Things that make me cheerful at this time of year.

We have been having some fabulous spring weather here in the UK and I count myself fortunate in being able to enjoy it to the full.

Mostly, it's about the promise of good times up ahead - as seen in the blossom on our young apple tree.

It's a James Grieve - fairly tart, so good for dessert or cooking. And a late bloomer, less prone to frost damage. 

The flowers on the currant bushes also suggest that a decent harvest might come our way in a few months. We planted a number of young bushes - whips, really - two or three years ago, and they are finally starting to flourish.

Redcurrant. Note the liberal use of excess packaging from outfits like amazon: great for suppressing weeds

We still have a few of last year's redcurrants in the freezer. I'll be making a syrup with them tomorrow to fold into the ice cream I'm making. (Eggs, cream, some sugar; nothing else.)

And then there's the good old reliable rhubarb. We've been eating it for a month already and will carry on picking until about June. A lot will be frozen.

The buttercups come with the territory.

The spring has also brought us a surprise visitor: a wasp has built a neat little nest right inside the door of the shed. Not sure what to do about it. I do not want a colony, but I suspect this fellow lives alone. It's unlike any wasp's nest I've seen. I watched the occupant crawl in a few hours ago, so I know it's a going concern.

Okay, back to writing business in my next blog.