SPRING IN THE GARDEN

A day in the garden has left me feeling very tired but intensely happy.
Here are a few of the lovely spring flowers in the orchard and a view of the garth,currently under construction.

There is still much to do and the long cold winter has left us gardeners behind with many of the spring tasks.

Sowing is now under way, very late for many vegetables and I am hoping for a long warm autumn season
to help such things as pumpkins and squashes to grow to a decent size. I have decided not to grow tomatoes this year. Somehow looking at the beautiful apple blossom,newly opened lilac and the bluebells I feel that it does not matter if I fail.Nature seems to be managing without my help.

THE BIG 60

                                               OFFICIAL SIXTIETH BIRTHDAY PHOTO

Today I am officially old,am I bothered? Not in the least! My hair is no longer gold,it is silver instead,not a bad exchange to be sure. I have earned every line and wrinkle, every stretch mark and every other age related blemish,I am sixty and proud of it.

There was a time,not so very long ago when it was by no means certain that I could get this far,well here I am and I intend to enjoy every moment of it. Not for me the surgeons knife,not for me the fillers and the botox. Not for me the endless touching up of roots and apart from a little moisture cream I shall eschew all the anti ageing products which promise eternal youth.

This is me and if my appearance offends the folks must just look the other way.

Our society seems to be afraid of old people, it almost seems as if they think that age is contagious, something to be avoided at all hazard. The elderly are despised as useless, unattractive, old fashioned and out of touch. Not true!

                                                          AVIE AGED THIRTY

I was a sixties girl and that makes all the difference. My generation of women knew that looks were not everything, being attractive did not equate so entirely with the way one looked. I feel a great sadness for the young women of today who set such great store by their appearance that they resort at increasingly young age to breast implants and other cosmetic procedures.

God help them as the grow older.

Self possession has been replaced by self obsession and this makes slaves of those who believe that looks matter above all else.

We all grow old, but the emphasis should be on the word grow, for as we age we learn so much of life and the potential is there to do so much good with that knowledge. If we lock ourselves away for hours with our mirrors we risk ending up like the wicked stepmother in “Sleeping Beauty”.

Where is the shame in ageing exactly? Surely it is only natural that we each have out season of youth in which to dance and indulge in frivolity, just as surely then it is right to hang up our guns and allow the next generation the same privilege. The problem with today's young women is that they begin to worry about their looks before they are old enough to have even a single grey hair!

I don't mean to sound preachy but for Gods sake enjoy what you have while you have it and when the time comes that your turn ends bow gracefully from the starring roll and take with equal grace the part of wisdom in the great production called life.

My mother is almost ninety and yet she is still beautiful with a froth of white hair framing her sweet face, youth does not hold a monopoly on beauty , take a look at the face of your own mother , could it be any more dear to you? I doubt it very much.

I have had a lovely day filled with happiness and love, this is reward enough,and I know that tomorrow, if The Gods are willing that love and happiness will still be there. I would not trade this for my vanished youthful looks. I have loved my life and I love it still, I mean to go on loving it as long as I am spared to do so.

My Granny told me once that a smiling face at any age is a lovely face, I think she was a wise woman.

WORK IN PROGRESS

A week of settled weather has wrought many changes, the leaf buds pet by the cold weather have thrown off their casings and opened faster than I have ever seen it done, and flowers of all kinds are opening so fast that you can almost see it happening.

In the orchard birds are busy now feeding their fledglings and revelling in the warmth of the long lost sun, and the many small insects also in haste to make up for lost time. Today I discovered that a pair of Robins have built their nest in an old teapot,lodged among the ivy on the old wall and judging by the racket when the Parent birds arrive with food there are a goodly number of healthy chicks in the neat little nest.

I have been spending as much time as possible in the gardens,it was at first difficult not to be daunted by the sheer volume of work and my own increasing infirmity. Gardening for me is a pleasure,not a chore and so unable to bear the though of my gardens going to ruin I have,with some help from my son made a good beginning .

The walled yard has had to be completely re modelled after the problems with the drains and the rats and although we are still awaiting the new shed doors I have spent quite a lot of time positioning containers, sowing seed and planting out new additions.

The grass pathways in the front garden have been mowed and edged and the beds weeded and the difference this has made is amazing. With its newly strimmed paths the orchard is glorious this year,filled with fragrant fruit blossom and the scent of bluebell which carpet the orchard floor at this time of the year. Our honey bees are busy among the apple blossom and the bumble bees are getting high on the pollen from our many Rosemary bushes.

I mean to tend the orchard until the day the bulldozers arrive,quite what I shall do when that day dawns I cannot say. For now all is calm and for that I am thankful.

WHAT'S COOKING AT AVIES?

We shared our breakfast this morning with an old friend,the visit was unexpected but very welcome as it cheered Pa up to have a chat with an old colleague. The guest we had been expecting had to remain in Glasgow for another week...hey ho!

Tomorrow we shall be entertaining again at breakfast time and I have decided to make a selection of items, toasted cheese bread (made today) toasted crumpets and muffins with honey along with half a dozen Chelsea buns, also a part of today,s baking.

The various items ensure that there is something for everyone and that no matter how early or late out guests may be there will be no difficulty in providing a hot tasty meal.

Working in the garden means that I have less time for food preparation however I still like to serve freshly prepared,freshly cooked food which means quite a lot of forward planning,tomorrow I shall serve meat balls and pasta with two sauces, a cream one for Pa and a tomato one for my son.

The garden is full of fresh young herbs just now and these will add a special touch to a simple weekday meal.

