Sighted - the first sign of spring!

Forget the clocks changing, primroses and daffs coming out, lambs in the field and the temperature being so much warmer. On Exmoor the first sign of spring has been sighted – Styles ice cream van was up on Porlock Hill yesterday! I was coming back from Alderman’s Barrow after taking the dogs for a beautiful long walk up over the top and spied the van. Needless to say that I didn’t have a penny on me and had to go without a homemade stem ginger ice cream – sometimes life can be very unfair!

Yesterday we had our first evening walk of the year along the river at Larcombe Foot near Winsford. It was so warm and the birdsong was beautiful with a woodpecker hammering away in the distance. As usal the dogs spent most of the time in the river with Soda swimming for sticks and tiring herself out - (needless to say she is sleeping soundly in the sun this morning).

We had a busy weekend with our guests who all enjoyed lovely weather and lots of walking. Pat and Stella are staying with us again and their son and his family came up from Whimple in East Devon near where we used to live. They visited lots of the beautiful areas near us and had a cream tea at the Falconry and small animal centre in Allerford.

Last week we popped down to Otter Nurseries in East Devon to meet my mum and sister. It is very large garden centre and sells everything. All the plant stock looks very healthy and Julie who is a very keen gardener (bordering on the extreme) spent a happy hour choosing clematis and debating the best compost to buy. Derek and I meanwhile had a look, sit, snooze in all the garden rooms and conservatories!

On the way home we called in to see Aunty Lil and then to see Aly and Martyn for a catch up. Soda came with us as she does like a day out. On the way home there was a badger trundling on in front of us much to Sodas excitement. Not sure what she would have done if we had stopped the car and she had got out - probably run as fast as she could in the opposite direction!

The garden is starting to come alive with LOADS of daffs, hyacinths, aubretia, pussy willow and the lawns have actually been mown twice. Doesn’t seem very long ago that we couldn’t see them because of the snow. As the clocks are going forward next weekend, Derek will be able to start spending more time in the garden working (or chatting)!