Deblyn

Felt really bad when I read this; my computer has been very hit and miss for about 6 weeks now, due to Mr L re-decorating the sitting room. Put absolutely everything on hold., including e-mail, etc. Glad the parcel got there in the end. Will be in touch, secretpal!

.....................just checking in after about 4 weeks of decorating: hope all is well with all of you. I may even have my own computer back,who knows?

Well, I've never pruned my lilacs, and get a great show ee=[] Well, I've never pruned my lilacs in 7 years, and they are just brilliant every year. So there you go.

My asparagus is now in its third year, but not ready yet to pick as a crop. The stem picked from the plant is wonderful, just raw. Try it. Next year...mmmmmm............. I grew mine from seeds, so the personal satisfaction quotient is high!!!!!

All tips are good; they make you think, make you question, ask you why. Even if you don't use them , they make you think.

I grow shallots every year; I grow them meainly for pickling (big pickled onions). I save the bigggest and healthiest for re-planting next year. They are easy to grow, as you just plant one set in the ground and it multiplies by itself. They are good if you like not too strong a taste of onion in your cooking.

In England, where it is still the custom to plant your potatoes on Good Friday, it was done then as it was one of the few days in the year that ordinary people had off for work, so it was done then. So now you know............

Sorry!

We pulled out first rhubarb of the season last night; poached it lightly in a little water, cane sugar and demarara sugar, served with double (heavy) cream. Heaven in a pudding plate, when you know you've grown it yourself!

I have several lemon balms in the garden; the plain green one and a very pretty variegated one. I use the leaves fresh for tea - just put some in a cup or pot, pour over boiling water, leave 5 - 10 minutes, then drink.. Very good for calming and destressing, I'm told. It also makes a fabulous and very cheap wine. You should be able to grow it in pots with no problems; it will die back to nothing in the winter (being a herbaceous perennial), but cut back the dead stems in the spring when you see the new growth, and it will be fine. Will seed easily in the garden if happy. For tea, pick the leaves mid-morning, in full sun, when the dew has dried. It likes full sun to grow in, which intensifies both the flavour and the properties, but will tolerate semi-shade. One of my favourites, and a very good bee atractant too. Can't lose,

theyd, celery needs a good rich soil, so pile on the manure for it!! I am growing some this year; haven';t done so for a while as I'm the only one who eats it! I have found a self-blanching type, and sowed seeds in the greenhouse at the weekend.

By the way, Dee, do you know the origin of putting potatoes in on Good Friday?

I sowed my first early peas outside last week, and have some more to go in this week. I have started some off in the greenhouse too ( these are "heritage" varietes, I only have ten seeds of each, so they need cossetting!). Soem have blue flowers, which should be interesting, also some Victorian climbing peas. My overwintering onions are going great guns - shoots about 6" tall now, and now they need weeding once a week with the mild weather. Having said that, it has been very cold (relatively speaking!) the last few days! looks like a good crop. I found some onion sets of white onions today in a shop; I've never seen white onion sets for sale before, so I bought some to give it a go.

Has anyone else read this? I'd be very interested in your opinions if you have, please.

I remember seeing a trailer ecently on television for the film, and thinking I would like to see it. To be honest, can't remember much about it now. I'm not keen on violence in books or films, though, so may not bother.

Hello everyone , me again - bet you thought I'd gone away.............. - need more shelves........... Home for birthday cake and whisky! All best wishes to everyone here, take care.

I got mine yesterday; Snowmom did a good job!!

I've just changed mine to The Blues; it's a very pretty shade of lavender blue that I have in various places around the house. Talk about colour-co-ordinated!!

Hi theyd, thanks for asking. Popped in here while I'm waiting for some e-mails to come through. Spring is in the air here; bulbs are up, daffodils are starting to flower, lots of crocuses out, the wild wallflowers, grape hyacinths, snowdrops; tulips showing too. The garden looks better than last year for spring bulbs, but there's room for more! Broad beans which I planted out before Christmas are doing really well, and teh garlic is well up. Sweet peas are ready to transfer from the greenhouse to the coldframe now. peppers have been pricked out, also aubergines (eggplants), tomatillos and chillis. More tomatoes and tomatillos sown too. I have sorted all my seeds (first time ever, I think!!) and am quite organised this year. I was out yesterday - we have ahd a week or so of dry mild weather. I got about a quarter of teh herb garden cut back and tidied, and half of the old hop bines pulled down; I see the hops are budding already, and some of the fruit trees. Masses of tidying and weeding to do still, but it's not a chore to me! I planted the fruit trees - greengage, John Downie crab apple, quince and medlar, also some yellow raspberries and red ones. I have a cherry tree to find a space for today or tomorrow. Weather is damp and chilly today, but I will go out this afternoon anyway and do a wee bit. I am very pleased with the hellebores this year - I have on very very pretty dark plummy/black colour, plain without marking, which is stunning. Hopefully it will increase well - this is its first year in flowering, as it only went in last year. Prostrate Rosemary is in full flower, and the upright on not far behind; I'm looking forward to the pink one flowering this year too. I can't wait to get all the beans, etc into pots and set them off. Hope all is well in everyone else's garden too. See you later.

