Although it has been very cold and windy here in the South Lakes, it has been sunny. I drove down to Kent just after Easter and was surprised to find that it was very very cold and it was still snowing! Despite the prolonged cold weather (it has also rained a lot there) some trees were in blossom, and I spotted some pussy willow and catkins. A trip to London showed that Spring appeared to have arrived in St James' Park (below). However, the orchards around my in-laws house were still showing no signs of life.
Anyway, I'm back home now and raring to go at the allotment. I drove home yesterday, hoping that I might be able to plant my potatoes at last. Unfortunately the weather still isn't cooperating with me - it decided to rain (the first rain we have had since the 18th March).
I did manage a quick trip up to the allotment (in the rain) to see what, if anything, was going on. The rhubarb had managed to grow a little in the last 2 weeks, but not a lot. This time last year I was in the midst of making rhubarb crumble, rhubarb chutney, and rhubarb vodka. This year I haven't even been able to harvest a single stick of rhubarb yet :(
The leaves on our gooseberry bushes have finally begun to emerge from their buds. The raspberries, currants, and blueberries are also making a valiant effort to ignore the cold. The primrose has finally come to life and is covered in flowers, however I couldn't help but notice that something has been eating it!
The children are back at school tomorrow and I only have a little bit of work to do so, if the weather is nice to me I will hopefully make it up to the allotment and get some seeds sown (I have a lot of catching up to do). I am also hoping to plant my first early potatoes on Tuesday evening. Fingers crossed!
