Spring energy

I can feel a bit of spring energy enthusing me at the moment. The glorious weather has helped, the blossom is looking fantastic and I'm hopeful that the bees are out and about in the dry air getting everything nicely pollinated.

The nest box definitely has great tits nesting in it. We see them pop in from time to time. No babies yet, I guess they are incubating eggs right now though. Oh how lovely it would be to see in. I like to imagine them in there all warm and cosy. The nest box is on a sheltered wall, the rain very rarely heads towards it. No doubt we will see the adults more once they have chicks to feed.

I got the bean sticks up the other day and sowed a couple of runner beans at the foot of each one. It's all under way.

Tomorrow evening I shall be setting out the traditional Easter treasure hunt that the little people like to do. We've already done more Easter hunts than I can shake a stick at. The first one was after school last Friday. A school chum with a couple of fields and an orchard had everyone round to look for chocolate. It was so warm and sunny it felt like summer. Then we did the trail at the wetlands place and we happened upon another one in Waitrose that we did at breakneck speed. Waitrose isn't our normal place to shop, but we were on an errand elsewhere, hence the speed. Everywhere we go people are thrusting chocolate at us.

I'm still being very good and not eating snacks (except fruit) or sweet things (except fruit). Haven't quite reached my target weight yet though... Oh, I'm joking, I don't have a target weight. But I do feel better for avoiding snacks and sugar so maybe I shall continue it for a while. Otherwise I over do it. I don't seem to have a happy medium, I am all or nothing.

I hope everyone has good Easter break. I've already done the traditional bank holiday things - gardening, queuing on the motorway, looking at the sea, eating outside. No doubt there will a little more of the same. And you?

A turn around the garden

The big news of the day is that a pair of great tits are making a nest in the nest box. The two younger boys made it about three years ago at a wildlife activity fair. They got to wield power tools and everything.

It's taken a while, but finally the birds are used to it and this morning they were happily flitting round the garden collecting fluffy things to make it all soft and nice. You can see I tucked some sheep's wool into the bird table roof. This is because they were actually picking off bits of the roof. The wool has gone now so I'll look out for more next time I'm wandering near sheep. There's usually some to be found clinging to the fences.

The pond is a wriggling mass of tiny tadpoles. I should have divided the iris and the water lily back in the autumn but I didn't (it was one of those jobs I put off and put off) and I've a feeling they might get a bit big this year. I won't be able to meddle with it until all the little creatures have grown up though.

On the food front there is purple sprouting broccoli, rocket and sorrel, all absolutely delicious. And I still have a few things in the freezer - borlotti beans, French beans, broad beans, rhubarb, blackcurrants and blueberries.

The little plant in the pot is a white pink, Mrs Sinkins. I got a good-sized plant from Jekka's Herb Garden earlier in the year and took six cuttings. They all looked dead, but happily I didn't throw them out and a few weeks ago suddenly - life. Roots out the bottom of the pot, new green shoots. I think I'll plant them down at the allotment and hopefully there will be a few to pick next year. They're the best scented pink, absolutely divine.

I found the big chunk of tree trunk down by the river a while back when I was with the biggest boy doing the bird survey that he does. It weighs an absolute ton. I asked him if he thought I could carry it back to the car. He said no. It was about half a mile. I heaved it up and staggered along as best I could. Where there was grass I rolled it, otherwise it had to be carried. The biggest boy tried it for a while, but gave it back pretty quickly. He said he didn't have the motivation. I wanted it, therefore I was motivated to carry it. Anyway, I did it. I pulled just about every muscle in my upper body doing it, but here it is.

I thought I'd add it to my wildlife log pile, but in the end I dumped it on the ground as soon as I reached the garden, and it's stayed there ever since. I can picture it in the summer with a cold drink on it and maybe a good book and a salty snack. Occasional table!

Life as usual

Thank you all for your lovely encouraging comments on my last post. Happy to find so many like-minded souls and hear so much positivity.

