Monday dawned sunny again after the weekend's blue skies and sun, how long will it last? After breakfast I went along to Lanark to do some shopping for tomorrow's birthday boy's dinner. Once home it was on with the usual Monday domestic chores and cleaning. We gave the letting agent inspector a list of things around the house that need fixed when he visited at lunchtime and in between times I walked around looking at all the plants that have survived last year's move and are flowering, sitting in the sun with a coffee on the patio and listening to the birds. It is much more sheltered here compared to our last garden which makes it more pleasant for sitting out and the trees around us are so full of wee birds singing their hearts out. We also got our daily walk up the hill to the local school and back. There are many more lambs in the field than there were last week, all new and chubby with cheeky cute faces and big mama sheep protecting them!
 |
| Looking down the local valley |
 |
| More new lambs on our local walk |
 |
| There is lots of burning on the local hills at the moment |
 |
| Corydalis malkensis in full bloom |
Tuesday was eldest son's 21st birthday, how did he get to be 21? It seems no time since I was 21 (and that's a while ago by the way!) Having five kids between us it can be expensive, so it's usually birthday tea of their choice at home and out at a restaurant for special birthdays, 18ths and 21sts and so on. My laid back lad wanted to stay home and have some good food cooked by his mum. Ben chose steak, sweet potato chips, onion rings, sweetcorn, sauces and desserts. Granny and middle son came up and David's son was here too, so a nice family get together. Gone are the days of excited kids getting up early to open their presents, I had done some errands in the local village and our 4 mile walk before birthday boy surfaced.
 |
| Birthday celebrations |
 |
| Middle son and Bracken |
The rest of the week stayed warm, even hot and sunny, so nice when the kids are off on holiday. I got more plants in the moving troughs labelled, sitting outside with the laptop updating my plant database right next to the plants. On Wednesday afternoon we did a walk we've talked about for a while. Dropping one car at Broughton and then starting at Biggar, we walked the three and a half miles to Broughton along the disused railway track. Easy enough for the younger teenagers who think fresh air and walking will kill them. We then picked up the car and drove back to Biggar and collected the other car.
 |
| Dan and Bracken walking along the track to Broughton |
 |
| Three men and a dog went to Broughton |
 |
| A tree covered hill |
Thursday saw Daniel and I sow his vegetable seeds, plant shallots and the first three varieties of early potatoes. As I mentioned before
here Dan is keen to grow vegetables, it's good to encourage them. I also got the first cut of grass done, it was really dry, so ideal, especially as the forecast is set to get wetter over the next few days. I sowed more beans, annuals, dill, delphimiums and Hollyhocks in the greenhouse. The tomato seedlings are looking good and the bean seedlings got moved to the cold greenhouse to harden off. At the moment it's a constant juggling of space, moving things out the wee cold greenhouse to make room for plants from the heated greenhouse to make room for new seeds in the heated greenhouse!
 |
Sowing more seeds, planting tatties and lots more flowers appearing in the garden
Rhododendron 'Little ben', planting tatties, mixing annuals seeds
Caltha palustrus, more seeds sown in the greenhouse, Heuchera 'Marmalade'
Primula 'Gigha', Early tatties going in, Primula Wanda |
Friday was a food shopping, catching up on paperwork and taking the bubble wrap off the big greenhouse day. The weather was cooler and windier, I think we may have seen the last of the hot weather for a wee while. The greenhouse always looks so much bigger and lighter once the bubble wrap is off. It's now folded up and stored in the shed for summer. I bought this bubble wrap when I got the greenhouses over 20 years ago, it was expensive to buy so much at the time, but given how long I have had it I think it has definitely paid its way, carefully stored and looked after year after year pays.
 |
| Bracken thinks he should always be allowed at the table |
 |
Lots of colour in the garden now
Double Narcissus, Narcissus 'Tete a Tete and Cardamine pentaphylla,
buuble wrap off the greenhouse, Ranunculus 'Brazen Hussy'
Anemone nemerosa 'Viridiflora' and Primula Wanda, Narcissus 'February Gold' |
Such beautiful scenery, scenery, I always envy hills and mountains as Essex is so flat! I love your son's hair, if I was young again, I would definitely have dreadlocks xxxx
ReplyDeleteThanks Fran, I am lucky to be so near all the hills and mountains. I once spent 2 weeks in the Netherlands and couldn't wait to get home and see some hills! For all Ben is very quiet he has the confidence to have his dreads and a tattoo :) he's ben growing them for about 4 years now.
DeleteYour garden is so full of colour already! You week sounds busy and fun. Happy birthday to your boy.
ReplyDeleteLeanne xx
Thanks Leanne, we are so much more sheltered here, the weeks are only going to get busier from now on, my winter of time off and hibernating are over x
DeleteI've enjoyed seeing more of the fabulous countryside that surrounds you Rona. We're just back from a weekend in Cumbria where there were several lambs in the nearby fields. We had great fun watching them. It sounds as if you have a had a most enjoyable and productive Easter week.
ReplyDeleteHi Anna, thanks, Cumbria is lovely too, I've spent many a lovely weekend there. It's been a good week, though the exceptional weather certainly helps. I do feel very lucky to have such a lot of beautiful countryside around me or in easy travelling distance. Tomorrow I head north west to visit my uncle and Aunt. I feel a blog about really gardening on the edge in the making from their garden.
Delete