Spring, Seed Sowing & Soup

What I'm waiting for planted 1,500 

Well isn't this challenging! Spring that is or rather the lack of it, April is not the time to have snow flurries it's the time for swathes of Daffodils, glorious stands of Tulips & burgeoning greenery of dormant perennials. Oh but it's slow! Is it an age thing or have we just been through what seems like the longest winter which seems to persist on hanging around.
I want to see blossom, I want to see flowers and I do so want to feel the warmth on my back while I tackle the borders.
One bonus at the moment is that I can get on the borders I'm not up to the cuffs on my boots in wet claggy mud. Looking up at the clouds (known for my cloud watching) those dense masses are carrying snow occasionally sprinkling a few flurries on to me as I work but I know that there are people who will fair far worse than me as they move along to higher destinations.
I have at least 80 packets of seed to plant if I want to have the garden I have planned in my head, experience tells me to be patient but time is running out the light is better but the temperature is extreme dipping to -5 each night.
But after 35+ years I should know better nature can still throw me a curved ball & I can if I'm not watching miss catching it all together.
So I get my packets of seed out & try to place them in order of preference to plant into plug trays, not an easy task how can I choose I want them all in now, sown, watered & warming up starting the process of growing.
Well if I can't sow I can go cook instead. While out walking the JRT's having picked the new fresh leaves of Wild Garlic Allium ursinum & purple with cold nettle tops, gathered the remains of Russian Kale leaves off the raised beds, a handful of 'out of the store' Pink Fir potatoes I have the ingredients to make a simple soup just need a few store cupboard staples to add a bit of flavour. While I'm at it maybe rustle up a savoury herb & nut tea bread to go with it.
Maybe tomorrow I can set those seeds.

Homemade Store Cupboard Goodies

Herb & Edible Flower Salt, Dried Pot Marigold Petals

& Lovage Pesto made with Almonds

                                                          New Boots versus Old Boots
I'm about to set out through the back door when it came to me......... Boots!!
Why boots well I'm fond of footware it would be be fair to say I Like Shoes but boots well boots are another story altogether. Working boots are what I'm referring to here and their significance to me the
Horti- gal. I've had a few pairs over the years some have taken more breaking in than a 3 year old hoss, horse if your not familiar with the shropshire/welsh borders dialect. Others haven't lasted a season splitting, sagging & composting on my very feet, I do expect to get at least 2 years out of a pair and the mere thought of having to go through the selection process prematurely to find the right fit, rise, weight & tread leaves me positively cold. You hit on a make & style & think you're safe, not so. All change & usually not for the better, recently happened to OH ooohhh dear not happy. What turned up a couple of weeks ago was a very poor imitation of what had been a reliable, hard wearing, stitched (not stuck) pull on boot, I'll give em six months & then well they'll be fit for nothing he's hard on boots. Slightly bow legged, wears the heals away to the oft sides.
Your nodding in agreement aren't you, you know exactly what I mean.
Why I'm telling you this is that I stood looking at 2 pairs of Boots ( there is a 3rd pair but....) I thought this through you see, before number 1 pair breaks down start and wear in gently number 2 pair.
Numero 1 are still damp from yesterday & while 2 are dry, warm etc., their still new so are stiff, ridged & awkward. They don't slip on with ease I have to do the clog dancers stomp while the 'Jacks ' join in dervish whirling around my ankles thinking 'Good Game,Good Game'. What is it with the laces on Boots these days there's enough slack to tie in a few espaliers what an I supposed to do with it? Also they are to elastic & stretchy & keep coming undone if you don't double bow them,why?!! Can't buy new laces since good old Woolworths went to the wall. Oh the nostalgia.
You can't be sloppy in new boots they make you almost tiptoe around, your aware of them, their not familiar. That first hit of mud on the leather/canvas glares at you, takes your mind off the job but actually it's a relief now they're no longer new and can be forgotten, Phew that's a relief.
So what do I go for? Number 1 of course, what's a bit of damp today I want the familiar & the comfort.

                                                                       Show Boots
By the way Number 3's are in retirement they're the old 'Show Boots' with steel toe caps (rule brought in by H&S at RHS flower shows!) occasionally I wear them just for oldtime's sake. Also in Photo very,very old show boots maybe I could reinstate them or are they beyond resurrection.
Quick before I start Nancy Sinatra strutting & whistling 'These Boots are made for Walking' forward to the Potting Shed work to be done.

First post ' Hello'

Salsify - Tragopogon porrifolius

At last I have found time to write my first post or have I just kept putting it on hold.
Maybe it's because today had a really good start with especially in good voice gathering of the community choir I belong to and our rehearsal for only our second public appearance the Mistletoe Fest. We will probably be upstaged by the Druids but heyho we'll give them a good run as we're 35 strong and can almost lift the roof off the local Library function room when at full throttle.
OH, daughter & boyfriend cut the fresh Mistletoe in readiness large lush branches heavily berried pearl white & ripe. So fortunate to live in THE mistletoe area such an abundance not been easy to harvest especially as the ground is totally saturated and no sign of let up.
Sadly the Holly is practically denude of berries this year but the ivy is covered. Maybe use tangerines for the colour in the door wreath this year or maybe make some red berries from dough. Have a lot of flour needing to be used up as 2012 is the year I discovered that gluten was not good for me to eat. Been an interesting challenge honing the cake baking now with the alternatives.
Back to the wreath, nuts maybe good but alas no walnuts from our own tree just not a good year for them, had saved a small box full but the canny mice came one night into the studio & ate the lot!!
They have started on the seeds early too, planted sweet pea seeds in particular, followed but peeling salsify seeds like banana's leaving the husks behind in their wake this is because they to hate the wet weather so they have moved in early, I know block the holes etc., but mice can limbo dance through the smallest space, have so much else to do. All seed now covered with old bits of glass panels should have done it straight away but got distracted!! Been a lot of talk about the sonic squeakers recently, we have used these for years but beware in a packed glasshouse/shed it dumbs down the sound we aren't all fortunate to have vast glasshouse space, mind you large areas mean an awful lot of plug in's.
So I keep looking on the MET for the weather to change soon I hope, we could do with some Winter Wonderland.
I & OH have a garden to build.

Wild Wood Winter Wonderland 

Off to make soup from own produce all the more satisfying. Squash Special.

Late Afternoon Autumn Light on a 

Medley of Summer & Winter Squashes, Patty Pans with flowers, Tiny Turks Caps, Yellow & Green
Courgettes, Thelma's, Kuri & so many more but not the yield I'd hoped for.