#countryliving

Today was definitely all about the tomatoes … and it was so nice to finally get them into the Polycrub.

We’re growing over 40 tomato plants this year, so I was absolutely delighted to discover this method of supporting them. No more tomato cages …. and that’s a real money saver (made my husband very happy).

Anyway, just get a central wire and hang garden twine from it. One long piece of twine for each plant.

Place the end of the hanging twine, under your tomato plant as it goes into the grow bag. Then as your plant grows, simply wind it around the twine.

So simple and easy … I love it.

We also caught a glimpse of our first cucumber …

Does anyone else get excited, at seeing those little green shoots come up … I certainly do, it made my day …

Yay … the bees have arrived. Absolutely delighted to welcome these little guys … really hope they love their new home.

Had a great day in the garden and managed to complete most of the jobs on my list. That never usually happens …

First job of the day was to feed and water the herbs in the greenhouse. They’ve been growing so well in there, and it’s been a real joy to cook with fresh homegrown ingredients again.

We have been battling aphids though … and in an attempt to avoid sprays, we’ve introduced some lacewing larvae. I’ve never tried this approach before, so I’m intrigued to see how well it works. Guess we’ll see… Has anyone else tried this ???

We spent the rest of the afternoon planting more cucumbers and strawberries, weeding (yuck) … and moving grow bags into the Polycrub, ready to transplant our tomatoes.

Busy … but happy, and back at it again tomorrow …

It’s that time again and we’re finally getting out and about. It’s so nice to feel the warmth of the sun on your face, and great to be exploring new places.

For our first wee adventure, we headed over to Millbuies Loch near Elgin.

I can’t believe we’ve never been here before. It’s such a pretty place and has a lovely walk that goes all around the Loch.

It may have been our first visit, but it definitely won’t be our last. I think we’ll take a picnic with us next time, and make a day of it …

For more information on our holiday let cottage, activities and booking availability, please visit our website link at the top of the page …

Finally out in the garden again and I’m loving it. It’s so nice to be working outside in the sunshine, and the brighter weather has really lifted everyone’s spirit.

We’ve kicked off our projects this year with some new raised beds. We had some old decking planks laying around and they were just perfect for the job.

So pleased with how they’ve turned out and we’re having fun filling them with rhurbarb and chives.

We’ve also popped some weed matting down in the Polycrub and are working hard on plans for the internal layout. Really want to get it right, so reading piles of books and doing loads of research … stay tuned …

In the meantime we’re using it for our strawberry bins and the plants are doing great.

Anyway, I’m off to plant some garlic … hope you’re all well and finding smiles along the way …

For Mothers Day this year, my daughter gave me a sign for our greenhouse. She made it from the lid of an old Whisky cask and painted it by hand. I think homemade gifts are the best and I’ll definitely treasure this one. Thank you H, I love it … Xxx

We planted our ginger root today … now we wait.

https://youtu.be/62Cgcdh7hMA

Our greenhouse is such a blessing …

We’ve had sunshine and snow blizzards all in one week, +17 to -5 and everything in between. I guess winter wasn’t quite ready to say it’s final goodbyes just yet.

But with that being said, I’m happy to report the greenhouse is doing great and the herbs are thriving.

We’ve even harvested our first Rosemary, cooking up some really delicious herby potatoes. They smelt so good and were absolutely yummy, we’ll definitely be making more in the future …

Anyway, we have more snow forecast for tomorrow … luckily we managed to install a heater and thermometer just in time … phew.

I really hope some gorgeous spring weather is just around the corner. Fingers crossed …

Can’t wait to get our bikes out again … ⛰

For more information on our wee holiday let cottage, please follow the link in our bio …

Yay … just finished planting our new raised beds (all handmade).

After a lot of consideration we finally decided, that we’d use our greenhouse to create a year round herb garden. So happy with how it’s turned out … we settled on some mint, oregano, marjoram, rosemary, bay, curry plants, sage, thyme and tarragon. So yummy, I can’t wait to start cooking with them …

We’ve also popped in an olive tree, so I’m excited to see how it fares … fingers crossed

Anyway, it was so nice to get out in the garden again … let’s hope this beautiful spring weather continues.

Morning All … I’ve decided to join the lovely makers on Folksy, who are trying to raise some money to help the Ukrainian people. I’ll be making a few pieces and donating 50% of the money raised, to the Red Cross Appeal for Ukraine. My heart is truly breaking and I have to do something, however small.

I’ve ordered some gorgeous blue and yellow Paracord, and hope to make some bracelets and keyrings. But to start the ball rolling, I’ve added this Sunflower Brooch to my Folksy shop collection ‘Stand With Ukraine’.

If you can, please pop over to Folksy and check out the other makers too, we’d really appreciate any support you can offer … Xx

A few snapshots from our walk to Drumin Castle. I just had to share these glorious snowdrops … they took my breath away.

Each year they come up and cascade down a bank from the castle, towards the river. So beautiful and such a pretty reminder that Spring is on the way …

With the days getting longer and warmer, things are definitely ramping up around here. I’m so excited for Spring to arrive and can’t wait to loose myself in the garden. I’m transferring these guys to the greenhouse today: Rosemary, Caraway and Tarragon. I’m also hoping to grow some ginger this year, something I’ve never tried before … so if you have any tips or pointers, I’d love to hear them …

Oh … and also very excited to share, we have some Bees arriving soon. But more on that later.

Take care everyone … sending love.

If you’re looking for a short break or holiday in the UK, I’m happy to share that our wee holiday let cottage is now available to book.

Situated in the beautiful Cairngorm National Park, it’s the perfect place to relax and unwind.

Enjoy dark skies, beautiful scenery, whisky, nature and outdoor adventures.

The cottage sleeps four people and is open all year, including Christmas & Hogmanay … A warm welcome awaits.

For more details on activities and booking availability,

please follow the link in our bio above … ⛰