Sunshine

I know that I said my next post would include all sorts of detail about the varieties of tree I have planted and all that useful, informative stuff, but oh my word what wonderful, glorious weather we are having and I am just too excited about all the growing...

And I've just been talking to a friend who is being given a horrid time at the moment, by some neighbours, when all she wants to do is to live a good, simple life with her daughters and a few chickens. Something about life today is making many of us so sick. We are like overcrowded chickens pecking at each other and building fortresses where we should be building bridges. People are reacting against it and there is this huge fashion built around a desire to get back to some other time and set of values.  I don't know when that time was or that it was better, but the need is definately there for something better. It makes me appreciate the opportunity I have here...

My trees are all budding nicely, I still get all tingly when I look out of the window and see my little orchard, like ballerinas limbering up in the rosy morning sunlight.

Half of the strawberries - 'Cambridge Favourite' are growing strongly and purposefully and promise many stained red tongues; and half - 'Sophie' look rather anxious and sickly. I'm not sure they have adjusted to life on a Peak District hillside too well - perhaps they didn't bring their wellies. Not sure if it is the plant stock or something I am doing wrong but I am going to heap on some lovely horse muck today to see if that helps!

Ten lovely lavenders have arrived and my four year old has promised to plant them for me this weekend!

And best of all I have ordered three new chickens - one Fenton Rose and two Fenton Blue. They are so pretty and unusual and they should give us blue eggs. I got them from a lovely lady called Janette at http://www.thechickengarden.com/ and she is holding on to them for me until we think they are big enough to join my other girls.

It's amazing how a few seed ideas in my head a few months ago are now real and growing in the ground...
xx