Sunny days.

The weather has been brilliant the last week, very warm and sunny, it feels like summer rather than spring. We saw the first swallows yesterday but so far no sound of the cuckoo. Everything is growing so fast in the garden you can almost see the plants emerging. Easter was spent mainly in the garden, the main crop potatoes are now planted, the first earlies are well up and have had their first earthing up,

First asparagus shoots.

even the asparagus has pushed it's first shoots up. Sunday we went to a plant swap, exchanging two types of seed potatoes, spare strawberry plants and  sweet pea plants for  more snowdrops, 'now in the green', Verbascum (mullein) and a twisted willow tree. It was a well attended event, with lots of like minded people there.

Over the weekend I found time to make our hot cross buns

and scotch eggs,

they made a very nice evening meal served with purple sprouting broccoli and asparagus, not ours I'm afraid, that will be a couple more weeks before it's ready.
Most of this seasons seeds are now planted, either in the garden or in modules for the more tender things, ready to plant out when there is no longer danger of frost.

Daffodils.

The flower gardens are looking very colourful now with most of the spring bulbs blooming, it wont be long before the first  summer flowers appear, they all seen to have survived the winter. A few more photos of the spring flowers.

A very pretty bulb but I can't remember it's name.

A special dwarf tulip. it's highly perfumed.

Toad lily, it's beautiful and has a wonderful scent.

Tete a Tete.

 

Fritillary's in bloom.

More daffodils.

Hellebores and blue anemones.

Yet more perfume.

A blue version of the bulb I can't remember the name of.

Just coming into bloom.

Our eldest and youngest, Freddy the kitten on top, Tommy being sat upon, he's twelve.

Part of the rockery.