Writing,potions and plants

Have been working at the allotment this week as weather has been perfect for growing. Have been hoeing the weeds before they get too big. Sowed some carrots and moved a red currant bush. There are flowers coming hurrah - hopefuly will get my first taste of red currants since I was a child.
Blowsy tulip in my garden.

I feel so happy to have this now. In my teens I did my home work on this. It's my parent's old sewing machine and my new writing desk. Might even do some sewing with it once I fix the belt on it. My mate said a pair of tights would do the job. The machine folds neatly away inside and a panel covers the hole. Once I have oiled the top of it I can make the study corner in our bedroom instead of perching the old laptop on the blanket box. It really feels like things are coming together.

Kids were playing nicely outside. Wondered what was keeping them so happy and it was the potions they were making(one pictured). Girls were making a potion to keep the boy(my son) away and my boy was making one to keep girls away. Who says they don't play imaginatively. Though I was cursing when I found sludgy play sand at bottom.

My herb gaden is springing back to life.

parsley

I've got quite a few herbs growing in my garden and no i did not take the advice of growing it near the back door so it's easy to get at in the winter. I thought the walk would do me good though a couple of times in driving rain I have regretted it but not for long. Garden isn't that big. I've got rosemary, sage, bay, bronze fennel and caraway thyme and golden marjoram.
I had some parsley growing in a pot but it finished some time ago. I miss it so have just sown some in a pot indoors. I sowed some seed thinly in an old ceramic pot in multipurpose compost. Watered it with hand hot water as parsley likes heat to germinate. Then I put pot in clear plastic bag blew into it and tied it like balloon(homemade propagator like I've described before). Hopefully they'll germinate if they dont I'll just try again. If you are using old ceramic pots etc that don't have any drainage holes at the bottom put old broken tile, plate,cup in bottom so mud sits on top and has something for water to drain into. Used stones when couldn't find broken plates - not sure if this spreads diseases. I suppose if you wash stones first it's ok.
Seeds are different - some don't like to be buried but just sprinkled on surface and left uncovered. These tend to be ones that are fine almost look like soot. Most like to be covered with fine layer of soil. Some have thick skins that need to be nicked with a pen or safer still soaked over night in water. Now you'd think how does nature cope with that. Well of course it does -sometimes ice cracks them but more commonly I think the fruit or veg is eaten by an animal- stomach acid works on the seed then they come out the other end and if they've landed in a hospitable place they are ready to start to grow. Will try and get pictures of herbs tomorrow.