Thankyou so much, I got mine yesterday morning - the prettiest little angel! She's too nice to keep just for Christmas!! Many thanks.

I'd like to join in too, please. Will e-mail you with details, Snowmom. Thanks again for organising this, they are great fun!!!

I've been trying out a few new things recently: made cheese, both ordinary and Blue Vinney type made sausages - even I ate some of them to taste!! made butter made pasta made yoghurt I've also been making marmalade, and will make orange curd today hopefully. Wine making continues, and have a gallon of Seville and sweet orange fizzing away by the stove. On the Look out for other things to try - I found a good recipe for soya milk, so will try that. I am hoping to grow some soya beans this summer in the garden

The ground is still very wet, but there are quite a few flowers out - oxlips are doing very well, and I hope they will multiply up and spread; various types of hellebores - dark purple, pure white, speckled ; prostrate rosemary spilling over the front wall is covered in a mass of very pretty blue flowers; hebe, lilac covered; crocuses and snowdrops. Daffodils and bulbs well up. Leeks and artichokes to eat; overwintering onions thriving, garlic a bit slow this year, so will have to keep an eye on that. Have sown some tomatoes, tomatillos etc in the propagator and are ready for potting up. Loads of pepper seedlings to pot up, and the aubergines (eggplants) are just showing throught this morning. Plenty of bushy little sweet peas in the greenhouse for planting out, and will sow plenty more as well. They are the best seller on the table by the gate every year and a eal money spinner! I still have three fruit trees to plant - greengage, crab apple and morello cherry. I recently planted out summer raspberries and late summer yellow raspberries, just for something different - should make interesting jam!! There are lots of weeds that need pulling, and ground to be manured and covered, beds to be cleared, but the weather is cold and wet today. One major job I eally must get done is to properly sort through my seeds; I have the most I've ever had this year, and will need some sort of system else something will get missed! I got a lovely big wooden sectioned box from the tip, so can use that. It's my heart's desire to be organised, believe it or not!!!!!

Feeding my ever-voracious reading appetite!! A Pound of Paper - memoirs of a book dealer by John Baxter - very good, but very "English" in its style and content, lots of name dropping of famous people! A book on practical spirituality which I have jsut started. You are, therefore I am - Satish Kumar; a book about co-dependence in the real world; a lovely deeply satisfying read Living off Nature by Judy Urquhart - all sorts of things for doing yourself using natures bounty Just about to start: A Life Drawing by illustrator Shirley Hughes and Bravemouth - a book about Billy connelly by Pamela Stephenson. What are you all reading at he moment?

This is plan B: I thought it was Wednesday, and had to change the subject line!! Wet today again, but that just means I will stay inside instead of going out apart from the Post Office. We have had only one lot of snow - a half hour blizzard and thunderstorm combined. Being us, the car broke down in the middle of it on the way back from town; visualise me pushing the car up a road in the middle of all that snow and howling gale - not the best fun I've had............. luckily a couple of women (note, women............!) stopped and helped, and I was able to use their phone to get a friend to come out and he managed to give us a jump start and we got home; luckilu only 4 1/2 miles away. Then on sunday night had torrential rain; our house is up on its own wee hill off the road, so we were OK, but the landlady from the pub came over to say the pub was under 6 inches of water and could we help? On with the boots, and a fairly entertaining evening was had with some of Dorset;s finest fireman baling out the pub! Free beer, too. They will need all new carpets in three weeks time when the floor underneath is dried out. Today I am going to make some Seville orange curd and Bethany will help probably; I have loads more books to list on e-bay, and am feeling very pleased with myself at having got a seller's account up and running, and have made my first sales!! The money is getting put away towards the five year plan for buying my cottage in the Highlands - but don't tell Mr Lowie, he doesn't know.........................