Joys of Winter

Butter. I'm sure you are delicious, but I don't think annobel tried to eat you

Annobel. Have you tried googling the epley manoeuvre? There is a video that tells you how to do it.

Was I delicious, Annobel?

Glad you've had a better day.x

bagitha - who you, wicked? Ha!

Thank you bags, yes today has been good. I summoned up the stamina to make soup - spiced roasted squash. It didn't take too much energy to eat it, I'm glad to say. Tomorrow a friend is coming to take me out to lunch. Progress!

annobel, hope today has been a little easier than yesterday for you! xx

Spiraea twigs in certain lights
Are the russet colours of
Red squirrel fur.

I took the school rain gauge home with me for the Easter holidays and kept the record going during my first year at grammar school. I would have earned a "service star" for my efforts except that I forfeited it by being wicked.

Annobel as my eldest grandson would say - *Respect!' Take care.
Bagitha I enjoyed your word picture. Well done.
Sweet Peas - Sweet William - Wallflowers - Peonies...all bring back fond memories of my lovely Nana.
We've just returned from duties at 'Bleak House'...utterly depressing but very necessary. Time for a mug of good strong coffee.

I'm not really 'keeping on', GA - vegging out most of the time, though I have strolled round the patio today to get some fresh air into my head. If I overdo it, i go back, if not to square one, perhaps about two or three! Now I really must get round to clearing the dishwasher...

Have just erected my fancy new rain gauge (xmas pressie) which I can view from the kitchen door, but as soon as I'd finished the sun came out. Perhaps I have put the kibosh on the predicted rain, it and will be wall to wall sunshine for a while!

Oh dear Annobel - I do admire your ability to just keep on, even though I know what an effort it must be for you.
In my garden my fuchsias still think it's summer, there are an abundance of flowers still. The allotment has no idea what season it is; I'm picking raspberries that should have finished by October.
My grandson returns home tomorrow and then I really must give the garden and allotment some serious attention, it's all looking sadly neglected.

Mine certainly needs repotting, and this year I will have two pots of mint - or more. I can supply the family. When I stop feeling dizzy...

we've all done that annobel, double clicked. I have tried mint in a large pot, but i think it gets just desperate after a while and needs repotting.
I have a redpoll or two on the nyjer seed this morning. Which is most definitely a sign of winter. I think they know it is going to get colder by the end of the week and are heading south.
They certainly "know" on a day by day basis if the weather looks threatening or not. If it does they are down our greasy spoon bird cafe in droves, stocking up on calories. Levels of seed in feeders plummet. On fine days they are more adventurous about where they feed and eat a lot less round our place.

Double clicked again, sorry.

I have my mint in a large pot to contain the roots. In my last garden it was taking over, despite being on clay, so I left it to the next occupants and just brought a root with me.

I have my mint in a large pot to contain the roots. In my last garden it was taking over, despite being on clay, so I left it to the next occupants and just brought a root with me.

Must get down to the allotment and start to tackle the raspberry canes and the blasted bindweed that grows amongst them. Nearly go it under control last year then I turned my back on it and wheeeeeeee it was off again!

Must be why the world isn't covered - too much clay. I will remember about the everlasting sweet peas.....

I could never get mint to flourish in Oxfordshire either. It grew, but it didn't make a bid to take over the world. Everlasting sweet peas, on the other hand......

I've had difficulty in establishing mint here! I dare not put it in a veg bed, but the rest which hasn't been improved is thick Oxford clay, and either concrete hard or soggy according to the weather....I have one lot growing but not flourishing!
I'm reminded I have some digging still to do, but I have started on painting the outside loo, which is the one bit I haven't touched in this house yet, and I must do that first...I think it's a spring cleaning effort.

Pretty determined plant mint. Its those just below the surface stems they put out in their campaign for world dominion. The strange thing is that the whole of the Uk is not covered in the stuff...

I can smell the mint, bagitha!

You have spurred me on to get out today and do a similar job - maybe my sinuses will improve with a blast of the cold stuff .

Took the scythe out this morning
To tidy up a flowerbed.
Gardening is like that on our hill.
By golly, mint stems are tough!
Even the ditch blade,
Specially strengthened Austrian steel,
That copes fine with dock
Was struggling with mint.
So now I'm wondering if mint stems
Would make good rope.
I often tie my wood bundles
With young bramble, or with string
Made out of nettles.
With my double gloves this morning,
Wool inside for warmth
and waterproof outside for dry-th ,
I scythed away and double-filled a wheelbarrow
With rushes, mint, dead iris leaves and grass.
Then I threw down some chicken food
So they would scratch about where I had been
And loosen some more dead stuff
For composting.

Heard the barn owls 'hoo- hooing' to each other this evening when I closed the shutters. What a couple of teenagers!

Supernana... 'wild violets in a mossy bank, half hidden from the view' always remind me of my lovely Mum and Sunday afternoon walks along the Anglesey lanes.
We did get to see the starling murmuration last Friday and the lovely young woman from the RSPB was so enthusiastic and entertaining. She did say they only have a million this year, it was 6 million last year!
Next month the bitterns start booming so we'll go again!