Don't even think about taking electric blankets off the bed

As I walk towards the glasshouse and veggie patch, I'm accosted by the Lilac tree now in full bloom.  The perfume hits you like a wall of fragrance along with the baby yellow roses of the Banksia on the other side branching out for a brush across your arm as you walk past.  As keen as I would be to pick these magnificent lilac blooms and stuff the into anything containing water inside, I've read somewhere they had a reputation for bringing about death if you put them inside.  As silly wives tale as this may sound, I'm reluctant to push my lilac luck and settle for a water filled gin bottle outside the kitchen window.  Would be rather grim for such a beautiful blossom to be so horribly violent but best to play it safe.

Spring is a beautiful time of year in the garden but fickle she is.  Today we've got snow down to 600 metres here in Hobart so that means it's bloody cold.  The wood fire is burning and the rain swings in and out as the strong winds push through the house like an unwelcomed guest.  Next week we are promised warmer weather and again...we state 'I guess this will be the last of the wood fires for this season'.  Or not.  The chickens have been in hiding all day to avoid the wind and wet.  Doris simply hates to get her head feathers out of perfect plumage.  I'm still wearing three layers of clothing and there is an assortment of indoor pets scattered at various intervals in front of the fire.  We're so over winter here.  Come on summer.  This morning I threw a batch of Soda Water Scones in the oven (thank you Sally Wise for the recipe).  We had an abundance of cream about to expire in the fridge so with some home made raspberry jam, the whipped cream and hot scones were soon put together.  Any thoughts of salads or outdoor cooking will be shelved for now.  I'm thawing out Lentil Soup for dinner just in the case the rolled lamb shoulder is still an ice block by dinner time.  And whilst the days are getting a little longer with the sun setting a little later, it's still mostly early nights and electric blankets switched on.  In fact we do this most of the year come to think of it!