Cherry Tree cottage gets a new look twin room and the crocuses are out

This lovely spell of warm Spring-like weather has made everything look beautiful outside and, after clearing out the tractor shed and starting to spring clean the farmyard, it was time to get busy in the cottages.
This is still one of the best views in the world to me and changes with the seasons so that there is always something new to please me as I look out over the hills and valley.The wallpaper in Cherry Tree's twin bedded room was looking tired so we took the bull by the horns last week when the cottage was empty and pulled off the old wallpaper.It turned out to be much more of a job than we'd expected and we only just got it re-painted and with the new pictures up in time for the Saturday arrivals.We're pleased with it as it looks clean and pretty. We decided against more wallpaper even though the Tourist Board inspectors love it, as children have a nasty habit of picking at it or worse still , writing on it!We also repainted the bunk bed room - a dreadful job as we couldn't move the bunk beds out of the room, which is only small, and I ended up crawling through the bottom bunk to get out of the room - as well as squeezing past the footend of the bunks only remembering too late that I'd painted that wall. My painting outfit looks even more scruffy now.
It was lovely in Cherry Tree as I painted with the sun streaming in through the big picture window of the dining room and that beautiful view of the valley through the trees to lift the spirits.The weather has been glorious this last week - 9th February and this picture was taken with the early morning mist lying over the valley and the sun just beginning to warm us all.

I've been hard at work digging over the fruit garden as the wet winter has killed off my strawberries and some raspberries and I have a lot of new plants and canes on order. Nic nobly came to lend a hand and the roots of the dandelions were as big as parsnips thanks to a year of flourishing - I didn't get to that garden till late on last summer as my new hip was settling in. Now I can dig and weed like a spring chicken again!The Old House looks so lovely with the early morning sun on it and the birdsong is wonderful out in the front garden.

Little Nicole came running to find me yesterday saying that there was " something wonderful" in the front garden. When I went with her she led me to the patch of grass in front of the Old House which was a sea of purple crocuses. It's the first year that she has been old enough at 5 to really see and appreciate them. This time last year I was recovering from my hip operation so no-one was out in the garden and they flowered unseen and unappreciated.

I loved her excitement and pure pleasure in the wonder of it all. Children are such a joy! She and William picked some of them for their Mum with a sprig of pink heather from the rockery and it made a sweet posy - Nicole has a real eye for colour.

The sunsets during this last spell of good weather have been breathtaking and these pictures don't even do them justice.And so to bed - a little of this blogging goes along way and I need to answer some guests enquiries and sort out our new online booking facility - another huge learning curve for me!