Spring has Sprung

At last, 2 or 3 days of mild weather, the occasional blast of sun between clouds and the bird song is wonderful to hear. My crocus are in full flower and I am madly planting seeds as fast as I can to catch up. One of my many weaknesses are for pan de chocolate and the plastic containers with appropriate ventilation and drainage holes, make superb seed trays with built in lids. I save my yoghurt pots to use as flower pots as the price in the shops is ridiculous.

   In Galicia most rural houses have an 'hórreo' which is a grain store typical of the region. They are protected by law. The As Petas hórreo is a modern version on the site of an older one but it makes a brilliant plant nursery as it is high and shelters the plants. The slits and air bricks let the drying breezes through but keep vermin out. Typically they have a cross on the roof at one end, and in our case a pyramid at the other, a pagan symbol asking all of the gods to keep the contents safe as the family would depend on the contents for food for themselves and the animals over winter. There are several theories as to the origin of the design but it is commonly thought that they date back to Celtic times with the Romans making some later adaptations.