Catching Up with myself

Piecing is coming along slowly. The pattern is 'Shimmer Stars' by Joy Hoffman, and the kit came from Seams So Sweet in Viburnum. I like the colour choices very much (photo taken with flash so not as bright as it looks here), and enjoy playing with the combinations as the top grows.

We had more snow shortly after my last post, and we took the dogs up into the hills to play.



We had another trip out west, just after the equinox....with fish and chips from the gourmet Seefresh in Ullapool ...and ending with a sunset at Achiltibuie.

On Easter Sunday the dogs took us for a walk in the woods...

...lichen fascinates...

and we ended up at this local landmark.

We applied for a firewood permit from the Forestry Comission, so we're off-roading some places we wouldn't normally go.

Thank you to Chris for her Thinking Blog nomination. There are so many inspirational and thought-provoking pages, especially amongst the crafting community that it seems impossible to pick just a few. I also would feel a bit uncomfortable assessing which bloggers think more than others! I would like to mention a couple of blogs that I especially look forward to reading, and find regularly provide food for thought... Jen Clair, who leads me to peculiar arty pages that I would never otherwise visit, and Judith who is showing how she is creating a quilt that I think is magical.

Cathi, another favourite blogger, asked what kind of gardening I like. It's difficult to answer briefly...I like simple pleasures; just being in the garden. Feeling sun and air on my skin and hearing birdsong. Being in tune with a greater rhythm.

Our garden was neglected by the previous occupants (they proudly showed us the vine in the greenhouse. A vine can get pretty brown and cumbly if you don't water it for two years!). It is not, nor ever will be 'perfect' in that I generally like plants to grow in a natural manner, but it is becoming a place of beauty, at least to me.

One of the things I love most is to watch seedlings emerge and to nurture them into grown plants, whether flower or vegetable. It is reffirming and joyous also to see the herbaceous plants erupt from slumber, less so when shrubs and trees come into leaf and flower...but then again some of my favourite signs of spring are hawthorn, birch and larch coming into leaf. I also like to prune, and although pretty fearless with my loppers, have a great deal to learn, especially with neglected plants. It satisfies deeply to see the effect of my labours in patterns of living shape, colour and texture.

Rhubarb, one of the easiest plants of the kitchen garden, and one which the previous occupants of our house did not manage to get rid of, has been supplying us for a couple of weeks now. Is it really a 'superfood'? You can find a wealth of recipes at the Rhubarb Compendium, but we just eat it stewed with yoghurt or in a crumble.

We also have been eating purple sprouting broccoli, a favourite in our house. Next year's seedlings are starting to harden off, apart from the broccoli as we had germination failure and needed to get more seed.

I've had plenty of 'help' in the garden, too. Here the hens are helping me plant Cox and Charles Ross apple trees in the orchard.

and here they are helping me reclaim flower beds from lawn . Maybe they're just eating the worms, though!

To my surprise, in our second spring living here, I found in an unexpected corner some Snake's Head fritillaries, which I have longed to have in my garden for a long time

Bella has been keeping me company on beach excursions,

where we have been collecting uglier pieces of diftwood

to help feed our new Squirrel log burner on chillier evenings.