Today I decided to have another go at the vegetable beds.The manure we put on in Autumn is still not amalgamated with the soil despite my attempts last month to dig it in. There are still large lumps of the stuff lying on the top making it impossible to produce the fine tilth I’ll need for sowing and planting in a week or two.

I spent about an hour digging and raking four of the rectangular beds, trying to break up the big lumps. They did look a lot better when I’d finished, but by no means perfect, and I was jiggered (my get up and go seems to have gone awol). Never mind only 5 more beds to go!

On a lighter note the garlics which I planted on 05.10.2008 and which seemed to disappear from view soon after, are all in go now. Also the ligularia at the back of the house are beginning to sprout. Their leaves are a superb colour at the best of times, but when new like this are quite stunning.

As I was coming in for a drink and feeling my age, Peter was on his way out to see what I was doing. It was a pleasant afternoon so we took the opportunity to mend the bird bath in the field. The wood pigeons in particular like to use it, and it’s been leaking for several weeks now. So that was another little job done.