I've been reading in The Sunday Times that it's very fashionable now to own and use a sewing machine and that sales have risen in response. Apparently it's a consequence of feeling the pinch and austerity that people are turning to cheaper ways of providing what we need. And what about the sense of satisfaction that comes from creating something for ourselves - a feeling we may have lost touch with, to our detriment?

I must say the sewing that I've been doing recently, while resting up and recuperating has been really enjoyable. This is another version of a lavender heart, similar to one I made for Georgia with her name on.

Now I must get on with a little commision from Noreen for a mob cap. I won't tell you why she wants one, that would spoil the surprise...and no, she isn't going to wear it, at least I hope not! All will be revealed in good time.

But it seems to feel good

Shaking off the winter

After months in the shed, this is the day the cows were turned out for summer. The weather is not settled, but didn't seem to mind as they jumped for joy (literally!) when they tasted freedom and the new grown grass.

Please tell me it's not sad to get excited over a new watering can! Today I treated myself to a smart, if small, green enamel version - half price at £3.49 from Woolworths, no less.

I do already have some rather larger ones which are useful for lugging water around the garden, the best an old galvanised can I bought for a fiver from a local salvage yard. But none of them has a decent rose for watering delicate seedlings, and I'm a bit annoyed at the way I keep subjecting my poor little plants to a deluge from which they never recover. Not any more...I shall use my posh little can and admire its beautiful green livery every time.

For one reason and another tractors are on my mind at the moment - so it was quite a privilege to go to the 90th Birthday party, today, of a farmer who is very much active - drives himself to the market each week, and still buys and sells beef cattle. They made this cake in honour of one of his earliest tractors - a David Brown Cropmaster, which he had 57 years ago.

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After a long winter it is a simple, though real pleasure to hang some washing on the line...even if you have to keep a serious look out for rain.

A local(ish) radio station - Radio Derby is doing a feature on Monday about using tumble driers (expense/environment) when the air outside is a free resouce - for many people who have the space for a clothes line - very good point!

We've had some beautiful sunshine (and plenty of rain) this week which has helped the tulips to open. These pale creamy ones look lovely with the orange pansies. Would like to say I planned it that way, but no, like lots of things in nature and the garden, it just happened to work.

They're in a hand made green wooden planter that Noreen gave us. It's ready for a new coat of stain really, but I quite like it in its more rustic state...more fitting in our cottage garden somehow - we don't do pristine.

Now I know I've been giving celandines a hard time, reducing them to the status of a pernicious weed, but when I look at this clump, I take it all back. Admittedly, they're not in the garden, but growing under some trees behind our house...aren't they just the sweetest wild flowers?

These spuds have been chitted and are ready to be planted. We like this trend for growing a bit of your own - even if you just have a few pots and a window-ledge, some herbs are nice. As a recent newspaper article commented...it is good for your health, the environment and your soul.

I've been feeling a bit deprived of homemade cake recently. Only myself to blame because I haven't done much baking so I thought it was about time I rectified the situation. This banana and pecan loaf has just come out of the oven. I will just post the recipe but then I can't hang about - a cup of coffee and a slice of cake are beckoning.

8 oz self-raising flour
4 oz butter
3 oz caster sugar
2 bananas, mashed
3 oz pecan nuts, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp honey

Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add all the other ingredients and mix well.

Grease the sides and line the base of a loaf tin. Put the mixture in the tin and smooth the top.

Bake at 150C, gas mark 2 for about 45 - 50 minutes, until golden. Leave in the tin to cool. Delicious as it is, or buttered.

I had to call at our neighbours' farm today; I couldn't resist going back later and photographing these. Cute or what?

I've mentioned before how much I like Ladybird books and this Tunnicliffe illustration is from 'What to look for in spring'.
I haven't seen any violets in flower yet, but then, I haven't walked up the lane near us where they grow. There's normally some coltsfoot down by the river, but it's becoming rather rare apparently...quite an unusual plant I think, as it flowers before the leaves appear.

Everbody recognises celandines...those little bright yellow stars. Beautiful in the wild - but for some gardeners they can be a proper nuisance as they're so difficult to eradicate from the garden. Luckily we don't have a problem with them, although we do have loads of other weeds - you should see our dandelions - they're a real show!

