A Mellow End To The Year

How strange to look out of the window without being dazzled by the white. The freshly uncovered grass looks yellow & stressed from the sub-zero temperatures.

I could not resist this wonderful early morning rose quartz sky!

A Woodcock in The Garden

Pin feathers that are useful to artists are to be found on this fine little bird. According to my knowledgeable father-in-law, this is an absolute fact. In the sub -zero temperatures it has been a real priviledge to spot these brave little fellows darting through the woods without a care!

They are distinctive birds with a long, narrow beak & speckled lemon feathers. Their appearance in the garden is a rarity & a real treat for anyone lucky enough to meet these shy creatures. They are part of the gamebird family but have a grace & elegance that eludes the humble pheasant. Shh, don't tell our resident pheasant Elvis that I said this!!

Post Christmas Thaw

What an interesting metaphor the garden is for our everyday life. For the past week the landscape has been frozen in time by the sub-zero temperatures, & most of us have been psycologically frozen in the race to create the 'Perfect Christmas Day'. As the snow melts the last of the year's blooms are emerging a little worse for wear, probably like most of us after indulging in too much rich fayre! One deep breath of the refreshing winter air reminds me of the amazing restorative power of nature.

White Christmas

We are celebrating christmas with the garden blanketed in snow. The winter-sun's rays are bouncing off the crystals, jumping magically through the windows. Elvis is feasting on a lunch of fat balls and peanuts, demonstrating his newly acquired balancing skills. Too much more of this christmas fayre and he will be grounded!!!

From June to December

It's amazing browsing through photographs taken in June to see the way the garden changes as the year moves on. Vivid colours & blousy form are replaced by skeletal silhouettes. This morning the plants are rigid with frost - creating real interest. It is one of the only times that individual blades of grass take on a persona of their own & stand out from the crowd. Ivy, cladding the trees, has been traced with a silver highlighter, white berries punctuating the bark. The trees emerge hauntingly through the freezing fog. Properly dressed, it has been a day to venture out & explore nature's magical kingdom.

The Garden Re-Emerges

It started at 6pm last night, the soft patter of rain on the window pane. Finally, after a week the barometer started to rise as the wind chill left the air. Slowly, areas of grass & vegetation have begun to emerge from the blanket of white - all looking a little worse for wear. Bravely, the rose 'Gertrude Jekyll' is displaying a single fuchsia-pink bloom in defiance of Jack Frost. The plucky young poppies have not fared so well; their fleshy stems and leaves collapsing into mush as they thaw. Mr Mole has struggled in the frozen soil, resorting to the single grand-scale excavation of his predecessor's run. Judging by the size of the mole-hill, his exertions over the past week must have kept him toasty in the freezing temperatures.

Looking out over the brooding hues of olive & chocolate under the graphite clouds, it is hard to believe that only yesterday Isis & I had to shield our eyes from the glare of the winter sun on the snow!

Beautiful Winter Landcape

The cool colours of winter simply take your breath away!

Look Mum - This is Fun!

Today, even I didn't want to venture out! The landsape is frozen, the woodland is eerily silent & even the 'Woodmen' don't want leave their log-burner. But for puppies the perspective is different. New territory & new smells - this is all very exciting. Pokey & Mr Mousse have new winter coats so they're suited & booted for adventure! 'Mum, just make sure that you order lots of dry logs for Christmas, otherwise we'll be really cold!'

The Big Freeze

Overnight the snow has fallen & once again the landscape is ethreal. The running water from the stream prevents the pond from icing over completely; this is a lifesaver for the birds who need to be able to drink & wash their feathers. The fat balls are in great demand; even the pidgeons are attempting an ungainly display of gymnastics to sample the delicacy followed by a dessert of bright berries and ruby crabapples. The plants take on a new persona swathed in sparkling crystals, the Miscanthus particularly has a touch of 'Liberache' about it! The potted-Peiries is shivering outside the window as the biting north-east wind cuts through her leaves. It may be beautiful today but the wind-chill is deathly.

The Bees Stay Warm & Cosy

There has been an eerie silence in the valley today as the plummeting temperatures are keeping even hardened walkers curled up by the fire. With a reading of minus 5, the defrosting roof on the hive assures us that our resident pollinators are warm & cosy on the bee patio! We've hung little bee houses in the trees to provide warmth & protection for the wild bees.

The Garden At Dusk

Tonight the snow fell gently from the expectant clouds and etched translucence onto the garden.

