This week, in Cornwall (UK), we’ve had a change in the weather – finally! How long it’s going to last is another matter but for now, when the skies are blue and it’s not raining, it’s definitely time to be outside if you can.

Even if you have a small garden, spring can be a busy time. Clearing up the winter debris is probably the first job to tackle.

Before you start strimming or shifting boxes or upturned pots that may have been out all winter, make sure there are no hedgehogs or other delightful creatures hibernating. Give them a chance to wake up and move to a new home.

If, however, you find a nest of the bad bug variety, now’s the time to exterminate! I must have killed at least twenty slugs over the week. All of whom were waiting for my lettuces to feast on.

The west country has plenty of rain and slugs and snails are numerous. Seek them out and get rid of them before another change in the weather brings back their favourite habitat!

While the temperature seems to be increasing, sort out your seeds and plan what plants will go where.

Many seeds can be started around now, depending on the climate in your region.

In the UK we can sometimes be blasted with a fresh spell of cold and even snow in April. If that’s a possibility for you, be a little patient before sowing all your seeds. Seedlings that have germinated very early can sometimes become stunted and later sowings will catch up very quickly.

Starting them off indoors or in a warm greenhouse is best of course.

Then re-plant your small plants outside when all danger of a frost has passed.

I’ve been enjoying the change in weather this week and have lots of stuff prepared for the oncoming season and I’ve already sown some tomato and lettuce seeds. This year I’m going to try and grow some purple tomatoes – why not?!

I bought them from Amazon (UK) – I don’t know how successful I’m going to be, but generally tomatoes are fairly productive so fingers crossed.

These are the seeds I bought from Premier Seeds. They don’t come with instructions but you can find out more on their Amazon sales page or their website.

PREMIER SEEDS DIRECT Tomato – Indigo – Apple – 10 Finest Seeds

Just a sidenote, a change in the weather doesn’t mean you automatically turn into Superman/woman. Take it slowly and steadily until your muscles get used to the activity, especially if you don’t have a physical job. Even if you’ve been exercising regularly all winter ( hhmm ), muscles you don’t normally use can come into play in the garden, so don’t expect too much of yourself and remember to listen to your body. Don’t overdo the digging!

Aside from gardening, just getting out in the sunshine will nourish your mind, body and spirit.

During the winter months I found myself taking a walk to my local shop every day or so, but that was about the extent of my exercise – and social life if the truth be known! But a change in the weather has encouraged me to take a walk in a different direction and it’s so satisfying to take a new look at the world 🙂

Even a 10 or 20 minute walk can inspire and delight if we allow it to.

Allow an extra few minutes to walk to the next bus stop (if possible) if you travel to work by bus.

Could you walk or even catch a bus to the shops rather than sitting in your car? – remembering the skyrocketing fuel costs!

Exercise outdoors if you can. You don’t need to take a five mile run every morning but a few star jumps in the back yard may be just the job for pushing that motivation button.

Previous generations worked and often lived outdoors far more often than we do today – I’m generalizing madly here, but it’s true to say there are far more indoor and sedentary jobs these days, including of course all the freelance writers, web designers and online entrepreneurs. While this change has it’s upside, balance needs to be maintained to retain your healthy mind body and spirit.

When I was a kid, the rain didn’t matter so much – actually I still love to walk in the rain 🙂 – but now I see people putting up umbrellas as they get out of their cars so as not to get a drop if rain on them. If you’ve just had your hair and make-up fixed, I get it but otherwise, it’s only rain!

A change in the weather is welcome, believe me, but we mustn’t forget that without water there is no life. Embrace the spring rains as they help grow your crops and complain about the rain in the summer if you need to!

I hope the sun’s shining in your world today.

Linda x