Foraging and Flowers

This weekend we went a-foraging and I began in our garden with the rhubarb which was ready to pick. Here's our little crop of rhubarb sticks on the garden table. Think I'll make some jam with it.

The apple tree is looking at its best now, absolutely dripping in blossom, a froth of pink and white.

The smell is heavenly, sweet and appley, a foretaste of fruit to come.

Aaah - just smell those blooms!

Another scent greeted our noses when we headed for the woods - wild garlic! It's become a ritual for us to go to our favourite place to pick wild garlic - remember last year's visit?

It was just starting to flower. Ideally it should be picked before it flowers but we've never yet managed that. The pretty little stars of white carpet the ground under the trees, and the smell is powerful and very appetising indeed.

When we got home I made lots of wild garlic pesto with pine nuts, grated parmesan, lemon juice and olive oil. I freeze it, as usual, in small quantities for the year ahead. It's nice on pizzas and in risottos and omelettes too. We filled two plastic bags with leaves and from it made two large bowlfuls of pesto. I also put some in jars to give as gifts.

After we'd picked the garlic we drove to one of our favourite places which I visited last May. The Walled Garden at Mells is a beautiful place at any time of the year, and this time our breath was taken away by these wonderful tulips as we stepped through the door in the wall. They were planted in an array of jewel colours and as the sun came out they started to glow. 

I thought they looked wonderful with this backdrop of terracotta pots.

We headed for the outdoor cafe there for a pot of tea in mismatched teacups. Why does tea always taste better when you drink it outdoors? I love the blanket-covered hay bales which make up some of the seating.

There are a couple of sweet little sheds selling flowers and painted furniture, as well as lots of plants for sale. For once I managed to restrain myself and left empty-handed, but we did have a relaxing wander around this stunning place.

The planting is so pretty with drifts of flowers mingling with and merging into each other. These pale narcissi looked wonderful with the blue brunnera. 

I love looking at other gardens at this time of year - large ones, like this, and smaller ones like the front gardens I see when I walk to work every day. It's always inspiring to see how other people combine plants and to discover new plants I've never seen before. So many glorious flowers! Aren't they a treat?

Sunshine, Outdoors and Getting Creative

 Hello! First of all I need to catch up with my calendar - here's my March page at long last. I must get myself more organised next month!

Last week I managed to get outside with a cup of tea after work one evening which was a real breath of fresh air, if a little chilly.

I've just put up this bug box in the garden in the hope of attracting more ladybirds and solitary bees.

This one's been up for a couple of years now. I've never seen anyone going in or coming out, but bits of paper or something similar have been put into some of the holes. Does that mean someone's moved in?

  

Back indoors I was very excited to receive a parcel in the post. I knew what it would be, as a couple of days before I'd ordered a bag from Susie Faulks, a bag-maker who I discovered whilst looking for oilcloth bags online. My old work one is looking quite tired and needed replacing. I tend to avoid leather as far as possible, and love the wonderful oilcloth designs these days, often making my own bags. However, when I saw that there was one with hares on it (my favourite animal) my decision was made. I love it! I might save up and buy a shoulder bag too. Funnily enough, when my copy of 'Country Homes & Interiors' magazine was delivered, Susie's bags have a feature all of their own - what a coincidence!

P and I went for riverside walk in Bath at the weekend, and there were plenty of signs of spring.

Tiny yellow celandines were blooming in carpets close to the ground. I've always loved their waxy petals which reflect the sunshine.

Above our heads the blackthorn was blooming.

There are few sights as uplifting as frothy blossom against a blue sky. If you'd like to indulge in even more blossom, I can recommend Chel's post at Sweetbriar Dreams - it's very pretty indeed.

Finally as we were walking back through the centre of Bath we came across this delightful and unexpected bit of yarnbombing.

Such a treat on a sunny day, and all crocheted.

It really made me smile.

Before I go I thought I'd share with you two new small WIPs. Inspired by my real hellebores (you can take a look here), I decided to make some of my own. First I got out my wool rovings and started a needlefelt one which I plan to embroider when it's finished.

And second, I couldn't resist this wonderful crocheted hellebore pattern which the very talented Lucy has made and shared at Attic 24 (if you haven't seen Lucy's winter wreath, go and take a look - it is amazing!). I've yet to steam it, and am going to make a couple more in different shades.

I hope that you've had a sunshiny weekend too, and can find time for a bit of creativity x

May

How I love May, the prettiest and freshest month of all, a month of blossom and froth!

This picture of our apple blossom was taken a week ago, and already most of it has fallen. Just a few flowers remain, but just look at that delicate blush of pink against the white and green. The petals are lightly veined and the blossom has such a sweet smell, a foretaste of apples to come in the autumn.

Here is a close-up of the cherry blossom which I featured in my last post. It's quite different, a native cherry, white but with rather lovely long yellow stamens. We bought it just after we moved into our house 16 years ago, paying the princely sum of 99p for it from an offer in a newspaper. It arrived as a twig wrapped in damp newspaper. Now it towers over our garden and birds like to sit in it.

Another white 5-petalled flower with yellow stamens is the wild strawberry. We have masses of it in our garden and in just a few weeks' time we'll be able to have those little strawberries on our breakfast cereal. 

This is turning out to be a post full of white and green! Here's some more.

The lawn is studded with daisies and always makes me think what a pretty pattern for fabric it would make. They couldn't be more cheerful or fresh-looking against that vibrant green.

Here's Clover the cat posing amongst the daisies (and dandelions), soaking up the sun. 

I'm so glad that May is here. Summer is just around the corner, but we still have a good deal of spring left to enjoy. Hope the sun shines where you are x

Shades of blue

At this time of year there seems to be so much beautiful blue around. As you may have guessed, purply-blue is a colour I love. Our front door and gate are painted this colour, as are the bathroom, our dresser and the back of the house! The garden is also full of blue. These grape hyacinths, or muscari, have frilly white edges to their 'bells', and I love the way the stem turns from green to blue as it reaches the flowers.

It's so good to be able to look closely at tiny forget-me-not flowers and see, not only their yellow centres, but streaks of pink in their petals.

Here is a rosemary flower in close-up. The flowers are surprisingly complicated. Because our garden is quite small, space is limited, so I bought a variety called 'Mrs Jessop's Upright' in the hope that it wouldn't sprawl across its neighbours. It's still attempting to, though!

This a gorgeous early-flowering clematis. It grows up the side of our shed (I forgot - that's blue too), and is a delight in April. The colour is truly heavenly.

Below is a little primrose that I bought last year. It's called 'Zebra Blue', and you can see why. Look at those amazing stripes!

Of course, I mustn't forget bluebells. These are the most common garden ones, Spanish bluebells. They aren't as delicate as their wild relatives, but the colour is still intense.

And here is something altogether more purple ... violets.They self- seed around my garden, and are so sweet, but often easy to miss. Wordsworth described them in his 'Lucy' poems:

.

'A violet by a mossy stone

Half-hidden from the eye!'

And now a bit more blue - that fabulous spring sky.