The wonders of Spring lead to shoddy blogging

Spring is a phenomenon that never ceases to amaze me. Year in year out I am taken by surprise by the sheer joy this time of year brings. I confess that this blog has been far from my mind in the past 10 days or so. The glorious weather in Bristol has meant every possible second has been spent outside. Winter layers have been unpeeled and the sun feels so amazing on bare arms, I wonder how I managed to get through the winter sane.

The chickens have been enjoyed as interesting creatures in their own right, rather than the egg laying machines they became on the most chilly winter days. The eggs keep coming - still 3 or 4 a day - but we are now also cherishing them for their funny little ways. The kids have a small trampoline at the foot of their run where we lay on our tummies for seemingly endless periods watching them roll around and dust bathe. They make wonderful noises as they do so, and we are convinced they are happy to have us in their company.

But it has not all been about anthropomorphising the birds, there has been much work done since my last post 2 weeks ago. We have been planting seeds at an alarming rate - peas, yellow courgettes, two interesting types of squash, yellow cherry tomatoes and fennel are sprouting in seed trays under my desk. Eve checks them on a daily basis, and we are both overjoyed by how fast they seem to grow and develop. Outside we have planted salad leaves, beetroot and cavolo nero in a sheltered corner of the raised bed in the hope that they won't suffer too badly from being a touch premature. Seeds have been brought for planting in the coming weeks - purple beans, lambs lettuce, basil to name but a few.

Of course I am still using the eggs, and recipes are still being written in my little notebook ready for future use. But today I wanted to celebrate my garden, and the chickens, and convey some of my joy and hope for the year to come. So I hope you enjoy this little celebration of the things I am treasuring most in my life at the moment.