Gardeners Crafting Diary of Wonderment April 2026
- Cat's Punky Stuff
- May 1
- 8 min read
As the weather has noticeably started to warm up, it is the start of a very busy time, as with most gardeners and outdoor lovers. April is always busy with seed sowing, the first grass mowing and generally tidying up in readiness for the growing season. Plant pot washing, greenhouse washing and daily walk-abouts trigger reminders of little jobs to do. I am very excited about the garden this year, as we have spent autumn and early spring moving lots of plants, so it is going to look different. As for crafting, I have been very busy promoting the next craft fayre and making various decorations for it. Etsy is a continued graveyard, with absolutely nothing happening; it has definitely died a death, but that is OK, as I want to invest my time in new ventures.
1st APRIL
Glorious Flooring finished
It may have taken 3 months, but the bathroom floor tiles are finally finished. I had a deadline of the end of March to complete the tiles, so I am pleased about that. The floor still needs finishing, but as it is time to start doing outdoor jobs, the floor will have to wait for autumn. I have deliberately not varnished them yet, as I want them to wear and tear a little to add to the distressed look. The half-inch-thick wooden tiles have made a big difference in warming the bathroom; I want to do the rest of the downstairs!
4th APRIL
Macro Mini
Along with the new adventures associated with promoting pagan craft fayres, I have also decided to start submitting my photographs to a stock library. I mentioned in March that I had been lazy last year with my photography, so this year I am going out daily. My niche is close-up macro photos of newly opened flowers before the bees take the pollen. I have done a lot of research and Adobe Stock seems the best option for what I do. It will be slow to start and I would never make a fortune at it, but it could be a little
effortless pastime that could earn a few pounds. Since working out how best to produce great macro photos, I have already got a hefty portfolio of about thirty, which is already a good amount for a new account. Once I am up and running, I will need to have hundreds of photos, which I will have by the end of the year.
5th APRIL
Lentil Bread Success
In line with my 'living like it's the fifties', which is going really well by the way, I had wanted to make my own bread, mainly because the shop-bought stuff has lots of nasty ingredients when bread should only have 3 or 4 things in it. I had never experienced a really lovely homemade bread; they always come out like bricks that even the ducks turn their beaks up at, until my good friend Zoe's husband (hiya Zoe) had incredible success with deliciously fabulous loaves. I found there are different ways to make bread and one way is the simplest of simple ways possible. Lentil bread is incredibly easy to make, easier than a sponge cake and it is nothing like lentils; instead, it is more like a dense sponge. It is delicious toasted, as it's like a warm slab of cake and it holds it's heat for ages. I added a few Italian herbs over the top, but next time I will mix herbs into the mix. It is the perfect healthy breakfast treat with a bit of strawberry and vanilla jam on top. It was also perfect as garlic bread to have with lasagna. Surprisingly it is made from just lentils, olive oil and eggs, plus a bit of seasoning, all thrown into a blender and then straight into the baking tin. It couldn't be simpler, couldn't be more delicious and so good for you.
7th APRIL
Samhain Yuletide Time in Spring
Yes, mad as it may sound, but I have had to design the Samhain poster for the craft fayre in November. I know November is at the backend of the year and, I know we haven't completed spring yet, but I thought it would be a good idea to have the poster ready to display as a 'save the date' thing for both traders and shoppers. I have slightly changed the style of the poster from the Beltane one by simplifying the imagery so it will look less fussy in the magazine adverts we run. I have created a border where the foliage falls off the page, giving a soft edge that blends into the page. It will really stand out much more than the Beltane poster, especially with the colour palette I have used. It was a difficult poster to design, as we planned it to be our Yuletide fayre, though it will be during Samhain, so the poster needed to be a bit spooky, plus festive for Yule.
10th APRIL
Little Plant Book: The Land of the Oak King
I heard of the Oak King a long while ago and thought, Little Plant, you would like to know! A land that's quite near, where this ancient tree resides, with many subjects of feather and fur caring for him come rain or shine. This land is full of butterflies and birds with worn, winding paths in the grass and splashed clusters of white anemones dotted amidst bluebells en mass! A land occupied with activity, bustling, alive, all going about their day within the vicinity of the King, protected by his presence, old age, strength and
wisdom.
