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. At the plot we have brilliant views of Solsbury Hill, which looks wonderful covered by a thick, white blanket. And I got some great shots of a bird’s footprints in the snow but I’m not sure I can identify the bird!

Along with the sap rising, the birds cavorting and my enthusiasm surging, the weeds are growing with a vengeance. This February has been a month of weeding on my allotment and - I'm delighted to say - the plot has never looked this good so early

Spring is in the air, and plants are beginning to shake off their winter dormancy. The birds and bees are making a cautious appearance, along with my fellow allotmenteers.My neighbours Ron and Mrs Ron were hard at it last weekend - they've got three

The temperatures might have dropped a bit this week, but that doesn't seem to have slowed down the onset of spring. We have a pair of blue tits setting up home in one of our bird boxes in the garden and the frogs are having a high old time

It feels like spring is on its way down here in the balmy southern slopes of Bath. The daffodils are in full bud, the birds are twittering away and there are more than a few dozy bumble bees blundering about. It's bound to go horribly wrong

was right and within a couple of hours the first shoots of the season were harvested, gently steamed and served with a knob of butter.The first harvest of purple sprouting broccoli, along with spring birds and emerging blooms have fired Paul and I up about

is somewhat cruder, but less barbaric than that of my fellow plotters: I too pluck the caterpillars off, but I gather them up in a bucket and tip the whole lot out on a path. This provides a feast for the birds, and the caterpillars at least have a chance

of leaves, only to emerge during the harvest of crops such as winter kale or purple-sprouting broccoli.Hopefully vine weevil larvae and chafer grubs will also be seriously diminished by the cold snap. I'm also crossing my fingers that hungry birds

What a freezing start to 2009 it's been. It's absolutely perishing down here in Bath and must be almost unbearable further north, or east for that matter. The watering can outside my back door is solid with ice and even the curly kale is looking

What a week we've had. The weather has been gorgeous — almost summery. The big blackthorn tree on the edge of the plot is blooming beautifully and the birds have been flitting about in it, acting friskily and obviously checking things out with a