Over winter veg, lambs and goose!

   We are now into the second half of April. I have been very pleased with the vegetables that I have been able to grow over the winter, particularly in the poly tunnel. The mild weather helps, mind you! My "Christmas" potatoes turned into Easter potatoes but still an early crop. 

Easter Sunday dinner.

I managed to grow peas, leeks and spring cabbage along with the spuds in the poly tunnel to have with our home raised goose for Easter Sunday dinner. 
  The potatoes that were planted just over a week ago are putting their heads up. I am going around covering them up as fast as they are showing.
  I have been taking cuttings of marjoram, parsley and blue sage to hang up in the poly tunnel to dry with the idea of making mixed herbs. A sowing of Champion of England peas (they grow to over six feet tall!) has been made and they are now showing. The Oskar dwarf and Latvian soup peas are standing well and should soon show flowers. The asparagus is growing well and I have cut a number of spurs with more to come. General maintenance continues with edge tidying and getting ready to sow runner beans. This year I am going for a Greek variety that are good for drying. 
   In the poly tunnel tomato plants are in abundance and I fear I am going to have to plant some out under fleece before too long. Mid May is the last frost day here in La Creuse but I think I will have to take the chance. I have been putting off sowing cucumbers, pumpkins, melons and the like until the end of April. I may chance my arm on a cucumber though! Ha!
   The fifth and final lamb has been born. The ewe needed a bit of help with the birth. My daughter and I were sheep mid-wives! We have lost one of our new Limousin chickens. She disappeared one day so we have bought three more chickens. Two will lay chocolate brown eggs and the third is a Sussex. They are young birds and are not laying yet so our egg count is low at the moment.    

Number five lamb, a ram