In days of yore they were made into wine. In some rural areas children would be given a day off to help their parents gather enough cowslips to make the wine.

The leaves may be eaten raw in salads (although I haven’t tried them) with a slightly bitter taste. They were and maybe still are used in medicinal herbal remedies.

Above all they are pretty and an early source of nectar for foraging bees.

Yesterday I sat and watched a bumble bee collecting nectar from nettle flowers. Maybe a good excuse to leave the nettles where they are.

It was an experiment this morning after daughter gave me many bags of fine and cake grade matzo meal. Waste not – want not

Yes, the bench has seen better days and needs a “repair shop” makeover

If left the plant will put its energy into producing seed and not stalks.

To my delight I found our early bluebells in flower. Are they English or Spanish? Pretty whichever they are…

It was Passover and we joined a group of friends and (now) new friends in Portugal to observe and celebrate the 8 day festival. While I was there a beautiful cat slept on my balcony and allowed me to be her companion

I also met a Harris Hawk that patrols the grounds with its trainer to deter seagulls and pigeons from dive bombing guests

I returned home to find that Cieste had given birth to a healthy boy lamb. Considering that she is 12 years old and nearly died lambing last year we are amazed and delighted

The garden has grown into a mini jungle and is verdant and lush. The wonderful Di looked after all the animals and birds and fed baby lamb 3 times a day.

Now some serious gardening begins. Where do I start? Click below