Since I received such marvellous feedback last month for the WIldflower Project, I decided to repeat the exercise again for May. The same rules apply, I would photograph only what wildflowers I could see while out walking with Troy on our usual walk. These images are all taken within Billingemölla Nature Reserve.

Friday was the Mayday public holiday here in Sweden, so I’ve been putting the time to good use in the greenhouse. With the veggie beds laying empty so far and knowing how Mother Nature abhors a vacuum I decided I’d best get my but into gear. I got all the shuttle trays cleaned ready for transplanting the tomato and chilli seedlings now they’ve got their second set of true leaves, then got to work with a useful little device called a paper potter.

Alledal has some new arrivals this week. The eggs I put into the incubators at the beginning of april to test fertility has started to hatch. It seems fertility is good. We have three new Gulankor [Yellow Duck] and one new Skånegås [Skane/Skania Goose] so far. I’ll get photos for you all as soon as they’re moved over into the brooders. 

It’s been a busy week here at Alledal; the cream separator has been out and used a couple of times. I can see it’s going to be one of those essential items as turning goat’s milk into cream without one is next to impossible. The cream in many ways is far more useful to us than the raw milk. I could easily be cheese making twice a week and we could never get through that much cheese no matter how good it tasted. Cream is a different matter. We use lots of it as well as crème fraîche and butter and cream cheese… the list is endless.

I set myself a task this weekend, to photograph and identify as many of the wild flowers that I saw while out walking with Troy. The search for wild flowers leads from the garden gate out into the wild and beautiful countryside of Skåne. I set myself some rules, for what game is without rules - that I wasn’t to go anywhere that I would not normally go on a normal walk with Troy.

This afternoon my kitchen is suffused with the most wonderful smell: it’s of garlic, but fresh and wild. I had left some wild garlic shoots on my chopping board for a few minutes while I boiled a couple of eggs. I’m really wanted to capture that wonderful aroma in a pesto to serve with some cold chicken left over from yesterday and some plain steamed potatoes, which would allow its glorious fragrance and flavour to dominate.