Celebrating May

This is (probably) my favourite month in the Highlands, and our trees are slowly greening up. Beech trees are my no. 1 favourite tree, probably because I spent an awful lot of childhood in and around them. But since moving here, Larch have also taken a place in my heart. They aren't terribly majestic, but their cones are lovely and flower-like, and the soft green needles are a beautiful colour. And they are such graceful trees.

Indoors and out, everything is popping up, full of promise and fragrance. Our seedlings are doing well...

And joy! The first radish of the season. Not ours, but from the L'Arche polytunnel, brought home as a contribution to our Friday Lunch with Syd, Lil and Gina. They were crunchy, with just a hint of peppery bite. And how best to eat them? We had them dipped into a thick mustardy vinaigrette, but the French smear them with butter and a sprinkle of salt. How to make a perfectly healthy food totally decadent!

This weekend, we had another film night in the living room. This involves dragging mattresses downstairs, the telly out the cupboard and making a big bowl of popcorn. Then settling down with a flick all four of us can enjoy, and then snoozing off together. Naturally, the setting up of such an arrangement causes a certain May madness....

Not much sleep but a lot of fun....

Another celebration was a birthday BBQ at the wonderful Abriachan Forest. Just the sort of party we most enjoy. The woods are full of trails and treehouses and all sorts of lovely little surprises hidden away. A beautiful community project and really inspiring.

On our way home, we almost witnessed a terrible tragedy, but Featherglen readers will be relieved to know that Mama Duck and her 13 ducklings didn't end up in the local funeral home, but were last seen heading off into a lovely big garden with a stream...phew!

And on the creative front so far this month? Well, tired out by all of last month's activities, all I managed to do was sew my finished (the knitting) cardi onto the one I was already wearing! Argh! At least a nice glass of wine was quickly proffered to help me unpick it all...