The feijoa wine was bottled and it's really lovely. It doesn't taste very alcoholic, so Peter took it to work and got the alcohol level tested - 12.5% - around the same as a commercial bottle. The mead has been racked into clean demi-johns, leaving behind a thick layer of lees. I'm wondering whether it's mostly yeast debris as I can't work out what the honey would break down into. In terms of taste, the honeydew and manuka were the most promising, followed by the creamed honey and dark honey. The only batch that wasn't very pleasant was the granulated honey. It'll be interesting to see where they end up after a few more months. 
Another 2 batches (10 litres) of birch sap wine is also on the go. Peter managed to tap the birch trees and we got heaps of sap. It tastes like very slightly sweet, fresh water, so we're looking forward to seeing what that tastes like as a wine. One batch is sweetened with honey, and the other with sugar. It'll stay in buckets for a few more days before being transferred to demijohns. There are lots of wonderful stories on the internet about birch sap wine that has made researching it entertaining.
Many vege seedlings are popping up in Madame Cholet, and a few have been big enough to plant out. There are now broad beans, lettuce, beetroot and spinach in the garden, and the first round of early potatoes has gone in. Several of the beds have been cleared of weeds - particularly persistent around the pathways and under the lavender that is patchy and spindly. The lavender hedges will be replaced, but the cuttings of silver box that should have done so haven't really taken. No surprises there because the parent plants are dead. It looks like frost damage. I'll probably end up taking cuttings of ordinary box, but hoping for a lightbulb moment as I'd prefer to plant something else suitable that I haven't already got. 
I have the ingredients and recipe for an organic weedkiller (Epsom salts and strong vinegar) that I'll use on the pathways in the horse arena. The bigger weeds will be pulled up to reduce the organic matter, but here's hoping that the organic stuff works. My knees are objecting to lengthy sessions squashed into gravel. 
The flower bed did finally get cleared, just in the nick of time before too much plant activity. There are several flowers coming through, and the barley straw seems to be doing a good job of holding back the weeds. The hedge is even starting to look hedge-like. We're making some plans to build a deck at the back of the house, that will take out a big chunk of lawn. Then we'll widen the flower bed. Further along the garden, past the pizza oven, more plants have been added. These include a couple of blackthorn trees (creator of sloes), shipped from the North Island, and some old familiar favourites from previous gardens (euonymus and flowering currant). 
Blossom continues to be abundant. If I were a betting woman and based on blossom volumes, I'd say this year will be the Year of the Pear. Not only is the Conference Pear tree smothered in white blossom, but so too is the Nashi (double graft) and the Packham. At the vege garden entrance, both the Red Bartlett and the Williams Bon Chretien are in full bloom. One of the original orchard trees, that has never successfully fruited and is possibly a greengage plum, is also flowering this year. Here's hoping that their promise will eventually bear fruit!
The two hazelnut trees that we were gifted by our neighbours seem to be alive. They line part of the driveway and are budding up beautifully. The whole driveway is an overgrown mess and definitely needs some attention. One day we'll get round to pulling up the raggedy hedge and widening the driveway. It'll be an expensive and/or time-consuming job that right now is quite a way down the priority list. Maybe 4 years away.
On the animal front, we've stopped feeding out hay as there's plenty of pasture. The decision has been made to cull the ewes, and I'm leaving that to Peter to organise. Yes, cowardly I know. The decision about the cows will be much harder and we haven't gone there yet. The bees seem busily fine, and I took a frame of bees and brood in our club's observation nuc to 2 local kindergartens as part of Bee Aware Month. As expected, the kids were fascinated with the bees and adored the honey tasting.Billy has been making progress with Lazy Mazy and she's now sporting her smart cream re-spray. She looks really characterful. He's starting to get on with the inside and will be using our old double bed mattress on top of a constructed base. He's hoping I'll help with the curtains. Maybe he's forgotten how bad I am at sewing, that years ago he sewed his own scout badges on because my efforts were too horrifying.
I'm looking forward to a few days work on the West Coast next week, which will leave agonisingly little time to titivate the garden. The total garden list is unachievable of course, and I'm pretty crap at doing the important things first. I'm much better at doing the enjoyable things first.
Que sera sera and all that. Every day in the garden is a blessing but roll on the warmer, longer and balmier days.
