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Hi there everyone 😀

We are back home from spending the loveliest of time at the lodge. We got out, we chilled out and we even got a few jobs done.

I still have to share the most glorious walk with you and that will come soon.

We got home to find our gas boiler has decided to give up the ghost. And, whilst we are hoping it is repairable, we have been freezing and had to borrow fan heaters and portable radiators from all over the place.

Hopefully we can get hot water from the immersion heater but, as that’s not been used to heat the water for years, we have everything crossed that it will work ok. Otherwise, we will be heading to mum’s for a shower.

Whilst the boiler situation is a bit of a pain … the garden is a lot more positive and I’ve just had a walk round out back to see what’s happening.

We are currently looking quite tidy, having done the first grass cut and rake before we went away. It’s also starting to look a bit more colourful … the start of a new garden season.

My pot of spring bulbs, that was a Christmas gift a fair few years ago, is going strong …

… and the little yellow lilies that I have in pots are looking like they will put on a good show … 

As do the tall deep red lilies … assuming we can keep the lily beetles at bay …

The little twiggy cages I fashioned from the cherry tree prunings seem to be keeping the foxes out of the pots and hopefully they will give a bit of support too.

These crocuses were a bit of a bonus. I don’t know where I had the bulbs from, but there were only a few and I just pretty much threw them in a gap in the new raised bed. They give a lovely pop of bright colour …

A good few years ago we planted a pot with three ferns and then snakeshead fritillary bulbs in the centre. The bulbs are now past their best and, whilst the ferns are doing really well, we now only get one or two flowers each year but they are still really pretty …

These hellebores, on the other hand, are a new addition to the garden this spring, and are still looking fabulous …

The summer snowflakes are in full bloom …

… as is the camellia, which always puts on a great show. It has reacted well to its very hard prune last summer …

The magnolia is just coming into flower and we are hoping the weather improves so the flowers don’t just get blown or washed off too soon …

The Generous Gardener is looking good …

… and the hydrangeas are starting to sprout, following their deadheading just before we went away …

And lastly, for now, the purple clematis is absolutely covered in buds. I hope it flowers before we have to move it to rebuild that raised bed … which may be on the cards for later in the year …

The grass, whilst not looking amazing, is looking better than it did this time last year. It is currently waiting to be raked again, following an application of moss killer, before we reseed around the edges.

There is also plenty of painting waiting to be done … the old shed, the raised bed, some fence panels and maybe the pergola.

We just need a bit of sunshine and warmth now to give us the impetus to get out there and get cracking.

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