Valkyrie

Thankies - he'll live! Just steristrips and a dressing. Change dressing on Monday and leave the strips on. I need to buy more steristrips because I used the last packet on him before we went to try and hold the wound together. Of course he did a selfie and sent it to our children for sympathy - because he didn't get any for me. Honestly, he was in full chain saw gear - couldn't get that to work (oil leaking somewhere) and decided to take his gloves off to use a pruning saw. I despair sometimes!

It does lift the heart with days like this doesn't it. Although we were in A&E for most of it because OH decided to play lumberjack and sliced his finger with a pruning saw! DD thought I was the one who wielded the weapon to finish him off, and I told her as it was self-inflicted I only had to bide my time! But I wore a skirt and had sandals and a t-shirt without needing a jumper for the first time this year. I've normally worn sandals all winter long in the past! Super sunny pics DM - seems you have a little haze there too. Love from a happy, happy person!

The garlic is ready to plant out so I've been hardening them off outside - although I bring them back at night because of the munching animals. Naughty rabbits made a burrow in our pile of compost that was delivered recently! I've been transferring barrowfuls of greenhouse spoil and I have made a huge bed - and still a pile left to move! Yesterday we put cardboard down on part of it and put a layer of compost over that. I will put some more on before planting - we had some ordinary chicken wire that we put over the compost - again to keep bunnies off. No news from the fence man, so we are thinking of using electric fencing around the area to keep the buns off! This morning no sign of the furry cottontails on the patch - although they are getting bold as brass and I can get much closer before they bounce off. Potatoes chitting here, in addition to the Charlottes I've bought bags of Violetta, Red Duke of York and Arran Victory from Caroll's Heritage Potatoes. From the potato day I had 10 of each variety of Casablanca, Rocket, Estima, Wilja, Apache, King Edward and Sarpo Mira. It'll be the first time planting main crop potatoes - but it's an experiment. The tomatoes are going crazy and the peppers are doing well. Only one old seed packet failed to germinate, but that's OK - it would have been a bonus if they had. One interesting variety that I had to test is a long bell pepper called Yellow Monster - with a name like that I just had to! Also sown Imperial Green Windsor broad beans to test. Have yet to do Aquadulce Claudia. Onion sets are popping up and the Ailsa Craig onion seeds have all germinated. The old seed hasn't done much apart from 2 seedlings. Again it would have been a bonus if they had, but the compost will go on the ground in the greenhouse and I'll use that for lettuce or some spinach. I think I've overdone the seed potatoes - but plenty for our children to take home when they visit! I hope!

Apart from a couple of drizzle sessions, we've had super weather. Sometimes a bit chilly, but dry - mostly sunny and sometimes we've had warm breezes. Today the wind was warm at 8am! I don't know if there was a frost but the dew was heavy. We have had a lot of hazy sun and days when it's been crystal clear. Bees have been out on the heather in the garden and the trees are budding - the elder trees already have a few leaves! Daffs are popping out all over and the primroses in the hedgerows are looking good. Snowdrops are going over but celandines and dandelions are also in flower. Happy, happy, happy!

Thanks for the recipe AndyRoo - and thanks for the extra info ajm xxx

Can always dig a hole where you want to put them, pop them and the pot in the hole and just leave the plants to die down naturally then remove them from the pot, plant in the ground - can always put them in deeper and cover up. They just need to get as much light to the leaves so they can store energy in the bulbs ready for next year. I've had many a bargain daffy that way - and never been disappointed.

Mullethunter - we've just not explored too far just yet. I'd like to go to Cricklepit Mill to see the otters - I gather it's a good place for egrets too.

Lol ajm - seems to be a pekin thing. Skye loved nothing more than climbing up. If you didn't have your wits about you she'd be on your head! I think they like to see around from up high. On your arm they have a better view than cuddled close. Although I have lovely memories of sitting on the swing chair with her and she'd snooze on my chest. Then when she woke up and I'd be smiling she'd try and peck my teeth! Ewww!

Well, you've certainly had a basinful lately, no wonder your immune system is shot to pieces. It's one of those things that takes time for you to catch up again. But Yayyyyy cheerio ratty!

Wow that's a pretty stitch!

Oooh I do like the pretty jars! Always wanted to have a bash at making my own slime - just to play with stress buster. I don't know if the borax substitute works for that or if there's another way of making it.

Love the egrets. I haven't seen any down here yet, but around Alresford there were loads.

Glad it isn't just me! I'm pretty certain it started when the choices changed from default and converted to the multiple choice. You are lulled into thinking all's well as the emojis are loading and then boom up they go. It is a tad annoying - and it still does it. In fact it's changed my "recently used" emojis to only 3 instead of the few across the little window, so it must have wiped that part at the same time as the emojis were changed.

Such pretties! I'm hardening off the garlic as they neeeeeed more ground to root in! And the pesky wabbits are making a mess around the outside of the greenhouse at night. We now have 2 scrabbled bits of grass and lots of poo. On the other hand maybe I should sweep the poo up and pop it onto the veg patch too!

Oh gosh, catching up - I do hope the Bell's Palsy is easing. Not fun. We thought my dad had a stroke as his mouth drooped scarily. He also dribbled a lot so we teased him mercilessly! Hopefully your family will be more sympathetic! Just wondered if you could stretch a wire from one part of the frame to another and hang the feeders from there. I actually had the peanut feeders on the ground and they managed perfectly fine, although I did wedge them in front so they didn't rock forward. Both big girls and little girls ate from them even if they were lower down. The drinkers were on the ground anyway so that the little munchkins could reach.