New Year’s Day is a bank holiday (public holiday) in the UK. I was home, and when I walked the dog, in spring-like weather, everywhere was quiet. Bar birdsong. A car disrupted the peace – but it was soon past, reminding me of one of my favourite poems. You can probably read Brian Patten’s January … Continue reading Busy bees, in January
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Deck the halls with boughs of… daffodils? The daffodil is a national emblem of Wales – presumably because daffodils are supposed to bloom in spring, and St David’s Day (patron saint of Wales) is on March 1. There’s a natural succession of flowering bulbs: snowdrops emerge in January, and flower in February. Crocus follow. And … Continue reading Daffodils in December
Remembrance Sunday this year falls on Armistice Day. Which also happens to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War. There is a motto: Lest we forget. Here’s a reminder of a few men who paid the ultimate price in the two World Wars. With great respect for all those killed on … Continue reading Roll of Honour – lest we forget
Bohemian Rhapsody, the movie, was released in cinemas here in the UK a few days ago. I went to see it yesterday. I did look at a few reviews. But decided to make my own mind up. Queen were the first band I ever got into and there's always something special about one's first love, … Continue reading Bohemian Rhapsody – critics should lighten up
I forget where my nemesias came from. Or, just how long ago I got them. At some point two to three years ago, I popped a couple into two of the big pots right outside my front door, which otherwise contain a daphne odora and a coprosma. The daphne promised ‘very fragrant, deep pink and … Continue reading Nemesia – non-stop flowers
The image for this post shows: the sole pear produced by what is still pretty much a stick in my front garden a Crystal lemon cucumber from my greenhouse inadvertently, but inevitably, some dog hairs! Glossing over 1 and 3, the cucumbers were a fun experiment I shall definitely repeat next year. The plants are … Continue reading Green tomatoes and yellow cucumbers
Peasant Pudding is presumably so called because it’s simple and cheap to make. It’s also quick to throw together and yummy to eat. This version is heavy on the apples in proportion to the pudding side of things, and comes from an old notebook of my Mum’s. The quantities are therefore British Imperial measures. Peasant … Continue reading Peasant Pudding
There may not be a Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Plants. But sometimes, you kind of wish there was. Following my previous post about pebbles/shingle, here are a couple of related photos. Where people have gone for pebbles or paving slabs, for low-maintenance; then tried to make them look less sterile with plants. … Continue reading Cruelty to plants
The main picture isn't part of a car park or industrial site. It is someone's front 'garden' in a wholly residential area. Here is a fuller view/: Being one big island and a bunch of small ones, Great Britain has a LOT of coastline. It’s hard to measure – there is even a thing … Continue reading Leave pebbles on the beach
A while ago, I shared some Useful Hints for the Home from the 1940s, which I found tucked into the back of an inherited, hand-written recipe book. Here are a few more that have not really stood the test of time. Though in the case of the first one, you COULD try it, if you … Continue reading More 1940s household tips
