Why is it so cold??

By now, I would normally expect to have courgettes in the ground, the cherry blossom on the streets would be underway and we’d be eating lunch outside most days. But there was a terrible cold snap about 10 days ago when I even covered some plants with fleece overnight, and it hasn’t really warmed up yet – daytime temperatures around 7 or 8 degrees. It’s also been very dry, which is bad news for our lawn repair as the seed is just sitting there while dandelions flourish! Our lawn repair man says we shouldn’t panic, once it warms up things good things will happen. Anyway, the seedlings are coming along – plenty of courgette and tomato plants are underway in the pottery, plus peas and (yes, I’m trying once again) sweet peas…

We ordered some flowers as plug plants and they seem to be very good quality. We potted them on into small pots and they’ll stay indoors until things warm up…

But we’re enjoying what there is so far. The daffodils (a three-headed variety) and tulips are up and looking lovely, and the Prunus Triloba (which we’ve always called a Cherry but actually I think it is an Almond) is coming into blossom. The forsythia has been lovely this year. And take a look at this – the first hint of fruit on the Apricot bush!

Ok they’re a bit small (about the size of a pea) but give it a few years…

We’ve had frogspawn in the point again, and this year they’ve hatched into tadpoles, unlike last year when April was quite hot and they seemed to just dry up. Although we’ve been warned that the fish will eat them, they don’t seem too bothered. Perhaps we’ve raised vegetarian fish!

Here they are hatching…

Or here’s the link if you can’t see the video above.