ENGLISH SPRING

The weather could not have been more beautiful in April than today. In my part of England the sun shone from dawn until dusk and it was strong enough to make me very hot as I worked in the garden this afternoon. The leaves are in a hurry to open, just a few days ago there buds were only just bursting, today each tree shows a delicate tracery of tiny vivid green leaves. My lovely Lime tree is similarly crowned and this year it boasts a woodpeckers nest, a parakeet's nest and a nest of blue tits. It is like a sky scraper with homes on every level.

I have been very busy today and dinner was rather late as I stayed in the garden for too long. This morning I cooked Pa bacon and eggs for breakfast and after clearing the kitchen I set off for the shops. I whizzed round in record time and hurried home quick smart.
Once indoors there was laundry to deal with and tidying to do but soon I was out in my much loved garden at last.

First I weeded the herb garden and removed some mint roots, I love mint but it does tend to take liberties it you do not keep it in check. Next I dug over the raised salad bed, raked it to the proverbial fine tilth and sowed two rows each of herb salad, red and green oak leaf lettuce an rainbow radishes. This multi coloured variety proved very popular last year, they had all the flavour of my usual variety,scarlet globe, and I must say that the red, purple, white, yellow and orange colours made for a bright salad bowl in the early days of spring .

Since “Aprils showers sweet.” have not yet pierced the “Drought of March.” I was obliged to get the hose pipe out to water the tunnel, the strawberry bed and the potatoes as well as all the containers, a job which took a good deal of time and made me late in preparing dinner.

I told myself that my son would not mind having an extra half hour or so in bed and cracked on with making the lasagne I had rashly promised for tonight. I think the recipe I use is in one of my earlier blogs, I have tried many recipes and this one is the best I find.
In the end dinner was almost an hour late and I have been playing catch up ever since, they can have home made beefburgers tomorrow and “ lump it” as they say, I have bread to make in the morning and so they will be nice and quick to do and will want very little cooking time in the evening. If the weather is fine I shall of course be out in the garden again.

I cannot remember such a perfect April day, no shivery wind and the smell of cut grass, warm earth and tree blossom all around. Our fox now has a litter of kits, we have not yet seen them but it is possible to hear them if you stand quietly by the earth. I expect it will not be too long before they are cavorting around the garden, they are so sweet that I have not the heart to mind the damage they do, well not very much. Every where I look new life is burgeoning and a feeling of excitement that is tangible captures my spirits and buoys them up no matter how tired I feel.

There is a gentle quality in and English spring, a softness and quiet promise of the fulfilment of life which must be felt by all things living. This promise will soon quicken into strenuous activity for birds, animals farmers growers and everyone who has eyes to see and ears to hear the wonderful sights and sounds and respond to their seductive call. I feel sorry for those who pass by without noticing the first daisy or primrose of the year. Those who do not hear the birds singing because they have stopped their ears with raucous music. The natural sounds and sights of nature are the best medicine for the sick at heart. In these time of austerity, rising costs and gloomy forecasts of worse to come, I bathe my soul in the gifts the are freely given by our beautiful earth as often as possible, feel free to help your self, there is plenty to go around.