I have been down to the allotment a bit more now that things have started to grow. Sadly there has been another vandalism attack, a more serious one this time. My plot neighbour has decided to give up his plot after his fruit cage was destroyed. He does still have half of another plot, but it's a shame to see him throwing in the towel on the full one. A couple of other long-standing allotmenteers have each given up one of their plots as well.

I am feeling rather flat about the whole writing thing at the moment. I'm contemplating a proofreading and editing course. But mainly just feeling restless and, oh, I don't know, useless I suppose. I don't want to drift along, I want to actually find something I can do. Support and encouragement can be rather lacking around here, so I need to cheer myself along, and sometimes I just run out of oomph. Not to worry though, no doubt it will be back.

I had a hot and bothered afternoon today, driving in a stuffy car to watch a football match half an hour away. When I got there I found it had been cancelled. I drove back fuming that the biggest boy hadn't bothered to tell me and rehearsing all the cross things I would be saying. When I arrived home I realised I had put my phone on silent when I was at a thing earlier on and forgotten to turn the sound back on. There were about five missed calls and a text. Oops. And I had all those speeches ready prepared. I am filing them away for next time. In the meantime the other half had completely forgotten to collect the other two from school, so there were calls about that as well. The littlest boy was quite thrilled by it all. "Dad forgot us, for an hour!" It's a new world record.

I am pressing on with my Lent avoidance of snacks and puddings. Last week I put on a quarter of a pound. Astonishing no? It's hard to imagine how I did it. Although I do maybe have a little extra to make up for it... Wouldn't do to start feeling weak.

Hope all are well and enjoying a little sunshine. CJ xx

Standing together

If you don't mind I think I might say something about the environmental situation, which is looking more than a little grim both across the pond and also here, where Brexit will surely be followed by a watering down of environmental protections. And about the local situation as a nearby wildlife pond is due to be filled in, fields are being filled with new houses and a supposed charitable organisation has been indiscriminately ripping down huge towering ivy plants and other valuable foliage.

The biggest boy, the birdwatcher, gave me some horrendous figures for the drop in various common (or now, not-so-common) species the other day. For example, a 62% drop in skylark numbers over the last fifty years, a 71% drop in house sparrows and a 96% drop in turtle doves. That's almost all of them. And down on the ground hedgehogs are faring badly, with numbers at an estimated 50% lower over the past 15 years alone.

As our seas fill with plastic and our land is torn apart and poisoned, pretty much all I can do is keep on doing the little things. Not buying too much of anything. Choosing organic when I can. Walking not driving as often as possible. Looking at exactly what I'm purchasing and asking if I really need it and if there's a greener alternative. Growing a little of my own food. Planting a few flowers for bees and butterflies. Looking after my wildlife pond. Speaking out for another one.

It is heartening to know that  many other people feel the same way, are making the same choices and trying to stem the tide. We need to attend to the small things, as well as protesting the big ones. The slow food movement has a saying, I think in response to the merger of Bayer and Monsanto, 'They are giants, but we are millions'. Nothing makes me happier than meeting like-minded souls who care deeply for our planet and the other creatures who make their homes here. Are you with me?

Going down in flames

It fell to the littlest boy to choose an outing this weekend. He had had a couple of weekends trailing round behind bigger brothers, so he was allowed to pick where we went. He chose the beach, one of his favourite places. He took his spade and dug holes and made friends with dogs and tried to stop the sea coming in and pleaded unsuccessfully for an ice-cream.

We got fish and chips instead and sat and watched the sunset. I always love to watch a sunset. I take big breaths and think deep thoughts about how we only get to watch a certain amount of sunsets. I like to fully appreciate each one that I get to watch.

The evening was enlivened a little by a dramatic fire on the seafront. Apparently someone set a shed on fire and it spread and a whole flat went up in flames. No injuries thankfully.

A few years ago the pier went up in spectacular fashion. The one in the pictures is the rebuild. Hopefully now with functioning alarm system.

