25 March 2005 - Easter is Nearly Here

Easter is nearly here and we have been so busy and tired that the diary has been put on hold. It is amazing the difference a month makes. The garden has woken up. I always dreaded the dark winter months until I discovered snowdrops but now early months are filled with excitement as my existing collection flowers and I find new ones. We visited our neighbours at Colesbourne in the middle February on a bright but cold day and found several we coveted. However, our own have been splendid.

The nivalis, both single and double have flowered in carpets through the woods, whilst the specials have doubled their clumps. Carolyn Elwes has a splendid drift of S. Arnott and one of the best individuals in the shape of George Elwes with bold double marks. We have these too, but yet to spread. We have over 100 different snowdrops of which I still find Merlin my favourite but I love the emerging yellow types. Primrose Warburg still proves difficult here but others are thriving. Oh for a Carolyn Elwes!

For those who, like my father, are bemused by the interest in a white flower, the hellebores are stunning. We find the picotee and doubles are reluctant to set seed but the singles remain promiscuous and have excelled themselves this year. We really tried last year to extend the plantings of our hellebore banks into the other herbaceous borders to give early colour throughout the garden and it has worked.

Gorgeous colours are emerging everywhere and new seedlings will make next years display even better. Primulas, celandines, pulmonarias and early bulbs make walking in the garden a joy. There are so many gems that I find it hard to separate my favourites. A gorgeous double gold lace and a ranunculus ficaria called 'double mud' must be there with the winners. And I still love the nursery colours of the pulmonaria 'glacier'.

Influenced by the French we have taken to pollarding those trees that show overwhelming signs of age or squirrel damage. This has given a new lease of life to the balsam poplars that we cut back two years ago. They looked strangely bald and sparse last year but now have a healthy lollypop shape and a prospect of many more years than before. We have repeated the exercise this year on maples, chestnut and sorbus. We have yet to discover any deciduous tree that rejects the treatment.

We have a fantastic bonfire to show for this, added to by the never-ending fall out from our winds. James makes a good fire and we can also burn the barrows of non-compost making weeds such as bindweed and elder that we are already clearing. On the subject of compost, we try to turn all of our waste into compost. Time makes us lazy in the making- we do try layering different materials but after that God has to help since we have little time for watering or turning. However, the end result is rarely disappointing and it is a real joy putting our free by product back on the beds.

We are still busy tidying the garden ready for the opening at Easter and I can’t thank my boys enough for moving tons of gravel to the endless paths. I find it hard to enjoy my walks down the garden path without thinking of the list of jobs that still need to be done and on top we have to worry about whether the tulips are emerging for our 'floral fireworks'. So far a few have been repositioned by mice and some became their dinner but otherwise the shoots look encouraging.

As I sit here I have an overwhelming desire to go to bed and that is sad just before 9 o’clock but lambing is in full swing. It does not make much difference whether you are lambing100’s or 21 as we are; you still need to be vigilant during the night. This means broken sleep, bad temper and rarely any thing happening when you check when everyone else is warm and asleep. We began badly with Violets prolapse and several problems with weakened ewes and poor milk bags.

We still await W5 who has promised to lamb for the last week but fails to take the final step. The Jacobs on the cheese factory land are due to start this week and I intend to let this far more independent breed do much of the work on their own. You still worry until the whole exciting period is over. The lambing has been overseen with the help of C.C.T.V into our bedroom, which has really smoothed the night watch. But we have been sad enough to watch the screen even when little is happening!

Rosie and Mabel were moved to the farm before their due time and had no sooner rearranged their carefully made beds when Mabel produced 8 Berkshire/ Duroc cross piglets. Hers was an uncomfortable series of deliveries but the youngsters are huge and vigorous and now back in the orchard at Cerney House. My mother thinks the babies are really cute but this may change when they start to dig up the garden. Rosie the larger maiden was not to be outdone and produced 11 beautiful babies a couple of weeks later. They too were meant to be the same cross but visual evidence suggests otherwise- old spot may well be involved here!

Rosie and family are still at the farm where we are busy making an out door run for a bunch of challenging escapologists. Jessie has developed a new side to her nature – a natural affinity with the piglets and hens, all of which she rounds up and moves around but is often seen happily curled up relaxed with all of them too. Not so much sheep dog as chicken/pig dog.

All of this activity allows precious little time for making Cerney Cheese and drawing up wedding plans. The cheese goes from strength to strength and without Avril we would neither be so sane or on top of the orders. The Cerney starter is so delicious that it forms many of our lunches- hot under the grill with pepper and salad is the fastest and most delicious. I cook with our Cerney Pyramid too; it makes a really tangy topping to quiche and pizzas. The children cannot get enough of the cheese, which must be the best yardstick for any product. I do have to admit though that once the sun shines I need to be outside in the garden rather than moulding curd.

Wedding plans are going fine although as I told a friend my determination not to look like a white meringue has resulted in a pink blancmange. I also rue the need for several mirrors in the bridal shop that show all my oversized features. Still we have so much to squeeze into our days that I must end up fitter and maybe a little slimmer.

Luke, my third son has arrived back from university tonight and I imagine that all his washing will need to be dealt with in tomorrows schedule. It will be good to have the family here for Easter and Sunday will be busy with the Easter bunny who hopefully will drop her chocolate trails for all the children and various partners- even the over twenties! And in the afternoon my niece, Freya is being christened.

posted by Barbara @ Friday, March 25, 2005   0 comments (Post a Comment)