Looking around for the positives

This blog post has actually been a really hard one to set down. I’m pretty sure a lot of you guys out there are struggling a little bit just now like I am, and although I wouldn’t say I am in any way feeling down, I am absolutely struggling for motivation, to do anything. I kept sitting down to write an update post for you guys, but I just couldn’t get myself to actually do it. So I would just keep closing the browser.

I suspect this is quite a common thing at the moment, regardless of where you are what with the various lockdowns and restrictions on daily life (all for good reason), or sadly for those of us, personally or through family or friends who have unfortunately been directly affected by Corvid19. Unfortunately, although Kate and I are in good health, as with many of you guys, some of our family and friends have sadly, not been so lucky. But… one of the rules I have about this blog is that I always want it to be upbeat and positive and I don’t want today to be an exception. So I went looking for some positives, some inspiration and like many folks, I always look in my garden. So I went for a wee walk and stopped to look and listen a little and indeed there were many things to make me smile. So come on a wee wander with me and let’s see how April is starting and what promise it holds.

Firstly, I want to put this out there, set the record straight and just make sure EVERYONE knows… this year… I HAVE NOT KILLED THE LAWN. Celebrate with me folks!

And for those of you now totally confused, take a little wander back through previous blogs and you will see that I have a habit of over doing it with fertiliser at the start of spring and spending the rest of the year fighting to bring our front lawn back to all it’s glory. Not this year folks. Just look at the lushness!

If you want to go back and laugh at my failures of the past, feel free: From bald to lush – winning the battle for a lovely lawn.

So let’s start our wander at the bottom of the garden, where our two new trees are bursting with blossom. I mean, just look at this. How can I not smile? We have these two trees in pots at the bottom of the garden, one day I suspect they may end up planted as they will get too big for the pots, but that’s a whole other job for another day. For now, I am just going to enjoy them.

Next let’s meander up the path, along the fence, towards the patio and just stop, and listen. One of our friends, after staying over, commented on how loud the birds were in our garden. I don’t think that’s a bad thing, and we do have a fair few little feathered callers. I haven’t managed to capture all of them as photos yet, still trying to get the perfect shot of the collared doves or the jackdaws, but here are a few.

And.. I suppose no update from us would be complete if I didn’t tell you all about the greenhouse. And well, that’s an excellent place to finish off today because just a week ago I was feeling a bit down about the lack of progress in the greenhouse, but now… things are starting to appear.

I’m still very behind on the herbs. I have Dill – hurrah – but basil is still a long way off which is really disappointing. I have parsley and oregano in the garden as well as thyme and we are waiting on a delivery of tarragon plugs (as I couldn’t get any seeds this year).

But the little petunias are now popping up to say hello. And i’m still loving my little stamped plant labels. Reusing last years and I’ve added some new ones. http://www.eliandkate.com/making-little-metal-plant-name-tags/

Now, I knew this would give you guys a chuckle so I purposely added this shot. You can see that right at the front there, we have a label for Roma… the question is roma what? I sowed roma tomatoes and roma peppers. Doh! What to do?

Lastly, my little marigolds. I am planning on keeping these guys in the greenhouse as an experiment to deal with greenhouse pests. I had such a hard time with pests last year so I though I would give the whole companion planting thing a go. We can only try.

So there we go, a very quick but smile filled wander around the garden for the start of April. It will be fun to watch how things progress, and i will of course, keep you guys up to date on all the fun… including a rather special giveaway I have planned. Keep an eye on our youtube channel for that one….