When I haven't been strolling along promenades, eating chips and watching sunsets I've been pressing on with the whole writing thing. Writing articles here and there, and a little editing too last week. It's hard work breaking into the world of freelance writing, but slowly, slowly I'm, well, not getting there, but just doing little things from time to time.

It's hard to maintain momentum (or even hope) at times, but for now it's what I'm doing. We shall see how it goes. I don't have any unrealistic expectations, which is good. Just, you know, giving it a go.

Anyway, that's that. Did you all have a good weekend with a little spring sunshine? In fact, down at the beach there was a howling gale. Sand in my hair, my teeth, a layer of skin nicely exfoliated. Oh I do like to be beside the seaside. Wishing all a good week. CJ xx

PS. I'm over on Jo's blog, How to Hygge the British Way this week, if you'd like a look.

Blossom

Spring is in the air no? The return of Gardener's World is the surest sign of it I think. I do so like the programme now that it's just Monty Don in his lovely garden. Couldn't stand the Top Gear style joshing that it was starting to degenerate into before when Joe Swift was on all the time. I love the peace and calmness that is Monty, trailed by Nigel and Nell, wandering about, clipping things down here, pegging them up there. No ridiculous wittering on, no stupid banter. Just Monty and a dog or two.

The filming is always delicious. Close ups of flowers and raindrops and bees and frogs. It never fails to inspire me. Beth Chatto was on last night, in her divine garden. She made her own tiny lake with a rowing boat on it. Happy sigh.

The boys discovered newts in our little wildlife pond this morning. Honestly, we were all so excited. Build it and they will come. There is so much frogspawn now. Apparently newts eat it, and also the tadpoles when they emerge. Maybe that's why newts have appeared.

I got the box of seeds down yesterday and had a rummage through. Time to start popping things in I think. I got out sweet peas and sunflowers to start with. The tomatoes are already in. I like to get some sugar snaps in quite early, and I've got the radishes out to direct sow. There's rocket ready to eat in the garden already, peppery and delicious. Let the gardening begin.

To knit or not to knit and to crochet instead

A brief sunny spell in the garden. Blueberry buds, frogspawn and fresh rocket leaves. But not much else. I still haven't sown any seeds so far this year. Quite often I go too early and end up with windowsills full of little plants stretching towards the sun. I'm trying later dates this year, we'll see if they catch up.

I am trying to settle into the deprivation that is Lent. No snacks except fruit, no salty deliciousnesses, no sugar. Sigh. It will take me a while. I am still in the bleak phase at the moment. I told the biggest boy my life was empty and meaningless on Day 1. I may have been overdramatising. (I don't really mean it, of course I don't, you know how I like to be ridiculous.) I shall of course get into the swing of it all and hopefully feel all the better for it.

On the knitting front I have come to a halt with The Black Thing. The body is done, it just needs arms, but I'm just not feeling it right now. Apologies for the picture, it has a darkness about it which does not like to be photographed. It's like some sort of black hole sucking in all the light.

I found some odd bits of yarn in much happier colours. Spring if you will.

I'm thinking a small blankety thing for the living room in winter. For those days when a hot water bottle isn't enough, or for early mornings when the little people come downstairs to read and it's chilly.

Alicia is making a lovely one here (scroll down to the last picture). I happened upon it as the yarn sat in front of me being considered. But I'm not sure if I can do a whole one in crochet. It's a funny thing isn't it, how most people favour either knitting or crochet. I'm more of a knitter. It's relaxing, up and down and back and forth. I find crochet a bit more of an effort, probably because I'm less used to it. But the texture, it's lovely. I'm torn. Thoughts? I'm also aware that crochet seems somehow to use more yarn.

The weekend is upon us again. There will of course be football to be watched, come rain or shine (the weatherman says rain) and believe it or not the first cricket practice. That surely marks the start of spring. Have a good couple of days, I shall wish some sun for you.