A snowy garden this morning. I wasn’t expecting that; my weather app didn’t predict it. The horses don't seem to mind it.

Today: temperature above freezing; no wind; no mist. So, I went out to sweep or pick up leaves. Now, Monty Don will tell you that leaves are not rubbish but a harvest. He also tells you that, put in a black bag, dampened well, they will give you lovely leaf mould in a year. I’ve found this not to be true; it takes at least two. So, even though my ( Read more... )

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I was expecting The Big Freeze to be a documentary of the type you might watch on Talking Pictures, so I was disconcerted to see Chris Packham (rather a bête noire of mine) telling us that this was a special edition of Winterwatch. I needn’t have worried, as the bulk of the programme was taken up with a contemporary account compiled by the old ( Read more... )

The weather is foul: day after day of rain, wind and darkness that mean lights on all day. My thoughts turn to bright, frosty days and skating.


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No, not curly kale or purple sprouting, delicious as they are, but those useful hardy perennials which keep their leaves in the winter. Here’s a few of mine. First up, Epimedium ‘Fröhnleiten’. How fresh and shiny does it look?


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