spring on the 'allotment'

I realised this morning, this year is the first time in about 4 years where i dont have seedlings starting in pots in every south facing window :-(. I decided that since it is a beautiful morning i would attend to my patio allotment!. the squirrels have destroyed 2 of my blueberries, trying to bury their nuts, and the slugs have finished off the leeks....i think i got one meal of the 2 pots!. so i emptied the soil out of the leek pots, holding some back to fill in where the squirrels have tried to dig in the boysenberry and raspberries. I have tempted fate and repotted the remaining blueberry into a larger pot....something i was meant to do when i potted up the 2 smaller ones last year, and forgot my plan until it was too late!. its probably the wrong time of the year to repot, given it has spring growth on it, but it will get pot bound if it stays where it is, and i dont yet know if i will have outside space in my next place or not, so if it doesnt survive, it wont be the end of the world. all the raspberries, boysenberries and blackcurrent have sprung into life and seem quite happy in their pots for the moment. i've given them all a bit of FBB and a good drink, they get a good dose of sun where they are, and are thriving....hopefully i might get a few berries....again, if i have somewhere to keep them come the end of May.

above right to left.....a black pot of soil!, 4 raspberries, the blueberry in the front in the tray, the blackcurrant is behind that and the boysenberry is hidden at the back.

the boysenberry springing to life!.

25 Squares

Well, i am up to 25 squares for my blanket, and after laying it out to photograph, i've decided that i need another 5, before i can start the joining up. I have an idea for the joining, but more research is needed ( read - surfing Raverly and Pinterest!!).

2nd Pinterest make!.

I was happily pinning away on pinterest when i came across a recipe for a Chocolate Sour Cream Cake. mmmmm, i thought!. my 'coffee cake' has sour cream in it and makes a beautiful cake - the words are in ' ' because there is no coffee in the coffee cake....its a term the Americans use for cakes they eat with coffee apparently!. So i whipped up the cake....a very easy cake to make, however i hit a small road block....i didnt have enough sour cream!. i decided to carry on and see how it turned out. it needed more time in my oven than what was stated on the recipe, and i'm sure my oven is ok, as other things cook within the required time. because it needed longer there is a slight burnt cake smell wafting through the house!. the taste....well....it tastes ok, however, i dont know that i would say it's the best chocolate cake i've ever had, like some of the reviews said. i also havent iced it, and probably wont.....cuts the calories somewhat!!. it is lovely and moist in the middle( and yes it's cooked!!)...the outside edges are a tad crispy from the extra time in the oven!. so all in all, about a 7.5/10!. excuse the flash in one of the piccies....but it gives a good indication of the cross section.

tell you what though.....a website full of chocolate recipes.....will add that to the list of websites to waste time in!!.

new treasures!.

Today i took a bus ride or 2 to an antiques fair in Potters Bar. I've been to it a few times now, and usually manage to come home with something!. Today was no different. I managed to get home on the bus without breaking a platter, vase, soup spoons and 2 Wade elephants!. Since i had brought the vase, i decided i needed some spring flowers to go in them, so went to the supermarket on the way home and got some tulips....my favourite spring flower. so.....show'n'tell time...

also, here is a full length picture of the crocheted birdhouse i brought a couple of weeks ago

I want a blue house!

on a miserable wet sunday in London, i am spending some time on a virtual open home tour of houses in Christchurch again, and again, i have fallen in love!. where as before i loved the other house because of its different layout, todays house swoon is more in keeping with the period style of house i actually prefer. i love these houses, the period details, the leadlight windows and if you're lucky some beautiful mantels as well. todays house i quite like in its entirety - needs some updating and TLC....but the section is to small for any decent vege production. however what i love the most is the outside paintwork....combined with the greenery, its gorgeous, and i have decided, when i grow up, i want one just like this!!. here is the full listing for the property if you want a sneaky peak yourself!