Hello Spring time, you are well and truly here aren’t you? I do love the smell of Spring, it’s the start of grass cutting season, but there is another scent, one I can’t quite put my finger on that signals excitement. The Husband and I did a well and truly Spring into Summer exercise the other evening when we had a BBQ in some uncharacteristically mild weather. We spoilt ourselves rotten as we had the fire pit roaring and shooting bright flames and heavenly scents into the clear night sky where we watched little satellites orbit and twinkley stars sparkle. However, that was in March, which is over…caput and not coming back for another twelve months, so get you’re glad rags on, socks pulled up or whatever other saying you want because we need to make this April happen, and one way I want to do that is by planting!!
I will be perpetually out in the garden (I forced myself out in March even though it got cold and misty because I regretted my Autumnal planting regime as soon as I saw a sad display of daffs which I know I could have worked harder on). Some teeny tiny seedlings have already poked their two prong faces up into the sunlight, attempting to gather as much of it as they can-a bit like us here in the North East really! But there is more…there’s always more!
One thing I will be doing in getting the last of the ‘hardy annuals’ in the ground before the middle of April as that means I can then let nature take over and I can go off and prettify everything in sight. We moved here in July and I hardly got to do a thing to the garden last year, so this year I will be outside all of the time. There’s been quite a bit of sweet pea seedlings planted about the roses so they don’t need a net or wigwam, and I’ve fallen in love with corn flowers as I really love the country garden look. I want my garden to make no sense at all, I want lots of height from things like fox gloves, but I want a real mix. I know its not as easy and as haphazard as it looks, I’ve probably got too many tall things at the front and too many teeny things at the back, but some of the plants will die off (hopefully after self seeding a bit) and I can start again next year.
Living near the sea here means that we can eat an awful lot of fresh fish, so I know that trout’s in season-and can probably be bought cheaply. Not attractive or over exciting, but it CAN be if you don’t shirk away from eating healthily and (admittedly for us) very cheaply. Try this idea out from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
April can be glamorous too you know?!! Its not all garden work and wet fish! Its also a time to get on top of that winter wardrobe and collection of coats at the front door you probably haven’t used in a while. Take control and advantage of offers in dry cleaning establishments by sending what needs to off to dry cleaners (admittedly in general quite bad for the environment-but you have to measure it up for yourselves). I like to bag items up in those bags you buy off the TV, and put off into the spare room so that the Spring things can come out and have space in the wardrobe-which means I don’t have to iron things I’ve already done! This keeps an eye on the purse too as I don’t have to think I should go around buying things for ‘events’-seeing as I don’t go to Ascot family BBQ’s will do-and that money can go towards much more enjoyable things like shopping the way I want to….for books and china in charity shops!!
One last things that the Spring sunlight shows up is all of the harsh winds I faced a few months previous. I used to be awful with the amount of products, creams, solutions and lotions I bought when I was a bit more carefree and younger. But now seeing as I have to pay bills I cant just buy whatever the nice perfume lady sprays at me, and I cant fall for whatever lotion is rubbed soothingly on the back of my hand. So I got to a point a couple of years ago where I used up everything I had and started anew-which I'm sure would actually have been quite a good thing from the point of view that I don’t have the same skin type as I did when I coveted these potions. So now, seeing as its Spring, and seeing as I haven’t bought any magic creams in a while, I treat myself to a new more Spring like regime! I want to share a couple of things I’ve read about as I was loaned a wonderful home made remedies style book which has beauty tips in it too.
So, that, for me, is the start of Spring. Welcome to April, have fun, do your own thing and make it exactly what YOU want it to be!
One thing I will be doing in getting the last of the ‘hardy annuals’ in the ground before the middle of April as that means I can then let nature take over and I can go off and prettify everything in sight. We moved here in July and I hardly got to do a thing to the garden last year, so this year I will be outside all of the time. There’s been quite a bit of sweet pea seedlings planted about the roses so they don’t need a net or wigwam, and I’ve fallen in love with corn flowers as I really love the country garden look. I want my garden to make no sense at all, I want lots of height from things like fox gloves, but I want a real mix. I know its not as easy and as haphazard as it looks, I’ve probably got too many tall things at the front and too many teeny things at the back, but some of the plants will die off (hopefully after self seeding a bit) and I can start again next year.
Living near the sea here means that we can eat an awful lot of fresh fish, so I know that trout’s in season-and can probably be bought cheaply. Not attractive or over exciting, but it CAN be if you don’t shirk away from eating healthily and (admittedly for us) very cheaply. Try this idea out from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
April can be glamorous too you know?!! Its not all garden work and wet fish! Its also a time to get on top of that winter wardrobe and collection of coats at the front door you probably haven’t used in a while. Take control and advantage of offers in dry cleaning establishments by sending what needs to off to dry cleaners (admittedly in general quite bad for the environment-but you have to measure it up for yourselves). I like to bag items up in those bags you buy off the TV, and put off into the spare room so that the Spring things can come out and have space in the wardrobe-which means I don’t have to iron things I’ve already done! This keeps an eye on the purse too as I don’t have to think I should go around buying things for ‘events’-seeing as I don’t go to Ascot family BBQ’s will do-and that money can go towards much more enjoyable things like shopping the way I want to….for books and china in charity shops!!
So, that, for me, is the start of Spring. Welcome to April, have fun, do your own thing and make it exactly what YOU want it to be!
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