Rain Rain Go Away....

I know we needed the rain, but since it's started it hardly seems to have eased up. Fingers crossed it is just April showers as we have to plant up our veg plot. Last years effort was a bit half hearted, due to the early arrival of Baby Ochre, but this year we have good intentions of using all the raised beds as well as the greenhouse. We (that being the Royal we) have managed to plant a few rows of potatoes, but so far that's it! 

Our new lawn mowers have arrived for the Spring / Summer season; 3 sheep and 6 lambs. They have already settled in well, exploring our orchard and the lambs bouncing and skipping around. Puppy Ochre is particularly taken with them, and takes any opportunity to slip out of the office to sit and watch them through the gate.

On the business side for Ochre And Ocre our latest wholesale customer is the very lovely Webbs of Wychbold, and Ryton, the Organic Garden Centre. Both excellent days out, if you are near either we thoroughly recommend popping in.

With no shows this year, it is nice not having to load and unload stock and props, and it does give us more time to forward plan; we have decided on our new Autumn colourway. Weather permitting it would be great to get some shots in the garden, instead of the week before Christmas like we usually do! I just hope we can tear Rachel Spivey away from her summer weddings for a trip to the Malvern Hills one ( hopefully fine) day!

Grumpy Dog....

As in any office environment, occasionally working together for too long can cause niggles and gripes, and it is no different here at Ochre And Ocre. We are busy preparing for our big Autumn show this week, The Spirit of Christmas, which involves lots of boxes everywhere, shelving, and general chaos.
Those of you who have been following my blog, will know I share my office space with a lady of advanced years, who is prone to grumbling when the phone goes, teetering at the top of the stairs when you are trying to take an order, and generally making sure her presence is felt at all times.
This week is no exception, but for once I have to see her point of view, as the office has been over run with gift sets, and cardboard boxes, making it very hard for Gert to make it to her "desk" under the window. I know that the sight of all these boxes does tend to unnerve her, trauma from seven house moves in six years, so I have made a concerted effort to clear her a pathway across the office this morning!

I also promised you some pictures of the beautiful Malvern countryside around here, in all it's Autumnal glory. The one morning I remembered to take my camera out with me, it was very frosty, but the light first thing is so warm, and golden, if I time it just right there is often a beautiful sunrise over the Cotswold Hills, hard to capture on film, but lovely to watch as I climb the Malverns.

Hen House Envy

Ok - I've got a confession to make...my name is Tess and I am envious of my friends hen house!
The talented jeweller Jo Verity has been busy living the good life over in the lovely Malvern Hills, and has recently added this rather superb hen house (with hens of course!), to her garden.
Ok - so I am a little timid / scared of the winged things, ever since a very nasty one called "Pecker" used to chase me around my mums orchard when I was little. You had to go in armed with a cabbage stalk to beat them back, if you wanted to collect eggs.
Jo's team sound very different, and its great to get updates on their egg laying - apparently the first time one of the hens laid an egg, they were all running round chirping and flapping to celebrate!
I know I won't be the only one with this problem, my friend Amy also has HHE (Hen House Envy). Don't worry Amy - our time will come!