Narnia

It started falling last night at dusk & this morning we awoke to a landscape blanketed in snow. This is when the structure of the garden reveals it's magnificence. As we brought in the logs I was expecting to meet Mr Tumnus!

Low Mist Envelops The Valley

This morning the air is moist with the low hanging cloud & mist. For the first time it feels like we have passed through the portal from autumn to winter. Most of the trees are now bare of their leaves & fruit leaving the sky sillhouetted with their magnificent frames. Their presence & re-assurance of the continum of life is ever welcome. This week I mourned the passing of the garden of my childhood; learning that it had been purchased by developers who immediately felled the apple, pear, greengage & lilac trees which were part of the original orchard where the houses were built in the 1920's. It was under their branches that I played & their beauty inspired my love of the garden. Their spirit lives on & this is probably an example, on a larger scale, of the cycle of renewal. I hope that, at some point, new trees will be planted for the children of the future to experience their majesty!

Wagtails Piroette On The Lillypads

This morning an excited little wagtail was joyfully jumping from lillypad to lillypad in the early November sunshine, celebrating the wonder of washing her feet. Isis & I were mesmerised by her elegant dance, entirely choreographed by nature. Intermittently, she would soar skywards using the decaying leaf as a launch pad before looping down into the valley & returning to frollick in the pond some more! It was a really special moment & a priviledge to witness. What a wonderful start to the charity day for BBC Children In Need.

Death of a Colony

Today the master bee-keeper phoned to let us know about the untimely death of one of his colonies & his new 'Buckfast Queen'! It is so upsetting when a tragedy like this occurs to a local colony. Bee- keepers are a close community with a shared passion and fascination with the secret life of bees! The decline of the colony was swift & deadly, it leaves us all in mourning for the loss of these wonderful miracle workers. Today, I was pleased to spend time gift wrapping 'Aphrodite's Honey' from the summer - it invoked memories of happy summer days amongst the flowers accompanied by the hum of our industrious little pollinaters.

The Wind Wreaks Havoc

What a week of contrasts; balmy autumn days to violent wind & rain. The upside is that the last of the apples have been stripped from the trees & are now nestled cosily amongst the leaves & geraniums in the composter. The dogs are delighted with the medlars hidden in the grass at the base of the tree & spend happy hours foraging for a treat. The garden rings to the sound of power tools blowing, strimming & mulching, a petrol head's delight. The white of the iris have been settled in the soil in anticipation of the season to come. Hopefully a cold snap will provide the few weeks respite required for the plants to go dormant & recouperate their strengh!

Ice In The Birdbath

When the birdbath freezes over - we know that winter is here & so do the wild birds. The drop in temperature restricts their access to fresh water for washing & drinking, so it's vital to check that it hasn't frozen over! Luckily here the stream runs freely even during the harshest conditions although I love to watch the birds ruffle their feathers at bathtime & peer in the window demanding more nuts. Wherever possible we are not overtidying so that we can leave them some warm, dry places to overwinter with some seed heads & berries to feast on. On the patio the frost has also started to affect the summer geraniums; so it's time for them to join the ingredients in the compost heap in preparation for a delicious mulch for next year's roses.

Isis Forages For Medlars

Isis has a new role in the garden - 'Chief Medlar Detector'. An autumn spent sampling the delights of the windfalls has tempted her to upgrade to 'Haute Cuisine'& introduce sophistication to her palate. The musty apple & cinnamon flavour of rotting medlars is providing irresistable. The challenge is reading her bodylanguage & anticipating a 'find'; then popping it in the basket before she realises! Not an easy task, it requires speed, agility & determination.

Poppies. A Time To Remember

This morning at 11am on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the power of nature was at it's mightiest as the rain lashed down & the wind roared through the valley like an anguished dragon howling in pain. Watching the leaves funneling up in the air like mini- tornadoes engaged in an aerial dog-fight was an moving sight for the two minute silence; a beautiful metaphor for the youth, strength & bravery of all those who have given their lives for their country.

After a few minutes the wild grief subsided allowing the sun to peep from behind the clouds & call us into the garden. Along the path we found a young poppy, encouraged by the temperate autumn, her leaves still crumpled in the bud as she prepares to bloom - A hint of her beauty to come. We wonder if the chill of winter will cut her down in her prime? The red flowering corn poppy, 'Papaver rhoeas', symbolises eternal sleep & resurrection, a fitting tribute to our brave & fallen.

