Busy

Where have I been?! Sorry life got on top of us for the last few weeks, there was holidays away in the sun, mounds of illustration work to wade through, chicken coops to work on, new computer to buy then load all my software on and in the last week the horrifying realisation that the Landrovers MOT is up on the 1st of May and the chances of her passing are slim to say the least (welding, over heating, knackered alternator ect ect.....big black Landrover shaped hole in our bank account...again)

Poor Rich, he's been either under the Landys bonnet, crawling under my desk with wires or measure lengths of wood and trying to decide exactly how much square footage your average chicken needs to live on, I have spend most of my time making tea and asking if I can help! My poor lovely husband, no wonder he's going grey!

Anyway, a v.quick catch up on the garden and hopefully more pics this coming weekend.

My Polka Raspberries are starting to show some life, I cant wait for them to fruit, we don't seem to have any problems with birds on the All Golds (Rich reckons they cant see the yellow berries as they blend with with the leaves better?) I think I will have to net the red ones.

I had my first batch of plants from Victoriana Nursery the weekend before last, I was really please as I was desperate to get my tomaotes in and going. This year I'll have 4 veriaties in the greenhouse, 'Tigerella' which we grew last years and was brilliant, very tasty! 'Shirleys Pixie' as small bush tomato which should give us v.small sweet fruits to go in salads and sandwiches.

'Black Krim' which sounds a bit menacing, they are a large heirloom verity which should be good for sauces and soups, also they have purple flesh which should be interesting!

And lastly we will be having a 'Tamerillo Tree Tomato Plant', don't know about you but I'd never heard of them, apparently they have a plum like fruit that will carry on producing for 7 months of the year, click on the link about for more info! Anyway I thought they sounded really unusual and we've been trying to experiment with slight less well know fruit and veg so I'm really looking forward to what we'll get. We wont get the plant till May time so I'll post a pic when it arrives.

We will also be trying out a Goji Berry plant this year, according to folklore, people living in the Himalayas who eat Goji Berries are reputed to live to 120 odd, not sure about that but I'll get back to you in around 90 years and let you know how I'm going. Anyway they are another tasty fruit that we can have room to grow so its being added to the collection.

We are a bit late with our spuds this year, mostly because I ran out of time before I went away so they had to wait 3 weeks. This year we have 'Forest Gold' and 'Edzell Blue' which is an amazing violet blue colour (I seem to have gone for a lot of purple fruit and veg this year, there is going to be some very odd coloured soup later in the year!)

On top of all the fruit and veg we've also had quite a few flowers, I'm trying to bulk the few flower beds we have out (most of the beds have edible stuff in!) to encourage bees and butterflies, so Hollyhocks, Lupins, Drumstick Primulas and Geraniums have gone in, some in the bed around the Peach tree and the rest in pots around the pond, things are starting to look very pretty out there now (at last!!)

I'm so pleased that Spring seem to be here at last, its so good to be able to walk around the garden and see everything starting to flower, it makes my soul feel lighter.