Spring is slowly gathering strength, the first signs of the new season unfurling underfoot and in the air. I always love this in-between moment, catching the last of the winter sun as it falls softly across the front of the cottage, turning it into our favourite spot to sit and play.
In last month’s despatch from the garden, the hellebores were doing much of the heavy lifting, delivering a welcome dose of colour and interest through the barren winter landscape. Now they’re truly in their stride, bringing colour to the borders and indoors when cut and gathered. I love spotting the first bees of the year, clumsily bobbing from one bloom to the next – such a cheering sign that spring is on its way.
Another welcome sweep of colour this week has come from the purple crocuses. Planted back in autumn and tucked beneath the fruit trees, they’re beginning to form small woodland pockets, lifting the ground with lovely flashes of violet.
As ever at this time of year, the first spears of forced rhubarb are nudging up beneath my old terracotta forcer, which grows a little more cracked and crumbly with each winter it endures. In another couple of weeks, there should be enough for the first batch of compote. The greenhouse remains mostly bare, save for a hopeful row of freshly sown sweet peas. It won’t be long now. For the moment, the thought of those first tiny shoots pushing through is more than enough to keep me going.
