New gate

After some years of use the garden gate had seen better days. The main problem was it sagged, and the latch was not working properly any longer. So between us we devised a replacement, a better working and better looking gate. I should have taken a picture of the "before", it was just a continuation of the lattice fence.

Here is the new gate. It looks great, and works great too. I will have to grow the-best-ever-garden to match this effort. Some Asian greens are already sprouting, and there are seedlings in the cold frame.

The blooming tree is a peach that was just about carried off by the bees and other pollinating insects. Its neighbor, which bloomed earlier, is already showing tiny peaches. No more frost, please.

Managing restraint

At least, I am trying to. We are having a couple of spring-like days, and immediately some plants respond. The rosemary is blooming and several of the fruit trees are too. This morning one of the little peach trees was covered with blooms and bees. All this gets my system revved up for garden work, there is always so much fun to be had in spring: buying new annuals, starting garden seeds, work beds.

But there is a winter storm watch tomorrow and even if we escape freezing temperatures, it is still too early to get too enthused.

The other reason for restraint is respecting recovery. Both Dan and I are getting over a good bout of the flu. We spent days in bed, had to call in help from our friend Dave to clean stalls for a couple of days, and are still hacking and trying to cultivate some appetite. I know by now that I had better not push too hard or I will relapse and spend another week coughing and dragging along.

It is time that winter goes! We have sun, but need some heat.