Bursting Buds

What a difference in the weather within a week. We have had sleet, hailstones, snow, a very cold north wind and frosts at night. Not gardening weather.

A heavy snowfall an the Pennines

I have been planting more flower seeds in the greenhouse where it is nice and warm away from the wind.

The leaf buds on the trees are now bursting into flower.
A horse chestnut tree.

Look how the leaves uncurl

The leaves look like fingers

Our beech hedge at home.

Fragile beech leaves susceptible to the frost

The spirea is a cloud of white.

White froth

The forgetmenot is now in full bloom. I love the way the flower fades from blue to a pale pink.

Tiny blue flowers with a white eye

In the farmyard today was a mother hen clucking away to her chicks.

Hurry up

The farmers are ploughing and rolling their fields.

Neatly rolled

This is a view looking over Penrith.

Looking down Brunswick Road towards the Beacon

An alternative idea for a planter.

Shabby chic

Cacti come in all shapes and sizes.

Do not touch or else

I was fascinated by this cactus that looks like an Egyptian fan.

A cactus 'tree'

We are building a frame for the sweetcorn this is stage one.

The structure still needs to have sides

These Highland cows were at Larbert. 

Och to moo

Allotment Fever

I have spent this week on my allotment trying to get it into shape. The weather has helped. We have had frosty mornings followed by warm sunny days, so I have had some long days digging. My main challenge was the strawberry bed that was riddled with couch grass. I had to weed using a fine toothcomb method and have now cleared the entire bed. I have planted some strawberries with space left for more.
It is wonderful to work to the sound of birdsong including a woodpecker that taps away in the field alongside the allotment. The birds are also nest building and keep taking in large beakfuls the coir matting from my hanging baskets.

A cleared plot

I have planted my potatoes both in the Artful Garden and on the allotment.

Chitted potatoes ready to plant

Planting potatoes after having applied a liberal amount of manure

I have also planted out some broad beans.

I have picked my first rhubarb from the Artful Garden.

Made into a delicious crumble

The damson trees are just starting to blossom. I hope the early morning frosts do not kill the blossom before it has time to set.

Delicate white blossom

There are some beautiful flowers in bloom.

Look at the detail

A delicate shade of pale yellow

I love this old shed. It belongs to the time when the allotments were first formed during the Depression when the villagers were very poor.

I love the bleached look of the planks

Not high enough to stand up in

These are flower arrangements I made for the bishop's visit.

Daffodils and iris

The Lady altar

Baabaara the sheep originally came from the Sheepfest in Sedbergh. Since then she has had body contouring, plastic surgery, a facial, colours and a complete makeover. She is hoping to be a pinup girl for Carrs Billington Lamb Feeds who have sponsored her handbag.

Does anyone want me to be their pinup? 

Spring has Sprung

Another week of mixed weather. Warm then wet days and one night when the Helm wind was so strong you could hear it roar.

I have been busy getting all my flowerbeds cleared at home and in the Artful Garden and I am almost there, just the vegetable patch to weed. I still have a lot of work to do on the allotment but I have been prioritising my gardens. I had a battle clearing under the hawthorn and blackthorn hedge. The spines are lethal, so very sharp and I had to crawl under the hedge.

I have planted a lot of seeds, vegetable, herbs and flowers so the greenhouse is getting full. I am trying some new things this year one of which is sweetcorn.

A variety of seed trays

Spring is definitely here. The cherry trees are in blossom. 

Blousy blossoms

The leaves are opening on the hawthorn hedges. The cows have returned to the fields after being indoors all winter.

Delicate green

The daffodils are still at their peak.

White daffodils, houses and heads

Yellow daffodils and bumble bees

Bonny bellis.

Bellis buttons

Here are a few of my pottery designs.

A robin

A birdhouse

My trip up Hartside the other day was stunning. The mist floated in the valley and and you could just see the Lakeland hills peeping out though the haze.

A dramatic and atmospheric sky 

The Lakeland hills just visible

Swirling, floating and lifting

Houses and Flowers

Another week of mixed weather wet windy and some sunshine. I am trying to prepare all my flower beds between the showers.

I have planted up one flower bed on the allotment but the ground was very wet.

I hope the plants will survive

I have cleared the rhubarb bed of couch and applied a liberal amount of muck.

Rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb

The grape hyacinths are just coming into flower and will form a carpet of blue.

China blue

The redcurrant is also in bloom.

This plant has a very distinctive smell

This is one of my new pottery flower designs.

A red gerbera

I bought this flower planter from the Country Living show and have planted it up with tete a tete daffodils.

Dainty daffs

Pottery and flowers

My latest pottery house designs are bird houses.

A bluebird

Golden bird

Bonny bird

Spring has Sprung

It has been a very mixed week weatherwise. A heavy snowfall on the Pennines on Wednesday.

Almost a complete whiteout

Snow on Cross Fell from the previous weeks snowfall.

A view of Cross Fell from Alston

This was followed by a warm sunny day on Thursday ideal for gardening. I have started to clear my plots ready for the new growth.

 The ground always looks bare until the plants start to grow

The daffodils are still looking very festive.

I love the golden centres

I did these flower arrangements for the church at Easter.

The colours are appropriate to the Easter season

Lilies in abundance

The primulas are beginning to open their drumstick heads.

Dainty individual flowerheads

On a visit to Northampton went to the Shoe museum.

Did you wear any of these? 

Paper mache shoes made by children.

Such imagination

This animation of a cobbler was very amusing.

Tap, tap, tap, goes the hammer

It is the time of year when there are dramatic skies.

A hole in the sky

A view from the top of Hartside.

Bleak and beautiful

It appears that Elvis is living in New Mills.

"I'm all shook up"

He even has his own car parking space reserved.

Cadillacs only