Happy Easter

I hope everyone has had a lovely easter. Ours was spent with family and friends throughout the whole day. We're very lucky to have a close knit family who come to visit us. I should really plan in some time to visit them at their houses too but we have been so busy in the new place that it just hasn't happened yet.
I made a huge easter lunch with chicken  and slow cooked beef and all the trimmings and we have loads left of course.
Today I am feeling mighty proud of the seeds that we have growing into fine young plants. So much so that I've photographed them again. I can't quite believe I have managed to grow what I have so far! Maybe we may eat some of our own grown this year after all.
The onions planted outside are showing though no sign of the first early potatoes yet. I have more potatoes here to chit so I'll pop those in the egg cartons tomorrow. Also I want to get a load more seeds in over the next few days. Still too cold for some to be transplanted outside tho.

I was really pleased to see the rhubarb I was questioning a few weeks back growing new growth. I love rhubarb! So much so I have bought 2 new plants. I was thinking about incorporating them into the strawberry bed to split the strawberries and the raspberries up. Would that be OK anyone?

Contentment and homemade propagators

As I was driving home today I would normally be feeling sorry for myself having had a long day at work and then having to do more work this evening. However then I spotted 2 deer on the farm lane thay runs along to our smallholding and I stopped and watched them for a good 5 minutes. They were more than happy to allow me to stay there. It was lovely. So no I am not going to sit and think how I don't like Tuesday's. I am just going to think how much I love living where we do.
Last night we had a frost and I hope my little seedlings pulled through. They are in the greenhouse and it wasn't a particularly hard frost but even so I am worried they were caught by it.
So in an attempt to make a free hearing system I have bagged up some horse manure which we have in abundance and placed them under the shelf where the seedlings are. Now horse manure gets to some temperature so my plan is to use this heat to put the seed trays on as a kind of free propagator. I think it's a great idea! :)

We have a goose egg!!!!

I did a happy dance today as when I went to check that the geese had enough water, there was an egg in a newly made nest!  Finally, first goose egg of the new smallholding on 16th March 2016!  What a fantastic memory for us.

We're going to leave it for a few days to see what she does.  Then maybe at the weekend will add it to an omelette.  We are told that geese eggs re quite fatty, so now we finally have one, I'll be looking for advice on what to do with them.  Other than see if any baby geese arrive of course :).

In seed news, I've moved the oldest and strongest seedlings into the greenhouse as we're not due any frost and if we are I will cover them up with a plastic toy/storage box and see if that works.  The next lot are now on the dining room window in their place.  I also have cauliflowers and cabbages growing well in the greenhouse and need to look when to plant them out.  The dwarf bean seeds are coming through thickly, literally.  I couldn't believe the size of the first shoot.  I will get a picture and post when I think on.

It is do lovely to feel the sun on our backs and looking round to see spring seeing off winter. The dogs are still hugging the aga though and the nights are still cold. It's changing though. 2 weeks and long, light nights.  Bliss! !

A few people have commented to say they hope we're all lurgy free now, which I'm sad to say we're not yet.  I took my son to the doctors yesterday after a couple of bad nights and he has strep throat, my daughter has an ear infection and I forgot to get myself checked but I suspect I have a combination of the 2!  So we are spending some much needed time at home with anti biotics and pain killers, however my son vomited tonight too so anything he had in him is now out :(  Sorry if that's TMI!  Anyway, onwards and upwards.  We're in the healthiest place we can be, lots of fresh country air, what better place to get well.