"Spring" into action

The weather today was amazing, so much so that we had our lunch sitting in the garden and we were only in our t-shirts.   It was then time to start getting the garden into some kind of order and we found these little beauties.  Surely they are everybody's favourite as they are truly the first sign of spring.

Just a few with more to come

Don't you just love them?

After a walk around the garden we started digging the vegetable patch so that we are ready to do a bit of planting.  As you know we have been away from here for 6 months and the weeds weren't too bad but it was full of couch grass and oh my goodness we have never seen so many roots in our lives.  We would pull one piece of grass and it would go on for about 2 feet.  Of course when you are digging you are splitting it up as well so I think we have the wretched stuff for a while yet.  Anyway while we were digging, pulling, cursing, raking and saying "ouch, my back" we disturbed this little poppet.  Isn't he adorable?

So cute but they are very loud en masse

Well, we have an early start tomorrow and as it's Richard's birthday we are going out for the day with friends and then back to their house for an evening meal.  He is so excited bless him, we are going to IKEA!!  OK, perhaps not the best destination but he really doesn't mind and we know we will have a lovely meal in the evening because it is with Helen and Rob who looked after us so well on Christmas day.  We are really looking forward to it, and let's face it, it is the wife's duty to enjoy her husband's birthday treat with him, so I will try my very best!!!  Why is it that whenever you go to Ikea, you don't need anything but always come home with tons of stuff and always candles and serviettes are tucked into the blue humungous bags.

That's all for now, I look forward to seeing my family and friends in a few weeks.  Briony, keep that handbag safe for me, I know what your mum is like with a new handbag!!  Take care.