2019 – January

Happy New Year everyone!

A bit chilly isn’t it? Although there have been some very bright crisp days that have allowed some outside work, the end of the month has definitely been wintery.

Although we have escaped the heavy snow that has hit some areas of the country, we have still had a lot of frost. It looks pretty, but I’m concerned the fuchsias and other tender plants tucked up under fleece in the polytunnel will not be happy.

The cats have definitely decided that it’s best to stay indoors by the fire (or under cover) and even I had to spend a few days plotting and planning instead of being out and about.

As a result of this we’ve bought a sideboard, and ordered a potting shed. I’m hoping for better weather so I can go outside and stop spending money. The sideboard has been delivered, but the potting shed will be a few more weeks. It’s a quality piece made to order, as I expect to spend a lot of time there… So it needed a solid level base building. This work was done for us by a local firm, and the results look excellent. Even if they did manage to pick the first snowy day to get started. A side effect is the large mountain of rubble and soil that had to be cleared. It will all be used, in raised beds, and for levelling some areas, but I think I’d better get used to Mount Harpsbridge as it will probably be here for a while.

I’ve also spent some time:

• Making a garden plan, (helped by the local pheasant, the yellow stripe on one photo is a 50metre tape measure)
• Got about half way through pruning the apples (and also bought an apple peeler and corer that Helen quite rightly pointed out looks like something from  Wallace and  Gromit).
• Acquiring a rotovator on loan, for Andy to play with
• Heeling in some bare rooted hedging plants (need the soil to thaw to plant them)
• Fighting the telegraph-pole gatepost (Andy won)
• And put more gravel down – finishing the parking/turning area and flooring the goat stable, which is now full of garden pots, compost, wheelbarrows and tools (roll on spring!)

So January may occasionally be dark and dreary, but still plenty going on