Easter weekend.

I feel slightly cheated this Easter weekend given that I'm still off sick and therefore can't really enjoy the feeling of having a few days off work! This is my last week off sick, officially I start back on May 2nd, but I've actually booked a few days off as leave so that I start back to work on a Monday and a full week, rather than on the truncated week after the May Day holiday.

As you'd expect, we don't celebrate Easter. There are some Pagans who celebrate Ostara, after a deity named Eostre, but the jury's well and truly out as to her existence. Though I suppose it does then segue into the argument about whether humans create deities out of their own needs/ requirements, or whether the gods exist without any input or need on the part of humans... So while I don't celebrate Ostara, I do acknowledge the Equinoxes, and in a few day's time will be celebrating, in rather spectacular fashion, Beltane.

The weather broke on Saturday with cold wind and pouring rain. Ah well, the Allotment and garden really did need it, and today it was sunny and dry, if not quite as warm as our English and Welsh neighbours have been enjoying.

So there was no gardening on Saturday, but we did make a trip to Edinburgh Farmer's Market. There were more stalls there than on our first trip and some terrific food selections. Given that our freezer is full to bursting, we didn't buy masses of stuff. Just some smoked mackerel, rabbit and apple chutney pie, buffalo stroganoff burgers, pork and marmalade sausages, and some pheasant breasts with basil and tomato dressing. Oh, and some tablet which is just EXACTLY like the stuff we remember when we were kids. And our dentists probably did too.

Allotment yesterday though, gotta keep those weeds under control. Or at least give them the opportunity to show me how well they're doing... And they're doing spectacularly well. The flower seeds I've been strewing around are starting to come up, but then I have to dig about to try and oust the grass roots and fear that I've buried the flower seeds that haven't come up forever...

The garden centre to which our allotment is attached was giving away freebie bags to the Allotment holders, plant labels, twine etc. And a notice that there will be an Allotment competition in August where an ex Beechgrove Garden presenter (Beechgrove Garden is a Scottish gardening TV show) will judge the best allotment based on various criteria. I spoke to a few other allotmenteers who say they aren't bothered... Aye right, I guarantee that there will be a rash of suddenly spruced up plots over the next few months...

This morning I decided to plant out some of the stuff in the greenhouse. So I put the butternut squash out in the garden, and took the courgettes, cabbages and some chard to the allotment. Tomorrow will be the turn of the broccoli. I'm all organised: have the glut of eggs baking as pasta frittatas, and I'll take a slice of it along with me for lunch so I can spend most of the day at the plot, planting and weeding.

Can't wait :-)