Oh, My Days!

 Pootling around the greenhouse this afternoon trying not to fret about poor, poor Prince Harry and his lack of security court case (pah!) I thought, ‘What is it EXACTLY about gardening that makes one so, well, happy?’ I was tucking seeds up in their new composty beds - courgette, cucumber, purple sprouting broccoli, dwarf French beans, basil - patting them down gently and watering them so they settled, and it was just such a lovely thing to be doing. The air was warm and still, the birds were singing, Nell was only grating slightly on my nerves with her excitement that a watering can was in action. It was just so…nice.  The seeds I sowed two or three weeks ago are doing well. I can announce there are now FIVE emerging tomato plants so all is not lost. But it’s the lupins that are racing away with 22 out of the 30 I sowed all emerged. I haven’t stopped to consider if twenty two lupins might be too many. Gardeners can never have too many plants.  Look at this dear little t...

 Announcement! The first swallow of the year appeared above the skies of Damson Cottage on Friday! I spent the whole day gardening and at 10 a.m I heard a familiar trilling, looked up, and there it was - swooping above me, and I am SURE it was saying, ‘Hello! I am returned!’ Of course, I greeted it with equal and great enthusiasm.  ‘Hello, swallow! How wonderful to see you. Congratulations on arriving safely home!’  I wondered if the swallow was one of the parents from last year, or one of the nine babies. Anyway, it’s been hanging around the house, perching on the TV aerial and singing away, waiting patiently for the return of more of its family before the ‘Battle For Laundry Nest Ownership’ begins in earnest. I feel very joyful at its return and am looking forward to hosting many angry baby swallows as the season progresses. The gourmet mushrooms are progressing at great speed, too. Here is the Status of Mushroom this fine and dandy Sunday morning: My brother wanted to ...

 I started my gourmet mushroom growing adventure (!) on Monday and have been carefully following the instructions, which basically means misting the substrate three times a day using my little Victoriana-style spray mister thingummybob. The kit is sited on the kitchen window sill which was the best place I could think of that offered good daylight but not direct sunlight.  Anyway, just as I was getting to the end of Day Four in the Big Mushroom House, and wondering if anything was going to happen, and if I was going to be the first person EVER to murder a gourmet mushroom crop before it had even got started, I spied this: A baby mushroom!! I can’t tell you how excited I was, but then today has been pretty non-eventful. I did move the bed this morning to vacuum underneath and tried not to look at the remains of a very large spider which may or may not have crawled over me whilst I slept. Instead, I gave thanks that Bambino Bobble Wilson was fulfilling his Chief Spider Assassin ...