Village Gossip and more allotment news

With the garden flowers in vases on the kitchen windowsill the cottage feels more spring-like than winter-ish. The helleborus- Christmas roses, miniature narcissi and flowers from the bergenia are all slightly early this year which is a welcome change from the dull greens and browns of February.

I got a spurt on this morning and planted the rest of my shallots, 3 rows of onion sets, 3 rows of parsnips and radish. My broad beans are already in, and second planting shall be done next week as will be the first of my potatoes. My rhubarb crowns (right) have shot up in a week , so I am now feeling that things are moving along nicely.

Talk in the post office this morning has been centred around the arrival of the air ambulance on Gop hill Sunday morning. Apparently a man had been caught ill whilst walking his dogs and sadly did not survive a suspected heart attack. I was shocked to hear that this poor man was an old acquaintance of mine from the CB days of the 1980's.I had no idea that he lived in the same village. Made me feel rather old..........