Happy Easter

 The sky turned blue and the sun came out for Easter.





The crocuses, polyanthus and snowdrops emerged from under the snow - and there was even one daffodil in flower.....

On the shady side of the garden though, things are looking rather different - still snowy and not a flower in sight.

Crocus under the snow

Fifth day of this unseasonable snow and it's now starting to melt a little. Even the flowers are starting to show through again.

March snow!

 Well, March continues with strange weather. More snow started falling Thursday evening, through Friday and Saturday and the daffodils will soon be covered!

Friday pic above, Saturday below

Spring Equinox - 2013

 Today is supposed to be the first day  of Spring but it doesn't really feel like it. Snow fell again today and night-time temperatures could drop to minus 3!








I still have a garden full of snowdrops with just one brave daffodil trying to flower and a few crocuses.

 there are barely any flowers on the forsythia.....







..and, although it is trying to grow, last week the rhubarb got frosted!

 I still have windowsills and the porch work surface covered in seedlings - lettuce on the left and spinach on the right.

 winter salad leaves in the kitchen



and some baby rhubarb

 On a brighter note - I have a window full of cyclamen

and a flower bud on an over-wintering chilli plant.

Crossing fingers and hoping for Spring...

I have lots of small seedlings - tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers - up and growing on windowsills around the house and a porch full of harder stuff - cabbages, onions, sweet peas.  All of these were set back in February when I expected Spring to take its normal course and I'd be able to move the more hardy out to the greenhouse by now but frosts have returned, anything that can be moved back in the house has been and we're desperate fro some milder weather.
Still, I'm crossing my fingers that now we're at the equinox, the weather must turn and so I spent yesterday afternoon sowing courgettes and more peppers. With the heating still on full blast, they'll get off to a nice warm start in their propagator in the airing cupboard and hopefully by the time the shoots appear I'll have windowsill space for them.

Picked this week 17th March 2013

Despite the snow and freezing nights, we managed to get to the allotment to visit our new patch and even harvest something from the old one.

 a couple of leeks, though we're nearing the end of the row.....

..and some leaves from the running-to-seed brussels sprouts. There haven't been any sprouts at all this year. The early plants got washed away in August's rain and the later ones didn't grow quickly enough and are now running straight to seed.

So cold......

                                   ...even the daffodils and snowdrops are frozen!