First Frosts

It's that time of year again: frost patterns on the cars, my Highway doesn't work first thing in the morning - like me, it doesn't like the cold

And the spiders' webs are hanging in damp rags

People are planting daffodil bulbs everywhere

And we've set about clearing out the pots, digging the bulbs out of the shed and replanting everything. Hopefully, we can expect a decent show in the Spring

A few of the best climbing pelargoniums set aside ready for the Spring because they're a bit expensive and wouldn't survive outside.

We've been moving plants around. I dug out the acanthus and made a huge space for some shrubs. lots of bulbs in here also. I'm hoping the squirrels don't eat them all.

Still, we've lots of logs cut

And more wood still to be cut so we might get through the Winter without buying more.

Finally, the bad puns are out again. What is it with non-conformist churches and limp puns? I think there's a factory somewhere churning them out.

http://livingvillage.blogspot.com/2009/01/non-conformism-and-bad-puns.html

A frosty New Year

New Year’s Day and no let up in the frost. The ground is iron hard and the trees covered with a fine coating. The birds are finding it hard.



I re-filled the bird feeders and scattered a few mealy grubs on the ground, but I’m sure I had more mealy grubs and couldn’t find them.

The lights were on in the calving shed up behind the house as I went to bed at about half past midnight and I could hear the beasts moaning. All was quiet this morning, so it looks like a good result.

As I strolled past the village allotments (for those not familiar with the idea, see http://permaculture.wikia.com/wiki/Allotment_(gardening) “In the United Kingdom, an allotment is a small area of land, let out at a nominal yearly rent by local government or independent allotment associations, for individuals to grow their own food. This could be considered as an example of a community garden system for urban and to some extent rural folk. The allotment system began in the 18th century: for example, a 1732 engraving of Birmingham, England shows the town encircled by allotments, some of which still exist to this day. Following the Enclosure Acts and the Commons Act of 1876 the land available for personal cultivation by the poor was greatly diminished. To fulfil the need for land allotment legislation was included. The law was first fully codified in the Small Holdings and Allotment Act of 1908, it was modified by the Allotments Act of 1922 and subsequent Allotments Acts up until 1950.”),

I got to thinking about the humble Brussels sprout. It seems that you either love or hate the Sprout. In some cases, even people who like cabbage can’t stand sprouts. I think this is because they’ve never eaten sprouts at their best, after the frost has been at them and the centre is pink and sweet.

I don’t have an allotment; I find the idea of having to take my tools etc. down a bit of an effort, probably because my first garden was a third of an acre and filled with all kinds of veg. All I had to do to cultivate or collect was step out of my back door. Mind you, in those days we were poor. We had 2 kids at home, I held down 2 jobs and I used to go out at weekends and push over dead trees in the hedgerows to bring home for fuel.

The village is very proud of its allotments, and unlike some other areas, it looks unlikely that they will be sold off for development, so there will be lots of local families growing and eating fresh veg. If this sort of thing interests you, go to: The National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners http://www.nsalg.org.uk/.

Speaking of development, I saw these along the path as I was walking Molly. I hope they’re only there to mark out the path when the Council workmen come to lay down some quarry waste. I think I need to keep an eye on them.

New year's eve, and the killing goes on

New Year’s Eve and a white hoar frost over all. I had hoped to get a decent photograph of the Kestrel that I saw hovering about 20 feet above the ground yesterday; it then swooped but did not, I think, make a kill and settled in the field to preen itself. Anyway, with the cold, it was not in evidence.

In fact, the mist and hoar frost was caused by a lack of the biting North wind of yesterday, so: no wind = no wind chill. I didn’t feel nearly as cold today.

The fields around are achingly beautiful at this time of year. There is a lonely, sparse feeling about everything. The only sound was the farmer behind in his tractor bringing bedding to the beasts. None of the local blue tits were around and the wrens kept themselves hidden. Lots of sparrows (house and hedge varieties) and the starlings, like death and taxes, are always there.

I came back to the news on the radio that Israel had refused an attempt to set up a truce to enable humanitarian aid into Gaza. This blog is not intended to be political, but I can no longer resist saying; when did murdering innocent people (or even executing without trial guilty people) become internationally acceptable? Was it us in Iraq, or Dresden, or Hiroshima, or did it happen before that? Anyway, isn’t it time we just stopped killing each other? Isn’t it time to say to governments “Just stop fighting each other and who knows what good might happen?” Can anyone who believes in God tell me why, when all good men and women pray constantly for Peace, doesn’t he/she just say “Yes”?

The first signs of Winter

Winter arrived overnight with a hard frost.

The softer plants like the Nasturtians have collapsed because they're mostly water, but we had already brought in the Aeonium and lagged the pot the Olive tree sits in (too big to bring into the house). The poppy, Patty's Plum, which is such a favourite in our house, had one last flowering just in time to be caught by the overnight freeze.

Anyway, it's not all downside; there are some wonderful sights to be seen. I caught these nettles just before the sun melted the frost - magical.

Mind you, you do have to be careful with ice all over the pavement!