A Few Nice Days

The sun came out this weekend! The cold easterly wind dropped and the sun actually shone, it was wonderful.

This little scilla had been in tight bud refusing to open for weeks but is just feeling brave enough to open today.

I've had the heater on most nights still in the greenhouse but have been able to open the door during the day over the weekend!

My greenhouse isn't really big enough at this time of year so the conservatory is starting to be taken over by plants too.

Today in the sunshine the Chaenomeles blossom started to open

and I spied a little mouse rooting around at the back of a flower bed

and this young blue tit had a long feed of peanuts.

I've also had alot of siskins on the feeders today but haven't managed to get an picture that is vaguely in focus of them yet!

Maybe, just maybe, these few nice days will turn into more and more nice days.....

My Greenhouse Friend

It's been really cold here the last few nights and yesterday afternoon at 5pm the thermometer in the greenhouse was showing -1C. Time to light the paraffin heater!  I have to use a paraffin heater as the greenhouse is over 150ft from the house and has no electricity installed.  Not that I mind having to use a paraffin heater - infact I love it, I just love the smell of paraffin!  It's no hardship having to walk down the garden each morning to turn the heater off, as the smell wafts towards me as I get to about the pond.  I don't know if the neighbours appreciate the subtle smell which must permeate into their gardens too, but they've never said anything.  I know my friend Fran shares my love of this "unusual" smell, as does my Dad (who was once known to try and make toast with a paraffin blow torch!) but I wonder how many of the rest of you do too?  I'm guessing it's probably abit like marmite - love it or hate it!  

 My trusty friend

A bargain at the price

When I first viewed this garden I was rather excited as it had a greenhouse in it, but unfortunately it wasn't included in the sale price.  After some negotiations, helped by the fact that the sale went through very quickly, we agreed on £50.00.  For my money I got a 6ft by 4 ft greenhouse, 4 ft of staging, a fixed shelf, a table and two automatic vent openers (one for the louvres and one for the top).  At the moment it is full of seedlings and cuttings, over winter it housed cuttings and some tender plants.  It's too far from the house to get electricity to, but I have a little paraffin heater so can keep it frost free.  In winter the twice daily journey down the garden to light it or extinguish it is worth it, not just because of the plants, but because I love the smell of paraffin!  

It's only tiny, but I think I got a real bargain!