Oh, the irony.

The trouble about writing a blog based mostly around gardening is that when the weather is shitty enough for you to spend a couple of hours online you have nothing to write about and when everything is growing and multiplying and such, well, you're outside doing IT.

Its a conundrum.

But then who would want to read about some fat slob who does nothing all day but blog?

Hmm.

Well, what HAS happened? (Another problem, so much has happened that you forget most of it.)
I have Peas up and potato's, lettuce and spinach in the hot bed, carrots (sort of, I am the kiss of death to carrots it seems) and beetroot. Raspberry bushes look good, as do strawberries and blueberries. Garlic and onions all on track, Jerusalem artichokes need support soon.
Oh and I found some wild garlic by our burn so I'm away to look at that soon :)

The chickens are all fine and dandy.
After a long wait Victoria started laying, so we now get 3 eggs most days. She is sneaky though. I discovered she had been hoping out of the orchard to lay her egg in the grass under the pine trees, but then she couldn't;t get back in. This hen will not allow anyone near her in the orchard, but outside she throws herself at your feet for you to pick her up and put her back lol.
We have a new addition to the hens.
A carrion crow had decided that layers pellets are the way to go and has integrated himself into the flock. He is seconds away from getting a name ;)






Well that's about it. As soon as the rain lets up I shall take more pics. Heres one of the littlies baking ..awwwww.
Peace x.

EEEEEEGGGGGGSSSS!!!!! :D

So it happend at LAST!! Eggs in the nesting box!!




The first one was laid by Sally and the kids where gobsmacked at how warm it was.
So after Sally came out of the hen house yelling to the world about what she had done I nipped in and grabbed the egg just before Emily/Enemy sat her arse down.
Much clucking later we had another....




SO we have two eggs and I have promised the kids scrambled eggs for lunch...about 2 tea spoons each I think LOL.
But as OH pointed out, so far these eggs have cost £20 each....so they'd better eat it all up!

The important lessons of life.

One of the things I feel very strongly about is the education of the next generation.
Many people visualize this as pushy parents pouring over school league tables and running children to endless after school clubs to learn mandarin and Suzuki violin.
They hire tutors and buy CD's of subliminal learning for their kids to listen to whilst sleeping.
My failure to do all this makes me a bad parent ;)
This Easter I have given the boys their own "garden" to plant and tend.





The sad demise of a large chest of drawers (to damp and woodworm) left me with three very big drawers that just begged to be turned into raised beds...if only for one season.
Eldest son was given the job of digging muck from the old-er muck heap and once they where 3/4 full we tootled off to the garden centre.
This is usually a trip punctuated by whining, crying and pouting, but this time OH behaved himself (HAHAHAHahahahahahahahHAHAHAhahahahAHAHAHAhahahah! ah dear...)
The promise of choosing a plant of their own made the trip for once ALMOST enjoyable.
They each picked out a small heather, each a different colour so they could tell who's garden was who's.




They reverently dug their hole and carefully took the plants out of their pots then they sowed carrot, pea and garlic plus the bonus of a leftover strawberry plant each.




It will be interesting to see what comes of this, if they are keen to do the same next year, to stretch their wings a little and plant a little less haphazardly.





The raising of plants and animals can only teach the very important life lessons, patience, tolerance, kindness and the rewards that come with that, but also it teaches them how to handle the inevitable disappointments that come in life, the death of a pet, the failure of a plant.






We owe it to our children and our planet to push these lessons....maths can wait.