As we reached the end of March, the weather had turned milder, the sun was shining and all round the garden, plants and flowers were coming to life. It was so good to see some colour appearing after the dull winter months! However, as happens with good Scottish weather, it tricked us all! Easter weekend came around and the snow returned accompanied by some very cold wind! No matter how nice it feels to see the sun, until the end of May, you really cannot be doing too much outdoors gardening. Inside, our seedlings are coming along nicely, although they are taking over every window sill in the house!! After lots of emails, discussions and research, we finally got inspiration for our new set of labels. We decided to do away with the very traditional Lavender type colour schemes and go for something a little bolder which will hopefully cheer everyone up! The new labels will be rolled out on our website as we get them and should be appearing soon at the local markets. We really hope you like them! We are also currently working on our website, trying to get sharper images and clarifying all products and contents and we are now at a point where we can see which products you really like and will remove those that just don't work for you. As always, we are here for you and if you want anything you can't see or would like some personalised gifts/wedding favours etc, we are only too happy to chat with you and come up with the product you would like. Keep cosy this month and hopefully we will see you soon!

March arrived and Lockdown continued........ The weather has been lovely for the start of March which makes us want to rush out to the garden, start tidying up and plant some colourful bedding plants to keep us going until the garden wakes up. However, For those of us who have been born and bred in this part of Scotland, we know its too early for such things! We tend to get snow in March, it doesn't lie for long but it is enough to give your young plants a shiver! We also get hard frost until the end of April which can cause a lot of damage should you start pruning too early. A local farmer, who is no longer with us, once told me that it always snows on the daffodills and it does, every year! So be patient, holding back will pay off later in the year. Best to get some seeds planted and into the greenhouse if you have one, or on a bright windowsill in your house and watch with wonderment when they start popping through the soil!

February has arrived with all of us still in lockdown, venturing out only if is is absolutely necessary, no markets to browse round or shops open to wander in. To add some much needed colour and cheer to our lives, we have made new Lavender & Rose heart shaped soap for you! Its the perfect gift for loved ones whether they be family or friends. We can box and ribbon them for you, or you can mix and match with any of our products to create a gift box or hamper to suit the recipient. By the end of February, the days will be longer and we can start doing some small jobs around the garden. The snowdrops and daffodils are already starting to show through the frozen ground which is a lovely reminder of what lies ahead. By mid February, I will hopefully have sown this years seeds and started the process once more which give us all the lovely colours and scents we can use in our products.

We are excited to share our new collaboration with you! The Honey we are using in our new soap bars comes from the "bizzy" workers of Royal Deeside Honey & Bees! Beekeeper Sarah keeps her amazing bees in apiaries across Royal Deeside from Banchory to the Royal Family's Birkhall Estate. It was important for us to source Honey locally and we are currently working on new products which will be available soon using the produce of these wonderful bees!

So 2021 begins with more lockdowns and no markets! We are using our time to finalise a few new products we are excited to be bringing you and also to plan ahead the next few months. Before we know it, it will be time to get the seeds planted and turn our attention to the plants and flowers we grow all summer which keep us in products over the winter months. We will be adding more items to the website over the coming weeks and 'tweaking' a few of the items we already produce! Happier times are coming!!

We now have a selection of our products available to buy at the Deeside Deli & Garden Shop in Ballater! Amongst the products, we have ready made Christmas Gift Bags at £20 containing various products, wrapped and ready to gift! This is a well stocked shop with lots of local produce and definitely worth a visit if you are in the area.