Frosty Morning

Wilfrid and Sir Frederick

Wilfrid Pile with Sir Frederick Pile, moments before cutting the ribbon at the official opening ceremony.

The new 34058

The new 34058 approaches completion...............

The original Sir Frederick Pile

The original Sir Frederick Pile...............

Aster BoB steams for the first time

At last, today the Aster has run under it's own steam on the rolling road!

Morgan & Chris

Chris, followed by Morgan, have climbed to the top of the tree canopy in our garden.

Today's crop

Today's crop of produce from the garden.

Arran Pilot

This is our very first crop of first early potatoes. They are called Arran Pilot. We were eating them 30 minutes after this photo was taken.

Lavender

This is our best lavender bush, and it's not in the official lavender bed.

Poppies - not weeds

Lots of unwanted growth appears among the vegetables, but we don't weed out the poppies.

Piazza Navona

(Nothing to do with Cross Cottage, but we've had a holiday in Italy). We spent our last evening in Italy here in Piazza Navona.

Santa Maria degli Angeli

Here's the view back to Santa Maria degli Angeli, where we were staying, from Assisi. The original little church of St Francis (12C) is inside the huge church (18C) you can see in the distance.

Assisi

Here we see Assisi as we walked there from St Maria degli Angeli, where we were staying.

Cardinal de Richelieu

The roses are doing much better this year. This one is particularly wonderful.

Lady's Mantle

Or Alchemilla Mollis - always looks great when raindrops settle on the new leaves.

The Enemy

After last night's (very welcome) rain, there are a lot of these about. (I collected up 54 this morning).

Risk Takers

We've risked planting out the tomatoes and the french beans.
It's a bit early - if there's a sharp frost we'll have to deploy the

bubble wrap - sharpish!

Lilac, closely observed

Tulip Time

Bath Time

I wonder if I should take a bath.....................

Perhaps I'll just have a paddle...........

Aster BoB - setting the slide valves

Setting the slide valves on the 3 cylinders, so that there is equal steam port opening at both ends of the travel.

Meanwhile, in the potting shed

Meanwhile, in the cooler confines of the potting shed ( formerly a pigsty, now with transparent roof), these plants are thriving.

Sleeper, awake

It's a new dawn for Lesley, who weighed in at a record 5lb 5oz this year.

Honesty repaid

We didn't plant the purple Honesty - honestly. But it makes a pleasing picture under the unfolding Acer leaves.

Pond Life

The first lily leaf has just surfaced. A pond skater is making use of it already. Some tadpoles are also visible, in the blanket weed behind.

In the garden

In the main veg area the 1st early potatoes are emerging. We purchased them rather late, and they were very soft, with long brown shoots. But they seem to be doing ok.

The broad beans are doing well. The artichokes behind are getting used to their new location, having moved them from the main veg area earlier in the year.

In the conservatory - leeks, tomatoes, french beans, geraniums and lobelia all coming on well

Aster BoB progress

Yesterday I added the connecting rods to the chassis. It looks like this: