On the first day of spring...

My children gave to me.... a sunburned upper arm!
OK, so today is really the 'First full day of Spring', but yesterday was the day spring began ;)
There we were, out in the garden enjoying the warmth0- and I go to make the bread into rolls, only the door is locked.
I am annoyed... Rebel has decided to lock the door to keep out his sister while he uses the bathroom. Unfortunately he forgets to unlock it before coming out... voila- we're stuck. Luckily I have the trusty cordless phone, and I use it to call Jacobite. I know there is a spare key hidden somewhere- but it is not in the old places I remember!
Jacobite does not answer. I leave a message, but he doesn't call back for two hours!!
By this point, we're all hot and thirsty, my arms are bright red and I know my bread is ruined.
When he does call, he tells me where the key is, and I go inside- manage to rescue the bread for dinner and check my arms.
Although they did not look too bad at this point, they certainly did later on!
this makes twice this year... the first time was definitely my fault... I misjudged the strength of the sun. The second time was fate- I just hadn't planned on being outside so long!!

Note to self: buy some decent sunblock.

A Square Foot Garden...

This year, I managed to get my act together and work on my square foot garden. OK... so the squares are older than the new book, and most do not have Mel's Mix in them (the one that does has been targeted by a cat and I have trouble keeping his potty bottom out of it *grrrrrrrrrr*)... but they are 4 foot square, and the do (now) have a grid...




First step was to de-weed the bed. This was done fairly quickly with the aid of a hoe, and then the fun started.


I started out planning the way it would look. I laid out the lath boards as a grid, messed with the plants to see where they should go, and admired the effect.


Then I changed my mind. I laid out the grid, only this time the lath boards went on their sides and I used garden stakes as the crossover boards. I tied them with cable ties although Jacobite later told me I could have used nails as he has some... so the second square will get those!


Then I planted the square. First were pea seeds on the first two squares on the Northern edge... and sweet peas on the other two squares. I made a pea trellis with two stakes and some garden twine. Spinach seeds, cabbage plants, broccoli plants and cauliflower plants, and onion setts were planted in the other squares. Inside the house, I have lettuce, tomato, eggplant/aubergine, pepper and chard growing from seeds in a seedling greenhouse (a tray with a roof ;)).

And the second square!


M'Lady and Rebel were also in the garden... making an Easter Garden again. They are both ready to get dirty in old clothes... and M'Lady looks a little 'Huck Finn'-ish!


Rebel on the other hand, looks ready for summer.

OK he wasn't the only one. His cold blooded Mama was out in a t-shirt too... only *I* was the one who ended up slightly sunburned on my arms. I was a little peeved because I hadn't thought the sun strong enough for that!
Photos of the Easter Garden later!

In the garden

Well... I have been out there.
I have a vegetable garden started... a couple of daffodils growing, a hyacinth in Rebel's garden, some speedwell... a few onions... the place is beginning to come alive. It makes me think of The Secret Garden when Mary, Dickon and Colin were finding all the plants still alive... it's WICK :)