On the cold, windy, wet days of winter, it's a good feeling to still be able to make and grow food. I have Kings stir fry mix soaking, and alfalfa sprouts half way to eating. Scrambled eggs for lunch made with homegrown eggs, spring onions and parsley, and local raw organic milk.

I have both milk and water kefir on the go (kefir grains courtesy of friends Sarah and Alice), and my first batch of marmalade made to my mother's recipe - the first year I've had enough home grown grapefruit and lemons for marmalade.

Today as the wind started working itself up into a frenzy, I decided to got pick the first few daffodils before they got battered to death - a happy reminder that spring is coming, that the sun is returning.

 But best of all on this gloomy day is this bud. My dear friend Margaret gave us a garden centre voucher as a land warming present (at that stage we had no house, just a garage) and we bought a large, unlabelled tree for half price as although they thought it was a magnolia, they couldn't be sure. It's been a bit of a disappointment but finally, ten years later, first bud. Good things take time sometimes.