Easter weekend

A full few days and now everyone has gone.  I always like this.  I love it when the house if full and busy and everyone is round the table and I love it all over again when everyone goes and the house is quiet and we have the place back to ourselves.

This weekend we had younger daughter and her friends with their three month old baby staying for a few days.  They are great visitors to have.  The girls muck in with cooking or take the making of a meal over entirely and Ady is happy (or at least appears happy!) to help Ian with whatever outdoor project is taking shape.  This weekend's project was making a concrete base to take two 1000 litre water tanks which are going to take the water from the workshop roof and serve the cutting garden and the new fruit and veg beds in the field.

There was still time for much walking of the dog.  There is a great walk down to the river where she can jump and swim for sticks.  Wood anenomes have come into bloom over the week or so she has been here, their delicate flowers and filigree foliage trembling in perfection under the still bare trees.

This isn't one of mine but is by engrailed.co.uk and just catches that delicacy perfectly.

The baby came too in her sling, snug against her father's chest.

On Sunday older son came over after lunch and we had a huge Easter roast dinner with lamb with rosemary and garlic, roast potatoes, roast butternut squash with the last of our tiny red onions, broccoli, carrots, gravy and home made apple and mint jelly.  Afterwards we had apple crumble, our Howgate Wonder apples still lasting after all these months in their informal storage system of hanging up in the rafters in the workshop in plastic bags.  It was the kind of meal where everyone leaves the table with a satisfied sigh.

I made hot cross buns for the first time for ages and they were just delicious, soft and sweet enough yet without the sometimes spongy texture of mass produced ones.

Family visitors had hardly gone when we had a visit from Phil and Alex  (and Phil's dog) who are walking the Offa's Dyke Path to raise funds for the Multiple Schlerosis Society.  You can follow their progress here as they walk the length of Wales.  They put their tent up in the corner of our field and had a huge breakfast here before setting off for another long day's walking.  I had such a great time when I walked the path last year that it was really good to think about it all again as they shared their planning and their progress.  They are really doing it the hard way, carrying a tent and camping gear although with a support vehicle replenishing their supplies.  We carried all our stuff when we did it but sleeping in B&Bs made a bit impact on how much we needed on our backs!  We'll be following them for the next nearly two weeks step by step.  Good luck!

So now everyone has gone and the house is quiet.  In a little while we will take the dog out and then get our seed potatoes in this afternoon.

And this morning I saw the first of the swallows swooping above the stone pigsties where they will nest!  Yes, winter is gone and spring is truly here.