If you feel like some nice bread but have limited time, this is an easy one.
You need
A pound & a half of mixed white (plain) and wholemeal flour. I teaspoon bicarbonate of soda. A pinch of salt & about a pint of milk (full) mixed with plain yoghurt (you could use buttermilk instead, but I don't find this easy to come by). Mix all the dry ingredients. Mix in the milk mixture. Knead with your hands until you have a soft dough. Form into a round; mark into quarters. Bake in a fairly hot oven for about 35 minutes. Eat fresh.

Mmmm - you cannot find what you are looking for...but on the other hand, you find 4 champagne glasses in a charity shop. All we need is something to celebrate ...and the champagne. However, at 85p each how could I have not bought them!

Meno...knowing Margaret, it will be the other way round...long dress and foot-achingly glamorous shoes!!

And what's recycling got to do with spring flowers, you may well ask. Only the receptacle they're arranged in, namely, a jamjar. Of course, it could also be the tissue paper and twine. Like many people, I'm a terrible hoarder of used gift bags, wrapping paper, tissue, brown paper bags and so on...they really come in handy, I find.

We've been asked to a friend's house for supper tonight so I've bought some of those delicate, jewel coloured De Caen anemones to make a little arrangement, along with a few hyacinths and some acid green euphorbia out of the garden. The only thing to note when picking euphorbia is to avoid getting the sap on your skin as it can irritate. The ends of the stems can be sealed by dipping them quickly into a little boiling water.

When you're happy with the arrangement, simply place a couple of sheets of pink tissue paper on top of the green, place the jamjar in the middle and draw up the tissue paper around it. Tie some natural twine or string around the jar to complete it. All ready to go and no hassle for the recipient!

But not as much as I'd have liked. It was another fruitless search, with Noreen as patient and long suffering advisor, for a mother of the bridegroom outfit (preferably one that doesn't make me feel like grandmother of the bridegroom) - son number 2's wedding fast approaching. I think I should give up on posh dress shops and just stick with the much more interesting charity bargains.

Naturally, despite the pressing need to find something to wear, we couldn't resist making a few detours, and I found these two pretty (and new) Laura Ashley cushion covers for the princely sum of £1.50. A bit of something to show then for all our effort...the search goes on.

Apologies before I start, but please indulge me while I enjoy my nostalgia trip over the flowering currant. Everytime I see this in flower it reminds me of spring gardens when I was little, especially at a friend's house...there was one growing by the path where we used to play. It's the distinctive scent that sets of the memories...I know lots of people think it's unpleasant, a bit like cats' you-know-what, but don't the flowers make up for it?

The older varieties were often paler in colour, but this is a glorious raspbery pink. Another positive is that it's so easy to take cuttings from...am I selling it to you? If you can persuade a kind gardener to give you a stem, it will root once pushed in the ground in a shady place.
Ignore the scent I say, and just enjoy the flowers!

I like using plug plants as they provide a spot of instant gratification...so easy to pot up and almost guaranteed to make healthy plants in a few weeks time - well, that's the plan anyway. Now I can look forward to some time in the greenhouse tomorrow.

It's not quite as warm in there as it might be as one of the glass panes has broken on the corner and keeps slipping down. Les has wedged it in place temporarily (I hope) with a hand fork...at least I can't say he's not ingenious with his simple solutions!

Always on the lookout for fabrics I recently found some remnants of bright zingy orange and turquoise cotton. I've been making some children's bags in sweet candy pink and gingham...but enough of the pastels. I think it's fair to say these are in-your-face BRIGHT!

The cake tin is full again - for 5 minutes!
6oz caster sugar
6oz butter
8oz self-raising flour
2 eggs
juice of 2 lemons
zest of 3 lemons (use juice of 3rd in your icing)

Beat butter; add sugar and beat until creamy. Gradually beat in the eggs. Fold in the flour. Mix in the juice and zest. I used a round tin, which I had greased and lined with greaseproof paper - about 7". Bake in a moderate oven for about 50 minutes. When cool, remove from tin and ice.

I decided at the weekend that I could wait no longer! Actually, cleaning out the greenhouse wasn't quite as onerous as I'd imagined. As with a lot of such tasks, thinking about it was worse than actually doing it. In fact, I quite enjoyed it, apart from the spiders.