A Gentle Respite

What a change in our fortune's after the bitter wind & rain of yesterday. Today the sun shone down from clear blue skies, tempting us to stop awhile & bask in her glory. Rose Palais Royal looked down regally today through the branches of the ornamental crabapple with it's ruby red fruit. What a delight to see this rose in full flower the second week in November. Although her bed-mate the clematis 'Niobe' is long gone, she is the perfect companion for a late autumn fruit tree.

The Barometer is Falling

This morning winter announced her arrival in dramatic style as the wind blast through the valley. The composter is full to brimming with leaves caught in her wake. Gentle investigation of the soil beneath the leaf-carpet revealed the tips of the snowdrops being encouraged by the warmth. Most of our trees are now almost bare, this week's fierce winds having stripped them of leaves. We have cleared the debris from the base of the hellebors to allow the air to circulate under their old leaves where the flower buds are developing to flower after christmas. Together with the snowdrops these are the garden's first gifts of the New Year.

When the wind is nipping at our fingers there is nothing nicer than retreating to the kitchen to make sloe gin, medlar jelly & apple chutney.

The Smoke Bush

Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple' - I just love this shrub. It's shapely form provides interest throughout the summer into the late autumn. Romantic in a summer planting, with open, pink flowering plumes covered in a smokey haze. The black/purple leaves turn tequilla-sunrise orange before falling in November. These pictures were taken just two weeks apart, just after the first frost & today, just before she de-robes! Definitely a plant for all seasons.

Valley Garden Produce

The Piquent scent of apple is permeating the house from the kitchen. Baskets of apples, walnuts, medlars & crabapples, the produce from our bumper harvest, cover the surfaces. It's hard to believe that this fruit began life in the spring when the trees were covered in clouds of five petal blossom. Plip, plip, plip; the clear claret syrup drips through the muslin in preparation for the delicacy 'crabapple jelly'. I must admit, the rolling boil to find the point where alchemy occurs is always stressful. The 'Bramley apples', Malus domestica, are being used for jars of Nigella's 'Spicy Apple Chutney', golden & fluffy ----- ummm Delicious!

The Wild Bird's Delight!

Wow, now that's what I call a feast!

The Brightest Berries For Years!

This year's display of jewel coloured berries is truely amazing. Dark green foliage is being illuminated with a plethora of berries crossing the spectrum from tequilla-sunrise orange through ruby to black. Soft autumn light is gently diffusing the colours creating the effect of looking across the african plains at sunset; truely magnificent. Each morning a different plant enchants me with it's fiery foliage - this morning it was the turn of the 'Acer'under the canopy of the 'Copper Beech' tree.

Rambling Rosie!

'Banba', daughter of the late Aphrodite, is our new Queen Bee. She was born on 24th august here in the garden. We've only seen her once but she is slim and very fast. She is rapidly filling the hive with brood and the colony seem content & pleased to have her at the helm. Although the days are drawing in, it was balmy this morning & the bees were up & about early searching for autumn nectar. In front of the hive we have planted the beautiful red rose 'Rambling Rosie', this morning it was a joy to watch the bees taking off just above her crimson flower-heads.

Apples Galore!

It's raining apples! As soon as we collect the windfalls we hear the familiar thud,thud,thud of more parashuting from the trees, looking for a soft landing. This is a bumper harvest & the question has to be 'Just how many variations are there on cooking with apples? Gaia, the earth Goddess has been bountiful this season so there is certainly no opportunity for hands & imaginations to lay idle. I wonder how much we have to thank the pollinating skills of last season's Queen Bee Aphrodite & her girls?

Autumn Leaves

Todays rain & swirling wind are helping the leaves to fall from the trees. We have a carpet of walnut, ash, hornbeam & hazel. The water is coursing along the paths pushing the windfalls into a decorative collage; 'Natures' submission for the 'Royal Academy'! The composters are full to the brim with leaves and apples, the start of a nutritious leaf-mould for next years roses. Tidying the garden in autumn is is calming and rewarding a wonderful year of flowering. Time to lean on the rake & plan the spring bulbs.

Frost in the Moonlight

Just before sunrise this morning the moon's rays filtered onto the garden through the branches of the copper beech. Blades of grass sparkled; capturing a moment in time in their frozen form. The damson-coloured leaves of the deciduous Cotinus, were sprinkled with icing sugar, looking good enough to eat! The distinctive, scented 'Sage Seat'; Salvia (Labiatae), is frost sensitive so moments of aromatic reflection will be numbered as we head towards winter, & the garden goes to sleep. As soon as the sun rises the magical world of Jack Frost dissolves & before long it is easy to forget that he was ever here!