Great Wood Walk

Every Tuesday I go for a walk with my friend. We talk and walk - it's good for both of us. We are at home all day and it's amazing how easy it is to start feeling that your world ends at these four walls and to stop venturing out.

We stopped to look at patches of star shaped mosses - they twinkled with rain drops they'd caught. I feel really lucky to have this time - to not always be rushing about.

My daughter's birthday cake -second attempt - hoorah it rose this time. The one that didn't rise still tasted delicious sandwiched with whipped cream, jam and fresh strawberries.

After a period of writing little I have redrafted a poem and written bit more of my novel. I like the poem much better now but probabaly still needs more work.

Garden notes

Just the other day I was thinking that I can't post any more pictures of my garden as they will all be repeats. You see I started this blog this time last year when I broke my arm. (It was very useful at a frustrating time.) But then we went out into the garden and one of our many clematis, the winter flowering one had flowered for the first time since we planted it years ago. I ignored any suggestions that it should be pulled out and it has flowered!! I love the unpredictability about growing plants. The picture's a bit blurred but the clematis has lovely pink freckles.

My hellebore had lots of gorgeous pink buds waiting to open and shyly hang their heads.

My lovely mother in law brings us these massive containers of olive oil. Turned one into a pot which I crammed with anemones.

Colour already in the garden from the gorgeous camelia.

The winter jasmine only had a few yellow flowers and it turns out I'd missed it in full flower a few weeks before. Such a shame- I have no excuse as I am home every day.

I was so excited to see the snowdrops back again. So delicate - I love the way they tremble when you approach. (They probably tremble all the time.)

Writing

I made it over to the allotment on Monday for the first time in weeks. I forgot my mobile and I don't wear a watch so I lost all track of time. I'm glad I did as it looks like it is going to have been the only sunny day of this week and I badly needed some rays. I dug out fists of bindweed from the compost heap on my newer plot. It was very satisfying removing them - though I can't help admiring their ability to rejuvenate. I planted some raspberry canes (Autumn Bliss)- but now I come to think of it I wonder if i was supposed to separate them. There was about 5 or 6 sticks in each pot- now is that one plant or lots? Help anyone? Either way I'm sure they are happier in the ground than in the pot. I chose those rasperries coz they sound easy to maintain-unlike other raspberries you cut the right down after fruiting and next years berries come on new growth only.
I have written a couple of short pieces but feel like I have an ingredient missing that stops them being short stories. Like bread without yeast. I want them to rise but maybe they are destined to be pitta breads-there's nothing wrong with being pittas but I was hoping for something else. Maybe I should just concentrate on making good pittas.
The novel is trawling along slowly. I think I have ten versions of the same scene and other scenes are completely absent. I keep moving bits around which is quite exciting as the tension of the story changes and yes it feels like I am kneading the dough and it's gonna rise.
All that bread talk is making me hungry. Off to lunch. Bye for now.

Happy New Year.

I can't understand why the year starts now when it it still so cold and nature dormant. Perhaps that's why it does - to break up the long cheerless winter. Yes it must be that. I'm not miserable I just like to slide into the new year, feel my way not jump in with too many expectations that I know I won't be able to fulfil while it is still so cold.

My god-daughter made this snow angel. It was lovely watching the kids wandering around in the snow as though they were exploring a foreign land

I've written a timetable. Now I am at home without the kids I find that unwatched a small task can swallow up the whole day. Not that I intend to religiously stick to the timetable - it's just there to stop my time going all flabby. I need to be stricter about writing. One day I can find it absolutely delicious coming back to an emty house and then the next day find myself wanting to go straight back out coz it feels so empty and lonely. So to fill the void I have started baking. The smell of baking bread brings the house alive.

Hubby at the allotment when it was still snowy. The water was frozen solid. The cancel don't switch off the supply till early spring (just when we need it). We used to get snow early spring so it's a hangover from then. Who knows we may have more snow in spring too!!

This plot intrigues me. It's completed enclosed and I've never seen anything growing there. Will watch this space in Spring.

Come in - we are ready to interogate you. - That's what it says to me anyway.

Have just booked our flights to Portugal in the summer yippee i need a beer. I don't tend to do grown up stuff like book flights. I'm always convinced I've got the wrong country, day or people.

Flowers still.

This is the latest I've seen this shrub flowering in my garden. I was impressed the year before last when it was still flowering all through October. Flowers in December!!

This Erysium 'Bowles Mauve' is an amazing flowerer - it seems to carry one the whole year round.

I was in my slippers so didn't get very close to this plant. It's called Callicarpa bodinieri var. giraldii 'Profusion' and the berries are an unusual purple. It's not all purple in my garden now honest! There are red berries on the cotoneaster but I couldn't get a decent angle on them. The red looks gorgeous -has a hint of orange.

Snow pictures

I took all these photos just five minutes walk from where I live on the edge of London. I feel very fortunate I can easily get into central London but also enjoy this. It was really peaceful wandering about in the sun scrunching snow and taking these pictures.

allotment pictures and friend's bonfire

I know you're supposed to chop off the fennel seed heads otherwise you end up with loads of seedling growing all over the place but they just looked too pretty to cut so I left them along with the sunflower. I did collect some of the sunflower seeds and gave some to my god daughter who can't wait to have sunflowers next year.

Here's a bit of digging I did the other week. Very enjoyable being out in the sun working.

My friends built this lovely fire. The kids were hypnotised by it.
They gave us a lovely lunch too - felt like body and soul fed. Bonfires bring back memories of fires made with my mum.

Fire behind mahonia.