A blissful week

What lovely weather we are having, all the more welcome because it has been so cold recently. Its lovely to at last be able to enjoy the light evenings and to feel some warmth. The plants are responding too and romping away now, I'm sure everything will soon catch up. Not sure how long this weather will last but you've just got to make the most of it.

I've had a lovely week this week, just two days in work and then on Wednesday I went to the Chelsea Flower Show. I caught the train to London mid morning, I normally go with my friend Tracy but she couldn't make it this year so I just went on my own. But it was actually quite nice to get some time to myself to think and read and I did some garden and allotment planning on the train journey. That was when I was not distracted by the views of the beautiful English countryside out of the window. I just love this time of year, the trees are finally getting round to fully opening their leaves and are showing off their bright green foliage. There were fields of buttercups and hedgerows full of cow parsley. Part of the journey is through the Cheshire and Staffordshire countryside in which you go past lots of canals filled with the brightly coloured boats. I also love spotting allotments which you often see by the rail side. There was the occasional field of oilseed rape which you need sunglasses to look at when the sun is shining so strongly. I saw the odd fleeting glimpses of wildlife, two hares in a field, lapwings and a buzzard coasting on the thermals. Then as you get nearer London I like to peek into the gardens. Finally off the train and then you join the throngs of people on the tube. I had a couple of hours to fill as I had a half day ticket for Chelsea so I went to the Chelsea Physic Garden, one of my favourite places in London. They were opening a new section of the garden (The garden of edible plants) on that day so I thought I would go and have a look. I'll write a separate blog about that at a later date.

The Chelsea Flower show was great, gorgeous and warm. 

Heaven for me to spend time looking at beautiful gardens and drooling over the plants in the Great Pavilion. It was a bit busy when I first got there but got quieter later, again I will write a couple of separate blogs about the show so that I can include some of the many pictures that I took of the gardens. There were some beautiful gardens this year and I think I might struggle to choose my favourite. I left the show about 7.30 and caught the train back to Huddersfield getting home about midnight. A long day but a lovely one and I had the rest of the week off work too. 

So I spent the day in the garden on Thursday potting on plants and doing some of the jobs from that extensive job list I wrote on the train.

My garden is starting to get going and there are some lovely blooms.

I also spent some time at the allotment, planting things out and trying to make some space in my greenhouses.

I've been up there to water this morning and its looking lovely, even the buttercups at the end of the plot!

My globe artichokes are growing huge, one flowerbud is getting big. I'm not sure when it will be ready to pick?