27th May - It had to happen sometime!

Well, it had to happen one day.

I turned off the 4.30 alarm

and woke up at 5.30!!!

Sunrise missed.

I could use this as an excuse to stop getting up so early, but it's about more than that. I do sometimes go back to bed after letting the chickens out and taking the sunrise photo, and when the sky is just plain grey I do wonder about the merits of dragging myself out of bed so early. I even considered not taking a photo every day, but looking out of the window and going back to bed if it was overcast. But that would just end up being an excuse.
But there are many days, be it gloriously clear, crisp, windy or rainy, when I stay outside and achieve a lot before breakfast. And when the light is crisp or dramatic those first couple of hours of the day are a very special time.
So I will continue. I won't promise never to miss another one this year and, if I do, it won't seem quite so important now. But I've only got less than four weeks to go before it starts getting easier.
As the alarm moves back a few minutes every day, a 4.30 rise will seem like a luxury!

As for the rest of the day, more mowing and a fast developing tan (not the healthy trend these days). Then a very welcome visit from an old friend from London.

Some of the greenhouse seedlings needed an emergency water this morning. I can't believe how quickly they can dry up. I think that most will be OK, though I may have lost a couple of trays.

As it is, many of the seedlings are flourishing now, and they need to be out in the soil, not crammed and confined in shallow seedtrays. The veg are all in hand, but the flower borders have had to keep slipping to the bottom of the list. So this evening I decided to begin deturfing one flower border, where all the young plants can go for now, until I have time to develop this side of the garden later in the summer.

I was surprised to find yet another different type of soil under the lawn - almost black soil, no significant clay content. How I wish all the land were like this.