at least back into my own blog and I think I can comment again, although the email thing still isn't fixed. But now I am too afraid to meddle. And still wondering about Corfu. The children are having all sorts of after school things at the moment. I don't remember the last time we ate tea at a sensible time. I spent all Tuesday evening watching cricket. I wore my double-thickness fur-lined winter coat and it was still freezing. I heard a rumour that warm weather is on the way. And the day's top news - I have a fully functioning washing machine. It plays a ridiculous tune when it's finished, but really, I'm just happy to be back in the land of the clean again. And if I was washing clothes all the live long day I'd want to blast out a bit of a fanfare from time to time as well.

Out at the wetlands place spring has arrived despite the cool temperatures. There are ducklings and goslings and all sorts of other birds are nesting. The swallows are flitting about and the swifts are starting to return. Mama duck was doing a sterling job with her nine littles. Does she keep counting them I wonder? Nine is a lot to keep together and feed. They were trying their best to find delicious things to eat. We watching one of them valiantly going at a petal. In the end it was all too much, and not tasty anyway, and he had to go "Phth, phth, phtthhh" and try and spit it out, although by that time it had stuck to his tongue a bit. It's a steep learning curve.

Sorry if this was a bit of a fraught moan at the start. The sun is shining, the washing is tumbling, there is rhubarb shortbread in the kitchen and I shall no doubt recover (discover?) my equilibrium before too much longer. Hoping all is well with you?

More yew, more ancient stone

Photos from a bank holiday weekend visit to Tewkesbury Abbey. There's been a place of worship in this area since the mid-seventh century, with the current building begun in 1102. In the Middle Ages it was one of the richest abbeys in the country. During the Wars of the Roses in 1471, Richard IV forced his way into the Abbey to attack defeated Lancastrians who were sheltering there.

At the time of the dissolution of the monastries in 1539 the last abbot handed the abbey over to Henry VIII's commissioners. The local people insisted that it was their parish church and that as such they had a right to keep it. It was saved from destruction and they were allowed to buy it from the Crown. It is now the second largest parish church in the country and really quite magnificent.

I like to try and picture people from bygone times in the abbey. Monks walking quietly over the stone floors. Battle and bloodshed. Local people coming here over hundreds of years to seek solace.

Outside there are yew trees, clipped into satisfying dumpy ovals. They were in beautiful condition and so neatly shaped. A pair of peregrines nest on the abbey tower, although to date they haven't raised any chicks successfully. Maybe this year.

We dodged the rain and had a wander round the town as well. Found a wonderful antiquarian and secondhand bookshop in an ancient building with high ceilings, chandeliers, old rugs on the ground and a chain of different rooms to explore. There were books everywhere, with floor to ceiling shelves and piles on tables and the floor and steps. There were hundreds of old maps so I picked up a couple more for turning into stationery.

When the sun came out we headed somewhere greener where little legs could run off the energy that accumulates after an afternoon of trying to be quiet.

Here in cyberspace I still haven't solved my technical problem. So I still get an email every time I comment on a blog telling me my email can't be sent. Very frustrating. I shall give it some more thought later.

Wishing all a good bank holiday. I shall be drawing and writing with the littlest boy and doing kitchen things and watching the laundry pile grow bigger and bigger in the absence of a functioning washing machine. Sun is promised later so I shall drag them all out for a canter round when inside gets to be too much.

Five on Friday

Joining in with Amy and Five on Friday.

1. I thought I'd mention my love of all things word-related today. Books, writing, handwriting, pens, crosswords, everything. This week was National Stationery Week. And yesterday was Notebook Day. Doesn't get much better than that. The biggest boy understands, he is a notebook person as well. I can rarely sneak one into the house past him. And when we see a notebook shop we draw in a deep breath and I try to stop us from going in. I don't know if I can articulate the attraction. It's the potential I think. I'm a bag person as well. A nice bag, a fresh notebook and a good book and I'm ready to go. I'm particularly fond of the Silvine notebooks, so good to find ones that are Made In England.

2. Continuing my flirtation with calligraphy. I found gold ink in the local stationery shop. Gold! I've just got a dip pen so I'm experimenting with it, thick strokes and thin strokes. It's so tricky at the beginning. I had a lovely hour with the littlest boy tonight though. He likes to do it with me, with his little calligraphy pen that he asked for. It was such a treat to have quiet time alone with him while everyone else was out. It can be quite loud and competitive when everyone is here, but it all calms down when it's just the two of us.

3. I made some of my own stationery this week from a couple of vintage maps I found in the local community bookshop. I cut them up (I know, I know, but there are so many homeless maps out there I think maybe some of them are destined to be other things) into A4 sheets and printed some faint lines on them. I like straight lines, but the paper is too thick to see a guide sheet placed underneath.  A word of warning, one or two of the sheets caught in the printer in horrifying fashion. They need to be as flat as possible otherwise it all ends in disaster. Then I made some envelope templates and did some matching envelopes. I've got a great old book that I'm going to use for envelopes as well. I think. It's actually such a lovely book that I might not be able to cut it up, but it was one I bought for £1 specifically to make envelopes from. We'll see. The biggest boy likes to police me quite closely and he was pretty horrified to see the maps being cut up. And also I opened out an envelope to get a template and he was aghast at that as well. I promised to stick it back together and use it. And when I come in the house sometimes he'll say things like, "Is that another new notebook?" So if I start cutting up books my number may be up.

4. I've noticed quite a few posts about letter writing lately. I have a few friends that I write to from time to time. The bee is on an envelope I decorated for one of them. Letter writing is a slow pleasure. Time to sit quietly and put down news and thoughts and share a little. I often think how wonderful it would have been to have been a lady of leisure back when the morning was spent attending to correspondence with perhaps a quick turn around the shrubbery before lunch. I should like someone to deliver a little pile of envelopes on a silver tray along with a light breakfast first thing in the morning.

5. I'm reading "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society", as recommended by several of you when I mentioned that I was enjoying another book set in Guernsey in the 1940s. It's written as a series of correspondence between islanders and a woman in London. I'm loving it. It's funnier than I imagined but also very moving in its descriptions of the German occupation.

So there you have it. I'm totally immersed in a world of words and ink and letters and writing. It's a dreamy place to be, especially while the weather is so wild. When it warms up I shall venture outside a little more and tackle plant related things, but in the meantime as the hail lashes the windows and the mornings bring frost I'm happy to sit at the table and write. Wishing all a good weekend. CJ xx