1lb fresh pork mince

1 small onion pulped of chopped very fine

A combination of fresh marjoram,thyme and rosemary

or if you prefer

fresh chive and parsley

1 fresh egg beaten

1 teaspoon of English mustard

4 oz freshly milled breadcrumbs

salt and pepper to taste

half a teaspoon of ground cumin

3 oz plain flour

Mix all the ingredients except the flour in a large bowl. Line a baking sheet with cling film.

Form the mixture in to balls,roll each on in flour and transfer to the lined tray. When the mix is all used place the tray in the refrigerator for an hour at least.

Fry the meat balls in hot oil until brown and then set aside.

For the cream sauce

I large tub crème fraich

2 egg yolks

pan juices from frying.

Pour a tub of crème fraich in to a saucepan with two egg yolks and the pan juices from the meatballs,stir until the mixture begins to thicken.

For the tomato sauce

I tin chopped tomatoes

half a tube of tomato purree

salt and pepper

a good spalsh of olive oil.

Pour contents in to a sauce pan and cook until rich and thick

The meatballs and sauces will be served with taggliattelli, Pa will be pleased with a cream sauce,my son will be delighted by a tomato sauce and I will be ecstatic because it all took next to no time to do.

NEWS FROM HOME

The morning post brought my birthday card from Mum,emblazoned on the front of the card was a huge 60....yes folks I am now officially old! I called to let her know that her card had arrived and was rewarded with the news that her cancer scare seems to be over,Oh God I do hope so.

We talked for ages and afterwards I cried like a child for some time,then I went in to the garden rejoicing to finish the work on the walled garden.

Of course I did not finish as I kept flying off at a tangent on other jobs in other parts of the garden (there is so much to do) but by the time I had finished for the day it was looking splendid and some of the tubs were ready for sowing.

I find that I do not mind at all being sixty years old ,apart from the arthritis I do not feel my age and besides I feel that have earned my grey hair and wrinkles, they are badges of honour won on the battlefield of life and I bear them with pride.

The whole day has been coloured by the news from home and I cannot express the relief that I feel ,the past weeks have dragged on and on with tests then results then more tests. I wish with all my heart that I could visit home but it's no use wishing for the impossible so I am thankful for mercies received.

The evening sun is slanting across the orchard as I write casting long shadows while at the same time illuminating a dancing column of gnats as they spiral upwards in their courtship dance

My son is talking on the telephone to a friend who is visiting us tomorrow hopefully for breakfast,after which they are heading into town.

Everywhere the vivid green of new leaves can be seen and in the field opposite a belt of cowslips is in full flower........I think that spring must have arrived at last.

A DAY IN THE GARDEN AT LAST

I went to bed knowing that if the weather was fine my son and I would be spending the day in the garden and my mind was so full of plans that I hardly slept a wink.

With my strong son to help with the heavy work such as moving large containers,bags of compost and bark chip I knew that by the end of the day things would be well on the way.

We began after breakfast ,assembling all the containers needed in the walled garden and removing any unnecessary items. I had built a small fire and we burned all the dead ivy before planting the new. This small walled garden was until recently a lovely spot,but damaged drains followed by a plague of rats ruined everything.

Finally we managed to persuade the Estate to ,not only mend the drains but to remove all the sewerage fouled gravel. Soon all the repairs will be finished including new and we hope rat proof doors for the outbuildings , so while the weather is fine I shall be sowing and planting this area,this will be Pa's own little garden.

I scrubbed out the pond and relocated it so that it can be seen from Pa's place at table and moved all his pet Semper Vivens plants to easily accessible places so that he can tend them himself. Surrounding the pond are containers filled with pretty shrubs and plants giving both cover for the birds and providing an attractive backdrop for the little pool.

There will be climbing roses and lots of fragrant herbs as well as some salad plants close to the back door for easy picking in wet weather,and of course a seat for Pa.

It is still very much work in progress but at least a start has been made and just to be out working in the garden again makes me very happy.

Tomorrow I hope to sow some flower and vegetable seeds if the weather remains fine but what ever tomorrow brings I am very thankful for this lovely day in the garden.

GUESTS AT THE CAFE AVIE

Our day began with a full English breakfast shared with a guest. Our Maintenance Manager is as you know a nasty bit of work and it has become a sort of tradition that when ever he goes on holiday we entertain his staff for a slap up breakfast to start the good times rolling.

A good time and a large breakfast was had by all after which I sent Pa back to bed as he had not slept well,tucked up under a soft fleece he soon fell asleep and a couple of hours later he woke feeling much better and went outside to feed the birds.

We are at last getting a new extractor hood for the cooker installed and I shall be very grateful when it is done,the old one has no lights as the bulbs shatter as soon as they are installed ,and the fan sounds rather like an ailing hair-dryer,coughing and spluttering and the occasional deep grinding noise it makes can be very disconcerting.

The fitting of the new extractor occasioned a visit from another member of the staff which just happened to coincide with afternoon tea time ,and so of course he was invited to stay.

There were sausage rolls,quiche and several sorts of cakes left over from yesterdays party and we all enjoyed finishing them off.

We have done rather a lot of entertaining recently and I am pleased to say that I have coped well with the extra work,today I strimmed the orchard pathways and tidied up my shed ,much to the boys amazement. After the exertions of the weekend they expected me to be exhausted today, the fact that I was not has made me very happy indeed as it must mean that I am getting stronger

I do hope so.

Tomorrow I hope to sow my new seeds and my son is to help me with moving the containers, A kind friend picked up six bags of compost for me today and I now have all I need to begin the new seasons growing,hoping for good weather,fingers crossed.

Our pair of Collared Doves are nesting nearby and are at the bird feeders daily,they are such dear,pretty little birds and we are lucky to have them in the garden.

Now I'm off for a hot shower before bed,I intend to watch a Will Hay film ,a nice change from the gloom and doom of the news,for a change.