Bank Holiday Fun

Unusually, the sun was shining this Bank Holiday, which was handy as we headed up to the in-laws for a family barbeque. Lots of pictures of Martyn's nephews and niece - I love the way that children don't have any self-consciousness in front of the camera, so I could just snap snap snap away!

This is Martyn's nephew and godson, Luke, giving his best smile.

And this is his niece, Evie, who is just such a gorgeous, photogenic little girl. She is a really feisty, indpendent lady, which I think you can see in this picture!

I processed these pictures with a sepia conversion and Coffeeshop's rounded corners action.

Spring in the garden

Things are finally starting to make some progress in the garden... the flowers are blooming and the first buds of fruit are appearing.

The strawberries are in pots on the patio. Unfortunately, this means that as soon as the dog works out they are edible, they won't be seen for dust, so I'm biding my time before moving them up somewhere high and inaccessible!

The raspberry canes I planted when we first moved in did nothing last summer, so I was really excited when I saw the first buds of fruit starting to appear. I think I'll be putting some netting up to stop the birds pinching the lovely juicy berries.

The other berries that are getting going are the blackberries. Lots of pretty blossom, which should bode well for some plump, juicy fruit.

The rhubarb was another thing that I planted when we first moved. It was in the side border and for the first two years, was rather pathetic. After being told that rhubarb was one thing that would 'go mad', I was a little disappointed. So, earlier on in the year, I moved it to the veg patch where the soil was a little better and it has really thrived. I can't wait to start picking and making some crumble.

Finally, my spuds! I grew some first earlies last year, which were so good. I had a great crop and they were so fresh and tasty that potatoes were a must grow for this year. So far, they're not doing too badly. The thing I loved last year, was popping up the garden and digging up a few for that evening's dinner. There's nothing better than potatoes fresh from the ground.