Tag: Spring

Spring Things

A whole season seems to have passed since I last found time to update my old blog. Spring has been exceptionally sunny and warm this year, and we’ve spent so much time outside.

I’ve been delighted to see the first bumble bees in the garden, the first peacock butterfly, hoverflies, blossom on the apple and plum trees, and daffodils bringing the first colour to our garden after winter months of dreary grey skies and brown earth.

I sowed the first tomato seeds at the start of March, and the seedlings have now been planted in a raised bed my husband built inside our new polycarbonate greenhouse. We said farewell to our old glass greenhouse after Storm Eowyn smashed several panes of glass, putting it back on Gumtree where we found it a few years back and gave it free to a couple who will hopefully appreciate it as much as we did.

Tomato and courgette plants in the greenhouse

In the raised beds outside, we have peas, spinach, radish, lettuce, beetroot and carrots sprouting. My husband is also growing potatoes in sacks. Inside our home, the windowsills are full of sunflower, nasturtium and courgette seedlings not quite ready to go out yet.

The kids have been out on the swings and slide or making pine cone soup or washing shells at their mud kitchen, or riding scooters and bikes around our quiet cul-de-sac almost every day. I’ve loved spending so much time in the outside, especially in our own wee garden as it is such a restorative place and I always feel better for an hour or two pottering around or just watching the wildlife. Our little garden is such an antidote to all the gloomy headlines in the news.

Last weekend, the rain brought an end to the prolonged stretch of sunny weather, bringing much needed water to all the plants in our garden, and to our rivers and reservoirs further afield.

Have a lovely week. X

Spring Break

March has flown by and just finding some time to share a post about a little weekend away we had.

Our previous two summer holidays were in East Lothian but we decided to travel a little bit further down the East Coast and cross the English border into Northumbria on this trip.

It was the longest journey we’ve taken with the kids in the car, and we decided to break up the journey by stopping off at East Links Farm Park for lunch. We’d visited East Links on our summer holiday last year, but now that our youngest is bigger and more mobile it was even more fun. We had a great time riding on the little train that circles around the farm with sheep and lamas coming up to say hello, racing around on go karts, exploring the fort and tumbling around in the soft-play barn. Then it was back into the car for the last leg of our journey.

We stayed in a caravan park, on the edge of a little lake that had swans, ducks, coots, and geese waddling by our decking to our daughters’ delight.

It’s still early spring, and the weather did dictate our activities a bit, but still managed to find plenty to do. One of the highlights of the trip was a visit to Northumberland Zoo, a small family run zoo, where the capybaras, armadillos, Arctic fox and tiny harvest mice were the unexpected stars of the show.

I also couldn’t resist a visit to Barter Books, somewhere I’ve wanted to visit for ages, which is a huge second hand bookshop built in Alnwick’s old Victorian railway station, where we all found a book.

As is often the case with UK holidays, the sunniest day was on our way home so we decided to take advantage of it to visit one of our favourite beaches, Coldingham Bay in the Borders. My husband and our oldest daughter went searching for critters in rock pools, while I built sand castles with our youngest, before we regrouped to climb Homeli Knoll and collect sea glass on the rocky beach on the other side.

Our holidays are always fun, but never the relaxing or peaceful break we imagine with two little rascals pulling us in all directions. After our travels, there’s something really comforting about returning home and settling back into our familiar routines, but we’re already thinking about our summer holiday.

Have a lovely week. X

Wintering

Life has felt fairly hectic lately and I’ve felt out of sync with the natural world that is only just starting to emerge from hibernation. A little bit of light has crept into our mornings and evenings, and snowdrops and crocuses have pushed up through the ground bringing some much needed colour to these dreary, grey winter days.

Over the last few weeks, my husband and I’ve been trying to get fitter, he recently invested in an exercise bike so we’ve both enjoyed cycling virtually through downtown Tokyo and Kyoto (where we spent our honeymoon almost a decade ago), and we’ve been doing yoga together most evenings before bed. I’ve joined a weekly fitness class at our local gym, which has been a fun way to increase my activity. It’s been tricky finding time to exercise between work and parenting, but we want to get a bit fitter if only to keep up with our two young, energetic daughters.

I’ve struggled a bit with the winter blues but I’m finding such comfort in little glimmers like building elaborate train tracks and magnetic tile towns on the living room floor with the girls or family games of pop up pirate, hungry hippos, dobble and bingo, lots of messy kinetic sand and play dough fun too. This month there have been parties for our oldest daughter’s fifth birthday, and my mother in law’s too. My husband has also gone full-time self employed for the first time, we’re still adjusting to the new rhythm of his work but will hopefully be less stressful and more flexible than his previous role.

