Teasing weather

Oh dear - I've spent too much time standing at bus stops lately, where the topic of conversation is, on the whole, 'the weather'.   As I write, it's wet and miserable, and everything in the garden is thrashing about in the cold wind.  Those plants I'd brought out of the greenhouse to harden off, are now back inside, in the warm,  filling up my staging.  The plan was, to do some potting up on the little table outside my back door, even if it was dull and slightly damp but it's far too stormy, and there's no space to work in the greenhouse.  I thought about doing it in the kitchen, but then, where do I put the newly potted-up plants when I've finished?  Better weather is forecast for the weekend, so maybe I can put some of them  outside again.  I've also just received 10 bare-rooted phlox plants from Hayloft Plants, and hope to be able to pot them up asap.

A week or so ago my sister and husband came to stay for a couple of days.  We visited the RSPB reserve at Middleton Hall.  It was quite dull and a bit drizzly but the bluebells in the woodland, in particular, brightened up the day.  We chatted to one of the bird watchers and he told us about the friendly robin he had been feeding (on cashew nuts!) for some years.  Although the hall was closed, there were plenty of volunteers around, and I asked one for permission to take K & A to look at the walled garden.  If I lived nearby (and didn't have too many other interests) I would love to be a volunteer gardener there.

 

It was the walking club coach trip to the Ludlow area on Wednesday, and how fortunate we were with the weather.  The long and medium walkers were dropped off first, and at the last minute I decided to join the medium walkers, as I have not been out with the club for about two months and thought I'd take it a bit easier.  This meant that I got to meet some new people, which was good.  The pace was slow enought to take in the stunning scenery, the wild flowers, the birds etc.  The fields were full of buttercups and daisies and some quite magnificent, large dandelions.  There were bluebells and wood anemones in the woodland, and alongside the little streams.  We ate our picnic lunch, sitting amongst the flowers, on top of a hill, with a panoramic view all around us, and Ludlow down below in the valley.  Most of the walk was downhill, which was good, and all the walkers met up in a pub at the end, where we all said how much we had enjoyed our day.

 

So, hopefully, if the weather forecasters have got it right, we should have a decent weekend, so I'm looking forward to getting outside in the sun (and maybe the 'warm') to continue with my potting-up in the garden, and working on my plot.  Monday doesn't sound quite so promising, but I'm hoping it won't be too bad, as I'll be off to Lichfield for The Bower, and hoping to meet up with Mike's friends from Green Man, and some of the other guest morris dancers, and their families.

 

Never mind the weather - the postman has just delivered even more gemstones, so I can always stay indoors in the warm, and be creative.