First ladybird of the year

I spotted my first ladybird... sadly, I also spotted my first lily beetle..

 lurking amongst the dried stems of the garden geranium,

and lots of little scraps of colour, too

 double primula,












and picotee primula,

 pretty purple crocus,














dainty little dutch iris,




and the first of my scillas is also out, with promises from friends to come, too..



















and also some very strange fungi,  these black hard looking blobby things on an old field maple stump.

Edited to add, I think this is called 'King Alfreds cakes', or , more prosaically, Cramp Balls!







so, yes a good bit of today was spent in the garden, digging over one of my weed beds.. and now I am thinking what to put in to replace all those weeds I removed...

Progressing

I have been asked to make a bag. This is to be a raffle prize as a fundraiser for commemoration for the start of the First World War. I am not sure about this whole commemoration thing, but as I believe the money will be put to good use in the community, I am going with it, and pleased to do so. The theme had to be poppies, so I have started by making three dimensional fabric origami poppies to apply to one side of the bag.

 So here is one side of the bag- I shall do a flatter second side, and then consider the insides..

 My kind next door neighbours fed the cat for the weekend, so I have made some cakes for them. There is a secret chocolate heart inside each of these... I think the children will enjoy these.

 And my daughter made some hedgehog biscuits with that lovely cutter I was given. I watched and encouraged and pretended to help! I did help with the eating!

And isn't the colour of this magnificent? A present from another friend! A second flower spike is also coming along.


Meantime, these crocus have appeared in the garden while I wasn't looking, and more mini daffs are out!