His Pagan Highness of legend lineage, still in his winter clothes, with warmth from the sun on his creaking boughs, teasing his leaves to unfold. As a cooling canopy grows from his crown, a bluebell carpet is all around. A regal, royal purple that ever there was, whilst the Oak King stands broad and proud. With bare branches except for lime tips, with that unique freshness as young leaves awaken, the turning wheel brings excitement and moves through time on the same path always taken. Everywhere in the air, things are all a flutter, from jays up high in treetops to woodpeckers knocking knock knocking and blue tits sing-songing, encouraging plants to grow.
12th APRIL
Road Sign Crows
To say it is hectic and very busy is an understatement, but it is all good fun as everything is creatively new. With our May Fayre just three weeks away, I had to crack on with painting the new road sign. It may have only been a few weeks since I started designing these road signs and it's feeling like I have done nothing but make them for weeks, but here we are again. Painting them this time was much easier than it had been for the recycling fair, as I know how great they look when they are up. I have also got two decoy crows, one to
sit on top of each sign. I had to research first as to whether decoy crows would bother the native wildlife, especially as there are a lot of crows roosting nearby, but we should be alright.
15th APRIL
Maypole Madness
I had the crazy idea to create a centre piece for the hall during the Beltane Fayre. I had a very clear vision of what I wanted, but creating it was a challenge. I have a sturdy patio table with a hole in the centre for the umbrella and I thought it would be great to have the maypole passing through the table. The only problem was I wanted a good 3-inch thick pole, but the table hole was a third of that. Luckily I have a genius of a husband who crafted the pole so it was thin at one end, perfect for sitting in the table hole. Along with a
willow wreath decorated with spring-coloured pom poms as a flower crown and wide organza ribbons, our little maypole should be functional and decorative.
17th APRIL
Cottage garden in the hall
For the Beltane Fayre on the 3rd May, which is taking up all of my time right now, I wanted to use all of the facilities at the hall, which includes the projector and sound system. I had the idea to project the image of an oak wood and bluebells onto the end wall of the hall. When we trialled it, it looked terrible as the image was a perfect rectangle and I had envisaged the trees filling the wall and slanting roof. I came away with the idea to create an image of an open window onto a cottage garden, so the hall wall will look like it has a actual window. The picture matches the projector image, so I'm hoping it will look good. It has yet to be tested, but I have 5 in different colours and contrasts to trial. I have also found a great selection of music suitable for the fayre and cannot wait to hear these beautiful harp, flute and acoustic guitar tunes with a medieval tavern theme played through the halls sound system.
21st APRIL
Blackbird Nursery
We have baby blackbirds again and they are the tamest yet. The babies have a very distinctive call, a bit like when you suck your teeth and we have heard them for a week or so but not seen them. Now they are venturing away from the nest, even right up to the back door for treats. Usually each pair of blackbirds have one egg, once it has hatched the males seem to take the baby away to teach it how to be a blackbird while the female lays a second egg. Our male turned up with two babies, so we don't know if they are from two
different females or whether one blackbird pair has had two eggs at once. Anyway, they are very tame and it is really great to have baby blackbirds again.
24th APRIL
Photo Workshop Idea
Had great fun taking photographs of something new which was really challenging. My friend Glen makes exquisite copper wire jewellery and I offered to take some photographs of her best pieces. I didn't have the studio lights up, instead relied on the sun, but it kept going in and out, so one minute the photos were perfect, the next minute they were rubbish. The experience gave me a good idea for a workshop in Autumn, where I take photos of crafters work, show them how to take a good photo, help edit them
etc. I am also considering doing a Photoshop workshop as someone has already asked. There is a free version of it called Photopea, which is virtually identical to Photoshop.
27th APRIL
Fayre Ready
Everything is ready for our Beltane Fayre. Here is a list of everything we have done to make this event a memorable occasion:
In November we potted bulbs and spring flowers to bloom in May
Paid for advertising in 'Your Lincs Magazine'.
Built a 7-foot tabletop maypole with a willow wreath flower crown and ribbons.
Made hand-painted hardwood signs for the roadside
Made ivy garlands to run the length of the hall
Compiled a playlist of relevant music, from mediaeval tavern tunes to soulful harps and flutes, which will be played throughout the hall sound system.
Met with caterers and technicians to ensure we have the best there is, using all the space to its maximum potential
Practised different table layouts at the venue
You have been reading my Gardeners Crafting Diary of Wonderment April 2026
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