Let it be known, the first seeds have been sown...

It's been a busy couple of weeks here at The Keep with non- stop deliveries of one form or another. Notably would be the much anticipated and much mulled-over arrival of our new cockerel!

Introducing Mr Tanglefoot AKA Steven (because D says the first name is crazy).

He's a bit quiet and shy boy but we think he's a beauty!

We hope that he's going to make some pretty little babies with our bantam girls as he's already settled in with them nicely. With any luck we'll set the incubator at the end of the month and this time next month we'll see the fruits of his labours!

Talking of fruit, I have purchased some fruit canes and bushes online for the first time. This has probably been through desperation of wanting to see something growing in the garden as soon as possible. I would normally have started everything from seed, but couldn't reign in my impatience any longer... So 3 gooseberry bushes, 3 loganberry plants and 3 raspberry canes winged their sweet way over to our little patch this week.

 One thing I may have overlooked during my little buying spree was that the Gooseberry bushes and the raspberry canes were both packed up as 'bare-rooted' plants. For those who don't know (as I didn't) this means the plants come with the roots un-plugged and completely naked of any soil. Not a problem if your schedule and the weather permits some time to get said plants straight into some compost, or at least some water, to save their roots from shrivelling entirely - We, however, had non- stop freezing cold wind, rain and snow all weekend. So, as wrapped up as I could get, I took my newly purchased plants and trudged to the green house, sliding the door closed behind me to keep out some of the cold as I went about setting them in some pots until I get my raised beds sorted.

The Gooseberry plants have found a home in a plant pot that was left here by the previous owners until the weather breaks long enough for me to get the raised beds in order.

Thing is, once I started planting I didn't want to stop... the wind and rain be damned!! I was in my little green house sanctuary away from it all and I was going to get my Sow on! Anything that said I could sow it in February on the packet was indeed sown...

Savoy cabbage, cauliflower and parsnips...

The loganberry plants thankfully came in their own pots and I had some strawberry starter roots lurking about so they got potted up too. The big pot shown here, and another exactly the same, now contains some rhubarb seeds. I later cloched these.

I really hope I see something popping up in these pots soon, though I'm relying on the weather coming good sooner rather than later to make that happen. One thing to never be backed on in this country is the dang weather...

So, as the title of this latest update says, let it be known, the first seeds of The Keep have been sown. No going back only forward to a bright, blooming future and as always I just can't wait!

Come rain (and snow and sleet and flood!!) or shine, it'll sill be mine.

G