Sunday 1 May 2011

Happy May Day

may
English May flowers in France

Happy May Day. Isn't time flying?

After nearly three weeks of having Paul here and even an extra visitor for a few days it's now back to just me and the cats. Today I'm feeling lonely.

The weather is neither one nor t'other, just grey, mild, dry with spits and spots of rain. We really could do with a good soaking downpour to get things growing again even if it would power the slugs and snails up.

Mixed results from the last bean sowing. The Striped Bunch are up and bouncy but the others aren't showing yet and I think the runner beans were too old. I have new seed but thought I'd try to use up some old stock from 2007. Seems this is not a good idea. Only four lupini and just two soy beans but I'm not too worried by this as they were never on the list as core crops this year.

I had a trip to the garden centre a couple of days ago, highlight of my life of course. Got some lavenders, herbs, a chilli plant, a lemon verbena to replace the one that succumbed to the winter and a scented leaved geranium. Years ago I had quite a collection of these but that was in the favourable microclimate of Worthing on Sea. Moving to the almost Midlands did for those and later attempts were thwarted by endemic whitefly that came in with the plants from the nursery. I think it's time to try again though, they are gently comforting plants that I enjoy very much and the completist in me likes the challenge of the collection.

muguet
The flowers the French favour for May

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