Preparing for Spring in the English Countryside | Slow Living, Baking from Scratch & Gardening Vlog

Hello everyone, I'm coming to you today with a very happy video from cold but sunny and utterly beautiful Somerset countryside. The sun is shining, snowdrops and daffodils are blooming. It really feels like spring is on its way, bringing fresh energy and hope. All the spring bulb flowers at the garden center make me happy. I couldn't help but bring snowdrops home. They are some of my favorite flowers, very common in the English countryside. They are one of the first flowers to grow at the end of winter, symbolizing new beginnings, hope and resilience. February feels like a time in between, when we can sense that things are about to change. Although the trees are still bare and the air is icy cold, the first brave flowers are making their appearance and I think it's a sign for us humans to start preparing for the new season. Spring is a time to take action, sort out our gardens, declutter our homes, but also start acting on our winter dreams and plans. Things are getting serious in my garden. It's my first time pruning my roses. I've watched hours of pruning videos and strictly followed advice from the David Austin website, but I'm still nervous about whether I'm doing it right. I planted these roses last February and I remember mentioning back then why I planted them in pots. We were hoping to begin house hunting in 2025 and I wanted to take these roses with me. I'm not making any official announcements, but if you would like to know where we currently are with moving house, I've included this in point 7 of my most recent blog post. I will link my blog in the video description for anyone interested. I'm also happy to report that I managed to save my Mother's Day roses from last year. I separated the plants into three containers and they kept blooming until October. I hope they will keep on blooming this year. If we move to our future home, I'm going to fill the back garden with roses and lavender. All these spring vibes make me think it's the right time for a good old carrot cake. I know this recipe by heart. I could recite it in my sleep. It's so easy yet so good. I always get compliments on this cake and everyone in the family just loves it. Carrot cake is one of those cakes that's good all year round. In spring because carrots make you think of bunnies and in autumn because of the cinnamon and then winter because it's made with root vegetables. I guess any reason is good to make and eat carrot cake. Spring is truly beautiful in the English countryside. Our Somerset villages get decorated with flowers that suddenly appear in cottage gardens, alongside the roadsides and wherever else the wind carries their seeds. My secret to any cake is the white fluffy cream. It's the easiest thing you can whip up at home in minutes. All you need is one cup of full-fat cream, some full-fat soft cheese and a pinch of powdered sugar. Beat everything with a mixer until it thickens and store in the fridge. If somewhere in the world there is a contest for the most wonky cake, I'm sure I would have a high chance of winning. But nevertheless this cake will be gone by tomorrow, because everyone in the family loves it. Of course at this time of the year we still get plenty of rainy and gloomy days in the English countryside. A few years back we even got snow in March, but overall it feels like the worst of winter has now passed. The sole purpose of this video is to bring smile to your face and maybe offer a glimmer of hope, especially if your country is still in the depths of winter. Please remember that even after the coldest and darkest of winters, spring eventually arrives and the sun will shine again. Thank you so much for watching!