Springing into action

It's good to see everyone emerging from their winter hibernation and enjoying this rather unseasonable, but very welcome, warm and sunny weather. We must remember, though, that in past years we have experienced some heavy snowfalls over Easter. In the meantime, we gardeners and plotters have had plenty of opportunity to mow lawns, weed flower beds and prepare our land for the coming season. The daffodils are at their best - the wonderful display of wild daffodils in St James's churchyard are just beginning to go over, but it's a delight to walk past them, on my way to the shops. In our back garden, Camellia 'Donation', now twenty years old (a 50th birthday present to Mike from our friends) is better than ever - a mass of pink flowers. I know what Monty Don meant (last week's 'Gardeners' World') when he admitted that he wasn't keen on Camellias, then added that it was probably their 'pinkness' and there is something very Barbara Cartland, and over the top about this particular variety, but there is no denying it is quite a spectacular show-stopper.

On Saturday, Derbyshire looked pretty spectacular too, once we had emerged from the heavy mist. Over the past few months I've been attending geology lectures at the U3A, and this was the annual field trip - this time, to the Peak District. Although, as ex-Sheffielders, when this wonderful area was on our doorstep, this time we were to view it in a different light, with David, our expert lecturer taking us millions of years back in time. He's also very keen on clouds, but there were none to see all day, apart from the mist, so he couldn't test us. After visiting Tideswell church (I dashed into the bakers for some Derbyshire oatcakes), we drove up towards Mam Tor and Winnats Pass to look at the land slip, then back to Hope for lunch at the Poachers Arm (nice food and friendly service) and back towards Hathersage for a sight of the ridges, lit up by the afternoon sun, and looking stunning. Then we spent some time being guided (v.good guide) around the Stone Centre at Wirksworth, where I took far too many photos of stones, stone sculptures, stone walls, lichens on stones, and fossils in stones. Limestone and gritstone country, lambs in the fields, daffs in the gardens and buds bursting on the trees (and pussy willow, as in the photo). A good day.

The plot is all prepared for action. It will be potato planting next, so I'm hoping for a decent weekend to come, as our grandson is looking forward to being my assistant. I'll prepare the trenches in advance, then give him a measuring stick so he can place the spuds at the correct distance. As I write, there is a lot of activity in the field across the road. Potato planting has begun. I don't think we've seen so much preparation for a long time - ploughing, harrowing, liming, fertilizing (pretty awful smell), more harrowing, trenching, and now planting. Must be quite an expensive operation.

There is plenty of frogspawn in our little pond this year. The other evening, when I was sitting in the conservatory, I saw some bats swooping between the trees - it's usually later in the year that they are about. How good too, to hear the birdsong. Unfortunately, we have magpies nesting in the top of a tall spruce. They are nearly as bad a pest as the grey squirrels. Nesting blackbirds can keep up that shrill warning sound for most of the day, if there are magpies about and, in the past, I've resorted to throwing pebbles into the trees to frighten them off (the magpies, not the blackbirds).

Must get out into the sun!