Yesterday’s strong winds had died down by this morning – and there’d been some heavy rain overnight. I headed to the allotment to get some back-aggravating work done with a heat patch on my back. That and the improved weather meant that I never put my neckwarmer on or did up my coat. Even when it decided to throw hail on me for a minute or two.

I removed all the grass from the front bed and right bed, down to and including the triangle. The bulbs, the alliums in particular, look like they’re going to have a good year. Maybe that bodes well for the 35 freesia bulbs I’ve now put in. They’ve gone along the front bed, a little round the right corner and a couple in the clear patch near the everlasting sweet pea.

I also removed all feasible grass from Plum Corner, where the gladioli seem set for a good year. There are a few seedlings that look poppy-like. I’m curious to see if that’s what they are, or if I’m being tricked by a weed.

Another unknown at this moment is a group of red spikes coming up in the triangle on the right bed. I can’t place what it might be. I can’t imagine my little amaranthus has made it through the winter like this, so I’ll have to wait and see.

The apple tree buds are getting bigger, but like the pear, they’ve not burst yet. The first anemones are almost open, but not quite.