The rain finally stopped and the sun made an appearance. This, and the emergence of more spring flowers, encouraged us to venture outdoors although not as far as the allotment. The good news is though that a friend, with a plot near ours, rang to tell us that we had survived the recent gales without any damage to our shed or greenhouse.
Although my shoulder is almost back to normal, Martyn’s back is still at the tender stage so only fit for light duties. At his check up at the hospital, he was also told that the dressing on his nose has to stay on. 
Spring bulbs are starting to flower in the front garden, so one belated job that needed to be tackled was to cut back the perennials. I normally do this as the bulb foliage is just beginning to emerge but this year I have been somewhat tardy.
Another job that was delayed was sinking the pots of tete a tete daffodils into the small bird bath bed. They too, are now starting to flower and should have been moved earlier but I managed to squeeze them in amongst the crocuses where hopefully they will settle in and provide a display.
Whilst I was busy outside, Martyn was setting out our seed potatoes for chitting. The trays have been covered with fleece to give some protection should there be any night time frosts.
A while ago we planted some raspberry canes in a large pot. They had been gifted by Thompson and Morgan but when they arrived we didn’t want to plant them at the allotment, so the pot was their temporary home. One cane is now beginning to shoot, but what was more surprising was that a couple of crocuses were flowering alongside the canes in the pot.
Martyn also tidied the summerhouse. We still have lots of onions stored there which are still in really good condition. Maybe more onion soup will be on the menu.
Ruby managed to try out one of her new coats last week as we had a couple of walks in the grounds of Nostell Priory. Ruby has missed her weekly visits to Nostell. The guy at the entrance always recognises her. We didn’t want to overdo things whilst, Martyn is still not firing on all cylinders so we only managed half of our usual distance each afternoon.
It wasn’t as muddy as we expected so Ruby didn’t have to be subjected to a full shower but we did wash her paws after each visit. A friend of ours took their dog to the vet last week, and was advised to wash his dog’s feet after every walk to cut down on the risk of developing a serious stomach bug that is around at the moment.
It may not have been as muddy as we expected, but the recent persistent rain had left its mark. The temporary winter lake had expanded.
Some small ponds had developed in the wooded area too.
If it stays dry these will probably drain away fairly quickly.
There were still a few patches of snowdrops growing among the trees.
Finally on to last week’s menus.
We had a vegetable rice dish that used some of our onion. carrot, garlic, frozen sweet corn and peas.
Another dish was a lentil and squash bake with a mashed potato, cauliflower and cheese topping. Into this went some of our Crown Prince squash, onion. garlic, potato and some cauliflower that we had frozen earlier.
We also had a chicken and leek traybake. I used some of our leeks and garlic in this and served it with some of our mashed potatoes with which to soak up the juices. 
That’s all for this week. As always stay safe and well.
Good to hear that your shoulder is on the mend Sue. I hope that Martyn is making progress too. This growing older lark is no fun at all at times and so frustrating as healing takes so much longer. Your patch of spring flowers looks most pretty indeed.
I guess growing older has it’s advantages and disadvantages, Anna. Not having to go to work is good.
Pleased to hear that there was no damage on the allotment and that your shoulder is on the mend. Here’s to Martyn’s back healing soon. Your onions are still in great condition, some of mine are sporting a little mould. Loving Ruby in her new coat and those tasty looking meals.xxx
I guess that it’s only a matter of time before the onions start to shoot Dina
I’m glad your shoulder is almost better, and I hope Martyn is back to full strength very soon. Your onions look amazing, they have stored beautifully. A good tip about washing dogs’ feet. Bertie has been unwell. The vet thought it was perhaps pancreatitis, so he is low fat all the way now. They did a lot of (vastly expensive) blood tests which were inconclusive. He’s pretty much better, thank goodness, although he still objects to a morning walk. Perhaps he’s just not a morning dog.
There’s been a bit of seed sowing here, with some new-to-me tomatoes (Mountain Magic, Oh Happy Day, Primabella and Orange Beauty). I should really stick to the ones I know do alright outside here in the humid west (Sungold, Golden Wonder and Ferline) but I honestly can’t resist. I’ll let you know if I have any triumphs. I’ve got a new-to-me strawberry as well (Rhapsody) as well as lots of Cambridge Favourite which always do well here.
It’s awful when they are ill isn’t it CJ? Ruby is starting to be quite good at having her feet washed. A full showrt is a totally different proposition. I’m glad Bertie is on the mend. Vet bills are certainly expensive. Ruby is die her booster vaccination this month. The breeder we bought her from had 13 dogs that live with her and some male dogs that are fostered so they are not mixing with the3 females. Vets bill must be horrendous.
I*’m hoping that the onions don’t start shooting soon.
No seed sowing here yet – good luck with yours.