Mid May

Following the lovely sunny holiday weekend, the weather has reverted to cool, gloomy and damp.

We did, however, manage to get out into the garden for a bit of time on Sunday. I have made a start on digging over the beds in the centre of the flower garden. There are lots and lots of buttercups, couch grass, wild strawberries and bind weed strangling the tulips, irises, hellebores and other plants that we want and can't actually see! The paths are very overgrown - some of them have completely disappeared. The patio desperately needs attention. And the wooden garden furniture has definitely come off the loser after a couple of cold, wet and snowy winters and last year's wet and cool summer. I think we will probably just replace it. Once we have rescued the patio and the rest of the garden!

The seedlings we potted on are all doing well, and the seeds are starting to germinate. The Under Gardener planted out the bean seedlings on Sunday - and the weather dogs promptly threatened to deliver overnight frosts mid week :-S  So he has built the bean seedlings little tents made from potato sacks and garden bubble wrap. They do look very warm and toasty in their little tents!

The chickens have settled in very well. They are becoming fairly friendly and are usually laying 4 eggs a day. We've had a couple of days where there have only been 3, but that's not unreasonable. They have settled into a nice little routine that suits us quite well. And so far they are not noisily objecting when we aren't down there as the sun comes up, ready to let them out of their run - mind you, we do let them out fairly early but definitely not at sunrise, which at this time of year is around 5:00

The Under Gardener has planted more peas and broad beans up on the allotment. The original sowings are now germinated and looking fairly happy.

Oh - and we have had our first pickings from our asparagus beds. We just have to remember which plants we put in last year and the year before!!  Those plans I put on here are proving to be quite useful :-D

Hoping to get back out into the garden on Sunday. The forecast for tomorrow is quite wet, but Sunday is looking hopeful.