This is not what I'm supposed to be doing....

It's a beautiful sunny Tuesday here in Bucks and I was supposed to be tackling the Mount Everest sized pile of ironing but instead I've been taking pictures in the garden of the tiny signs that Spring is trying its hardest to arrive.

A Primrose that was planted last year and totally forgotten about, has flowered. I'm amazed it has survived to cold cold Winter.




Some dangly little lambs tails, just hanging around waiting to be admired (or picked by the kids).

A little crocus looking rather beautiful and a tiny bit lonesome.

This year seems to be a good year for our hellebores (I think that's their name). They are covered in lots of little pink flowers. Are these also called a Christmas Rose?

I love gardening but know very little about plant names, my Mother-In-Law is the gardening expert in the family, she spends hours out in her garden making it look lovely. She is like our very own female version of Alan Titchmarsh.

Our garden is a typical cottage garden, its long and not overly wide and in the late spring looks absolutely beautiful. Its full of delphiniums and lupins, tulips and alliums to name but a few.

P has a strange addiction to large jungle type plants and he spends most of the Summer tending to his small collection of tree ferns and other big weird non native plants. They look great and add a quirky feature to an otherwise typical cottage garden. They are all packed away at the moment, covered in fleece and bubble wrap to protect them from the frost.

We are in our second year of trying to grow some veg of our own. Last years success's were carrots, runner beans and salad leaves. The beetroots were a disaster with a capital D, so we aren't bothering with them this year.

This year we are planning on growing beans, carrots, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, and have loads of packets of flower seeds to have a go with. We used to have a green house but we dismantled it when Daisy was a toddler as I had visions of her running into it. It would come in so handy now. Its pretty tricky growing your own without a proper greenhouse. We have one of those little greenhouse shelving units with the plastic cover which is ok but its not ideal. When we get a new house we are definitely having a greenhouse.

Daisy and Alex are out in the garden as I type, they are out there rediscovering just how much fun can be had on the trampoline.

Anyway, my morning of ironing turned into a morning of cooking and pottering. I made some butterfly cakes for the children, adorned with Cadbury's mini eggs, which went down rather well as an after school snack.

I've made some broccoli and Stilton soup for tomorrow's lunch and I have finally stuffed the fillet of pork and wrapped it in bacon ready for tea. We were supposed to have this yesterday but I spent the day feeling decidedly icky and couldn't face cooking a roast for tea. My tummy was whirling like a washing machine all day yesterday and I had a pounding headache also. Feeling much better today thank goodness (even though P has just popped his head in the door and said you still look rubbish - cheers mate!)

I have also spent most of the morning trying to keep the ginger rascal out of the cupboard where her favourite catty snacks are kept. She keeps opening the cupboard door and trying to help herself.
I keep pulling her out and telling her no in my sternest voice, but she just doesn't listen.




Finally a picture of my yummy breakfast in bed on Mothers Day, note the burnt toast !! Also I'm not really sure why I needed a plum with my eggs.