busy busy bees

yes, along with spotting the first bees of the spring,and burgeoning buds we have been incredibly busy, with help from sylvain the wwoofer, who has integrated on a brilliant level, the lambs have been born (we have eight survivors) and three of the goats are getting fatter! they are due on fabien's birthday, the fourteenth march. the first seeds are in, following an order for organic seeds from essem'bio this year, a change from kokopelli who i will try to order some from anyway, just to support their good work... I have also put in carob seeds, lemon seeds and pecan nuts (thanks variously to Margaret and Tonio, Joe Quattromani and Maria and Giovanni), i call them my hopeful pots!
It has already been an exciting spring for me, what with the new plastic on my greenhouse, and the joy of watching the buds on the cuttings (thanks alan), gooseberry, blackcurrant, and others which are really a new thing for me, i am constantly amazed at the wonderful tenacity of mother nature. the fig tree is also doing well, looks like it has a bud on it, thanks antoine! Almost all the walnut trees are in, thanks to the french state for their reforestation programme, using local trees. I think walnuts will be one of our main productions in the future.
With christian and steve and sav and jon (thanks for the exercise bike!) and loads of others, we are working on the bicycle generator that we have been visualising for a few years now (yes, it has taken ages, but we have been busy doing other things, excuses abound). it is finally taking shape, a few pieces are missing, including the diode and a condenser (spelling?). We are using the motor from an old hospital bed, an alternator from a car, a frame that justin has welded together, the wheel from my old bicycle, willingly donated to such a great cause, and hopefully it will be up and running soon. We are also designing and getting quotes together for the solar showers that should be in place for our first festival of the year (thanks to Paul and Clare), summer solstice, when we will be inaugurating a stone circle (see website).
the children had half term, and took part again in a circus workshop, run by patrice, stan and chloe - what a great team! they worked on their diabolo, walking on big balls, balancing, juggling, making faces, dancing, brilliant stuff, videos to follow...