Greenhouse Shake - Up!

It was time for a move round in the greenhouse.  All these plants were taking up space on the staging and as the days are warming up, they don't need or like being in the hot glare of sunlight through glass. Even though our greenhouse is not heated and the heater just keeps it frost free, it can still get pretty warm in the full glare of the sun.  These Polyanthus and Pansies are now down on the floor where they can enjoy a little more shade before they are hardened off in the cold frame and planted outside. In the meantime, it's been fun having colour in the greenhouse all winter long and I'm still enjoying them where they are. Planting them up in all different containers and displaying them at various heights took no more than 5 minutes and just adds to their appeal.

Pretty Preservation!

Well I did say that we'd be busy creosoting the Pear Hut and repainting its frieze and 'Kay's Seat.' Here's the evidence.  It looks rather smarter in it's differing shades of brown  It will be entered in the this year's Shed of the Year Competition on the grounds that it is actually a 'shed' and can't be compared with many of the fabulous edifices against which it competes!  Furthermore, it was made entirely from reclaimed wood and the frieze was made from the off-cuts of ceiling and floor boards. The pears were cut out of Elm and disguise an old cat flap in the door.  The windows were an EBay purchase.  The hospital sign?  Well, it was one of those irresistible old signs that used to adorn our English roadsides.  It contains a writing desk, chair and bookcase and looks across the orchard to the pond and summerhouse.

More Winter Arrivals

Although not nearly was warm as predicted, we did have some weekend sunshine.  Consequently, more and more flowers are springing into life. Bees have been out and about searching for pollen - head over heels in some cases!  For more winter arrivals, see:  Winter Flower Story

Whilst enjoying the sunshine, the gardeners were busy doing rather more mundane jobs such as creosoting the tool shed and the Pear Hut and giving 'Kay's Seat' and the frieze around the top of the Pear Hut another coat of green paint.  After 2 coats, things are looking pretty smart once again.  We also moved a couple of shrubs and trees......which we meant to do back in the autumn!  Hopefully we were in the nick of time!

Winter Waning?

Spring is definitely stealing nearer and nearer and down in the Woodland Border there's more and more proof .........of the floral variety! Before getting down to some serious border tidying, I took this photo of a some Hellebores, Snowdrops, Pulmonarias and Primroses with a Nexus 7 using the panoramic feature - for no particular reason.  I never find photographing subjects in this border easy because it's always in shade with the sun at the back meaning that the photographer throws her own shadow just where she doesn't want it!   

Eggsotic Easter Eggs?

Maybe it's not just geese who lay golden eggs.  The reality?  More playing with Photomatix HDR photographs of the world's freshest eggs from the world's most spoilt chickens and making them look positively radioactive!  This look would be perfect for Easter.

Words on Birds

Despite the cold weather of February with its short days and long nights our 5 girls have done brilliantly well - eggseptional in fact!  Our monthly total was 86.  Now Winifred's down time should be taken into account as she was really quite poorly when she went through her mini moult last month. At £1.00 for 4 eggs, we made a grand total of £12.00 in eggs sales.  Yes, I know; it's hardly a fortune but it should be realised that our house lies on a loop off an unclassified lane with no passing traffic. We have an eggs sales box at the end of our drive and our eggs a mostly bought by neighbours or walkers using the public footpath that runs alongside our house.  We have kept chickens for a few years now but feeding 5 happy birds each day and collecting their eggs remains a real pleasure!

Perfect Pansy

In the greenhouse today! Out of the freezing winds and away from the damaging hail and the vicious squalls.