Happy birthday

10 May

Happy Birthday to my 3 kitties, born a year ago with the help of their own midwife ! All flourishing, despite the plague of ticks biting into them…. tick numbers are up after the mild winter? Honey suckle coming into flower, a bit later than last year finally. The golden oriole has been in full song the last few days, but alas, no sign or sound of the nightingale.

One, Tigre and Pepy at 2 weeks

8 months

1 year old

7/8 May

Another successful ‘rocket’ event. A lovely group energy learning about how to build a rocket stove, and some fantastic finishing touches on the sauna rocket, and rebuild and snakey ornament of the barn rocket. Well done again Mika and ‘Lisières’, and many thanks Fanny. Now preparing for the construction of rocket 3 in Rose cottage…still a couple of places available if interested?!

Sauna Rocket Stove Oct 2015

Sauna Rocket Stove May 2016

Snakey barn rocket

ABC Rocketeers

Rocketing salad with wild weeds and Japanese wineberries

4 May

Helped to collect a swarm, a first for me to spend 30 minutes in a mini tornado of bees! The experience was just more awe inspiring than frightening, my legs were quite jelly afterwards. Thanks Pascal for all your help and guidance. The ‘mother’ hive looks strong and healthy, already building a significant reserve of honey.

29 April

A lovely day with sweet people, sauna and cake. Blossoms continuing and surviving despite the frosts, a pretty pretty time to be born!

26 April

-3°C this morning, forgot to take basil seedlings in, all frost bitten. Pears, peaches and plum trees in flower, hopefully that’s not the whole crop lost. Chill nights around 0°C in March and April have slowed down growth rates, so not so much is growing in advance after the mild winter…

19 April

Sichuan pepper seeds germinating, and first time I’ve noticed the akebia in flower. I’m curious to see what the seed pods look and taste like, after nearly 10 years of growing! Modest little redcurrant flowers in abundance, and the May berries forming nicely.

Akebia Chocolate Vine

Redcurrant Flowers

 

(unripe) May Berry 1st Fruit of the year

10/11 April

An action packed couple of days with many hands and hearts helping Le Blé go forwards. Various building and gardening projects advancing, and the first 3kg of Charlotte potatoes in the ground, well mulched with cardboard and straw. A time of rich exchanges of skills and experiences, great networking. Big thanks to all who participated.

29 March

Heard the cuckoo for the first time this year. Getting the mower and strimmer back in action, another noise heralding spring growth. 2 great advantages of the mowing action; keeps me in touch with the whole garden each week, and obliges a good clear and tidy up of things left lying on the grass through winter, logs and branches in particular.

Nettles growing well, making soups, beer and drying for herb tea. Wild garlic pesto chasing away winter bugs.

Hommage to Roger Philips

Cleaning the algae off the polytunnel plastic makes a significant difference for letting more light back in!

Spring clean