callmemadam | Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth

It really was as balmy as a fine April day here. Last Saturday morning I had to move a very large chunk of tree branch from in front of the garage door before I could get the car out, after the dreadful storm of the night before. What a contrast. Today was the first for a very long time when I didn't have to force myself to go and work in the garden. With the warm sunshine, the birdsong, and ignoring a very agricultural smell drifting over, it was so beautiful I could hardly bear to go back into the stuffy old house.

I sowed broad beans outside. This was made easy by some very hard work yesterday, barrowing compost about. I also sowed dwarf French beans, purple ones, and some Cut and Come Again lettuce, but these are in the greenhouse. I pruned the roses, weeded, generally pottered about without feeling cold! It's a good time to transplant any foxgloves you find growing in the wrong place so I moved a few about. According to the late, great Christopher Lloyd you can even move them in flower. To cap it all I picked a purple Iris, in flower, in March. Colder weather is forecast for the weekend so I'll try to make the most of this mini-Spring. I'm adding to the March flower gallery if you care to have a look.