Once done, (well, up to a point - it is only a greenhouse after all) I could make a start on some seed sowing (trays of salad leaves) and digging up the fuchsias that I buried in the autumn. Better late than never, eh?

Oh well - a small start is better than nothing, and when the weather improves we hope to grow a few things - at the moment as soon as you are tempted out by the sunshine the heavens open and it rains again.

Following Noreen's tasty meat and potato pie, I shouldn't think for one minute that any of you will be hungry, but just in case...try some baked egg custard tart. It's one of Les' favourites - such a traditional treat, always stocked by the bakeries around here, but very easy to make. Having said that I've not baked one for ages...should be in somebody's good books now!

For the base
6 oz SR flour
3 oz sunflower margarine

Rub the fat into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add a few drops of cold water and bring together gently. Place in plastic bag and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Roll out pastry and line the base and sides of a flan tin.

For the egg custard
2 eggs
half a pint of full cream milk
1 oz caster sugar
a little grated nutmeg

Beat the eggs into the milk and stir in the sugar. Pour into the pastry case and grate nutmeg on top. Bake in oven 150C, gas mark 2 for about 30 minutes, until set.

Oh my, what a twerp...meat and potato pie with no potatoes. Please add 5-6 potatoes, cubed into large bits into your pan.

April showers alternate with sunshine...and it is quite cold. We are very busy with winter work (still) on the farm...no signs of cows going outside just yet. So each day there's a load of cleaning out and bedding down to keep us (Brian mainly) busy. Oh, heck...I'm just trying to justify myself. Anyway if you too feel like some hearty fare, here's the recipe.

8oz plain flour
6oz butter
a little water

Cut the butter into cubes, mix, but do not blend into the flour - keep the pieces of butter intact. Add enough water to make into a dough. Roll out into an oblong. Fold each end to the middle, turn the other way and roll out again. Do this 4 times. Put the pastry in the fridge.

1lb rump steak
5-6 potatoes, cut into large cubes
a little garlic puree
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon chilli powder
good dash of Worcester sauce
1 teaspoon thyme
a pinch of sage
1 glass port, or red wine
1 beef buillon cube dissoleved in a pint of water

Cube the steak, coat in seasoned flour and fry in a little oil,with the garlic puree - just enough to seal. Put in a saucepan with all the other ingredients and simmer gently for about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Put into dish and cover with the rolled out pastry. Press edges down over dish. Bake in a moderate oven for about 40 minutes. Serve with vegetables...I used carrots and brocolli this time.

Gosh, you all sound so busy at the moment; it's an exciting time in the garden. Despite my tardy start this season I do have some plans - after all, I've had loads of time to think about some changes I'd like to make. One major decision is to dig up a piece of lawn to grow some veg instead. It should provide a bit more scope beyond the boxes of salad leaves I normally grow.
Until I can really get started there are things to enjoy in the garden, like this clump of mauve primulas. Yes they're ordinary, but aren't they pretty!

At this point in April I'd love to be able to show you a greenhouse full to bursting with young plants and seedlings, but I'll just have to admit to what it's really like...a mess. There's a lot of clearing up to be done before I can make a start on the sowing and planting. I don't know about you, but our greenhouse seems to bcome a dumping ground over winter for all those spent houseplants and any other rubbish that gets in our way - basically, out of sight, out of mind.

Noreen has laid down the gauntlet though with her salad leaves and peppers - not that I'm competitive or anything! I have bought a few packets of seeds. Hopefully at some point in the not too distant future there'll be an after (and much improved) photo.

I love those gorgeous flowery pictures Margaret has posted.

I always like to have a treat in the tin - and with the 3 hens laying well, I have to keep baking

6oz self-raising flour
2oz ground almonds
6oz caster sugar
6oz butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs

Mix all ingredients. Put in tin. Bake at moderate heat for about 15-20 minutes. When cool, top with some good quality melted chocolate. Enjoy

What a wonderful surprise today when this bunch of flowers, including pink roses and sweetly scented stocks arrived at our door. And what's more, they came with a glass vase to arrange them in. Thank you Uncle Philip, they're lovely!