A new month....

February has arrived with its promise of spring. The temperature is a little milder of late and there are lots of patches of blue in the sky.....the wind, however, is threatening to tell another story. Still, I've managed to spend time in the garden today, having a general tidy up and planting some bulbs that I had forgotten that I'd bought. They had started sprouting in the net they were in so I think they will be ok. I always feel so much happier when I've managed to spend time in the garden....is this the onset of middle age in the year I turn 40?

Actually, today has been quite a productive day so far. I've managed to bake some bread, and spurned on by the success of making some delicious seville orange marmalade, I made a fresh batch of lemon & lime marmalade. First tasting session tomorrow morning.....

I went to Birmingham a couple of weekend ago which felt like rather a strange experience. Despite originally being a city girl born and bred, I felt quite out of my depth......Soooo many people!  I stayed at the Jury's Inn which looked a bit like a concrete monster on the outside but actually was really rather nice inside.

To be fair, I did take this photo around 7am in the morning so it was only just starting to get light. It does make the hotel look rather foreboding though....