Things are on the up

Last Wednesday's walk was in the Cherwell Valley, where the trees looked particularly beautiful, bedecked in their fresh, Spring growth. There were bluebells in the woods, and little ducklings on the lakes, and the weather was kind to us, despite a rather cloudy sky from time to time.

The following day Mike and I set off for a couple of days at the Rising Sun, Cleeve Hill, near Cheltenham. Once we'd settled in, I climbed to the top of the hill, where there are some spectacular panoramic views. There were buzzards soaring around the hillside below me, skylarks high above, and a cuckoo calling from the woods near the hotel and from the summit I could see the Black Mountains, the Malverns and the Clee Hills.

The following day we visited the gardens at Sudeley Castle. It was a little too cold to sit outside, which was a pity, as I would have liked to have done some sketching. As Mike isn't able to do too much walking at the moment, we drove around looking at the pretty villages and magnificent country houses. Mike sat in the car while I climbed yet another hill, up to Belas Knap burial chamber.

I've made a couple of visits to the plot since returning home. The past two days have been glorious - warm and sunny, and at last all things in the garden and on the plot are making good progress. The strawberry bed has its defensive system in place, and yesterday Mike and I constructed a cage to protect the reducurrants. I don't think we'll have many blackcurrants this year, due to some well needed drastic pruning last autumn, but the new growth is vigorous and healthy, so maybe next year. It was good to return home with our first bag of salad leaves, and I was even able to give some to Jane, when she came down to water her plot yesterday.

Back at base, I've now risked moving a few plants out of the greenhouse, with an eye on the weather, just in case frost is forecast. The garden is becoming quite lush and green, with the first of the perennials beginning to flower, particularly my favourites, the cranesbill geraniums. And is it just me, or is the birdsong better than ever this year?