The Half Term Holiday.

The children are back at school today after the best half term week. The sun shone a fair bit and even when it didn't the air was so much milder than previously and we spent much time outside to make the most of it. The allotment now has sixteen beds of approximately 10ft by 4ft each, dug and manured where needed thanks to Mr Davey's incredibly hard work. Already broad beans and salad leaves are growing, onions and garlic planted and shooting away rapidly, and potatoes planted out. I have dug out and split rhubarb from our own garden to be taken up there and the fruit beds will have redcurrants, raspberry canes and a grape added to them hopefully next weekend. The picture shows it at the part way stage and unfortunately doesn't do it any justice as the grass paths so desperately need cutting. Ah well, take it on trust that it looks amazing and has galvanised us into action at home as well.



While Dave has spent an couple of hours each day working on the beds, the girls and I have worked away on our garden here which was sorely in need of a massive overhaul. I dug out the compost heap and used the wonderfully crumbly compost to dress the beds. The hen pen needed a bit of re-fencing so out I ventured, staple gun close to hand and Lucy raking up leaves all around. The beds I recently dug out to surround a new lawn area - dug out, raked and seeded now - are looking most Spring-like as the daffodils are breaking into bud ready to follow the pretty drifts of crocuses which are almost over. I found these very early and miniscule potatoes hiding amongst the compost



The geenhouse has also had a sort out and I cleared the side area too in order to use it as a place for pot stacking, a job which took all day and had me muttering darkly at the waste of a perfectly good day until I reached the fun part of building a little wall and step which is something I love to do. I planted primroses into the cracks and already their creamy flowers are can be spotted from the kitchen window. But the holiday did not only consist of gardening; knitting was also on the agenda! Dave completed this lovely garter stitch scarf, all warm and snuggly for a day like today where the sun has left us once more...



I finished the first of the socks I started a little while ago and now need to make sure the next one does not have the slight laddering effect near the heel which I forgot to check on as I knitted...sighs deeply in annoyance. Other than that I am pleased with the sock and the tones of the wool please me muchly. Dave tells me it feels amazing to wear with the heel cupping the foot in a way I cannot understand as it is far to big for me. Knew I should have knitted myself a pair first (and there would have been far less to knit too!). I do wish I could photograph long things such as these in a way which made them look far lovelier than this.



A pair of mittens have almost come off the needles ready to be sent off to a friend who chose this gorgeous wool of slate blue flecked with chips of green, red and a paler blue. Such a lovely wool to knit with, but as the label is somewhere in another room I can't let you know what it is just now.



So, all in all a lovely holiday full of plenty of activity, plenty of knitting, plenty of outings to beautiful places such as this ruin by the river, the woodland trees on the opposite banks still sleeping their winter sleep and the heron basking in the shallows of an ebbing tide



and of course, plenty of eating too. In fact, I'm off for a one of these chocolate and orange brownies right now as Isabella and I are going to play picnics and these seem just the thing.



Hope you all have a good week xx