We’ve been getting on with little jobs in the garden too, mostly tidying up but also planting a silver birch and pear tree. Winter hasn’t quite surrendered to Spring here yet, it’s still pretty cold, dark, wet and wild, but the first little daffodils in our border have flowered. Have a lovely week. X

Springtime Wanders

After a long winter, spring seems to be flying by in a blur of children’s parties, time in the garden and family adventures.

At the end of March, we took a trip to Blair Drummond safari, which we’d never been to before. We were impressed by the collection of animals from lazy lions to penguins, grazing giraffes and the ever entertaining meerkats, though our girls were disappointed we couldn’t see the tiger. There was also ice creams vans, a huge wooden fortress playground, and things we didn’t have time to visit like a little fair with favourite rides like a caterpillar coaster and spinning tea cups, the monkey island and an animatronic dinosaur forest. It was a great day out and definitely somewhere we’ll return to because there was just so much to see and do.

We also had our first trip to Lunderston Bay since last autumn. We’ve already had a bracing New Years Day walk at Ayr beach, but our first trip to Lunderston on a mild, clear day felt like the symbolic start to spring as it’s become one of our favourite places to visit with the kids during the summer months. We took a wander along the shore, our girls splashing in the waves, digging in the sand, and searching for critters in the rock pools before heading to the playpark at the opposite side.

Our most recent adventure was to a place I’d seen on Instagram called the Auchineden Spout. We parked at the St Mocha drive thru, taking the opportunity to buy a slab of salted caramel brownie big enough to share, crossed the road and wandered up a private farm road on foot. We were unlucky with the weather as it started raining as soon as we set out, though the kids were wrapped up in waterproofs and wellies, and had plenty of puddles to splash in along the way. It’s a fairly easy route, following the road past a couple of abandoned houses until the road forks, then turning off the main road when we spotted the footbridge across a small waterfall, then a muddy scramble down to the bottom of the stream and the Auchineden Spout. Our daughters loved paddling in the stream and being able to walk behind the waterfall into a shallow cave high enough for them to stand in. It’s another place that we’ll keep in mind for a walk in better weather.

I’ve really enjoyed getting out to explore new and old favourite places, and we’re looking forward to lots more adventures over the summer. Have a lovely week. X

Easter Greetings

I haven’t much time to write lately as we’ve had a run of back to back illnesses which floored us all, but we’ve enjoyed a fun, chocolate and family filled Easter holiday weekend.

We celebrated our oldest daughter’s fourth birthday in February with a little birthday party with all her cousins and best friends from nursery. Meanwhile our youngest is now 18 months old, she’s settled in to nursery, learned a handful of words (Mara, shoes, yeah, no, baby) and is climbing everything.

It’s been a long winter, but buds on the apple trees, blossom on the plum tree and daffodils in the border are the most welcome signs that spring is here at last. There are trays of tomato and teasel seedlings on the windowsills inside, and blue tits flittering and twittering outside the kitchen window as they choose one of our bird boxes to nest in. Growing a little bit of our food and watching the wildlife in our garden always helps me to feel connected to nature and to slow down.

This weekend, while the girls took turns on their slide, my husband scooped leaves and blanketweed out of the pond, and I spent some time in the greenhouse sowing cucumber, celery and melon seeds, before the sky darkened and we were pelted by hail stones trying to rescue the washing drying on the line. Then there was the excitement of pulling on wellies over our pyjamas for an Easter egg hunt in the garden yesterday morning and chocolate for breakfast afterwards.

Very much looking forward to spending more time in the garden and beyond after a long winter cooped up inside. Happy Easter all! X

Winter Gardening

Normally the garden is dormant through the winter months but this year we’ve been planting up the space where the boundary hedge used to be, and making a few other changes around the garden too.

I’ve totally ignored the spacing guidance and planted four apple trees (Arthur Turner for cooking, Ashmead’s kernal, Saturn and Red Devil for eating) along the fence, interspersed with climbing roses and clematis. We moved the Crown Princess Margareta and James Galway roses from the damp and shady corner at the back of the garden to the fenceline. I really hope they survive the move, especially Margareta as its a beautiful rose and has always done well despite a less than ideal aspect but one that has been retired by David Austin. We also planted The Generous Gardener and Strawberry Hill along the fence, and the rambler Malvern Hills to climb over the pergola, because I go into a kind of trance when the David Austin catalogue arrives. I planted daffodil bulbs between the roses and apple trees at the end of December and start of January, far later than planned.

We’ve moved one of our square raised beds from the shady, far corner to beside the green house to make space for the kids’ swing, a birch tree and Holly bush in the corner instead.

Our youngest daughter usually toddles about and digs in the mud when we’re gardening, while our oldest helps planting bulbs, watering and collecting worms and other creepy crawlies. We all get so much out of time spent outside in nature.

In the deep midwinter, when the weather swings between hard frosts and torrential rain, it feels good to get outside when we can to feel the sunlight on our faces and tackle some of the jobs in the garden that need done. Now in the first days of spring, we’ve had sunshine (if not warmth) the hellebores and daffodils blooming and the promise of so much more as nature starts to wake from hibernation. Have a lovely week. X

Birds, Bees and Seedlings

We’ve been enjoying a spell of warm, sunny weather lately, which has meant we’ve been spending lots of time out in our garden.

I risked sowing chilli seeds at the start of February, as always tricky to judge when the best time to start them off is as they need a long growing season but seedlings raised on my windowsills tend to go leggy as they stretch towards the sun on East and West facing windows, before transferring them to the greenhouse.

I sowed pumpkin, squash, courgette and sunflower seeds in the middle of April, and I’ll plant them out in June – which will probably bring a month of rain and a plague of slugs knowing my luck. My husband has also started off lots of tomato seedlings, and we spent an afternoon at the weekend pricking out and repotting them. The greenhouse is currently full of seedlings and plants as we’re always ridiculously optimistic about how much we can grow in our garden.

There was blossom on three of our four apple trees, unfortunately the other has grown several water spouts from the trunk, which is usually a sign of stress or a failed root graft. Our plum tree also had two little flowers on it earlier in the spring.

In the flower beds, the tulips and daffodils have died back but the Geum and Thistle have flowered, and I always enjoy counting and identifying the bees that have been crawling all over them.

We got a bird house for Christmas and affixed it to the side of the house, soon after a pair of blue tits moved in and I love watching them flit back and forth to feed their chicks while I’m working in the greenhouse.

May is often a month of anticipation marking the gentle transition from spring to summer, and it’s been lovely to spend so much time outside. Even when we have very little to show for our efforts, gardening brings us a tremendous amount of joy. Have a lovely week. X

High and Low Tide at Lunderston Bay

We’ve had a couple of trips to Lunderston Bay, a little beach in Inverclyde, at high and low tide this spring, and it’s rapidly becoming one of our favourite places to visit.

The first time we visited Lunderston Bay this year, the tide was in and there was a fairly strong breeze that made it ideal for trying out our 3 year old daughter’s new kite.

We spent a lovely afternoon strolling along the shore, splashing in the waves and looking in rock pools for crabs. It’s amazing how much fun and how memorable such simple activities can be. After that we meandered up to the new playpark for swings, slides and climbing fun before heading home at dusk.

Our second trip was on a sunny morning when the tide was low. My husband and oldest daughter wasted no time in making straight for the rock pools to search for crabs and other aquatic critters, and we found lots of little crabs, sea snails, a sea gunnel and even a couple of starfish clinging to rocks. The sea was too cold for a proper paddle but we waded in wearing our wellies and I found a little sea urchin shell to take home as a souvenir.

A trip to the seaside is always one of my favourite ways to spend a day and I’m looking forward to lots of picnics, building sand castles, beachcombing, rock pooling and paddling in the sea over the summer. Have a lovely week. X

A Rainy Walk in the Woods

We’ve had a fairly quiet weekend as both girls have been poorly with fever, coughs and runny noses. After a few days recuperating at home, playing with playdough, potting up seeds in the greenhouse, plink plonking on the piano, reading stories, watching Sea Beast and How to Train Your Dragon, and having some epic afternoon naps, we were all feeling well enough for a little trip out.

We decided to visit Rouken Glen so we could buy some seeds at the garden centre and then took a wander around the woodland paths to see the waterfalls after a few days of rain.

It was overcast with drizzle but the trees protected us from the worst of the weather. I carried our youngest, while my husband gave our oldest daughter piggybacks when she complained about tired legs.

It was lovely to see the waterfalls flowing and the forest looking so green and leafy, but the unexpected highlight was spotting a little duckling nesting in a tree hollow. We were very quiet and after lifting the kids up to have a quick look, we returned to the path, then it was time to head home for cheese toasties for lunch and the girls’ afternoon naps. Have a lovely week. X

Sunshine and Snow in the Garden

Over the last few days, we’ve had a cold snap bringing frost, subzero temperatures and a tiny dusting of snow, but it was only the week before that I spent a lovely afternoon out in the garden with my girls in the sunshine.

Our youngest was wrapped up in her bouncer watching pinwheels spinning in the breeze before she drifted off for a little nap, as I tidied up the long border removing all the dried stems from last year, while our the three year old played witch on a broomstick. It’s not easy to keen on top of gardening with two little kids underfoot so I’ve been trying a little and often approach.

It’s always lovely watching the garden waking up after winter, from the first hellebores underneath the bamboo to the tete-a-tete daffodils in the long border. I’ve also enjoyed watching birds flitting around the garden, there have been blue tits, sparrows, long tailed tits, blackbirds, Robins and tiny wrens, which we’ve never seen in the garden before.

We woke this morning to a light flurry of snow falling. Spring can be such a changeable and unpredictable season, and yet one that I appreciate more and more as a time of renewal and the return of light and life after the barren darkness of winter. Have a lovely week. X