The life and loves of a time-poor plantsman
If I had made any New Year’s Resolutions, one of them would have been to spend more time appreciating where I live. Folk dream of living by the seaside, but once the dream becomes reality it is all too easy to take the beauty and benefits for granted. I let my regular weekend walks […]
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I’ve been away for over two weeks and the novelty is starting to wear off. Although I consider myself a sociable person, spending every waking hour in company, however good, starts to grate and I find myself taking bathroom breaks simply to get some time to myself. Saturday afternoon afforded me an hour and a […]
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It has been a long time since Him Indoors and I spent Christmas at our seaside house, but it is good to be back this year. The coast in winter has very special appeal: in good weather the chalk cliffs sparkle like freshly painted walls and the low sun creates dramatic patterns in the […]
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Walking in the Kent countryside this afternoon I am reminded that, beyond the confines of our garden, spring is not quite as far advanced as I might have imagined. In the heady rush of seed planting and potting on, enveloped by the scent of cultivated wallflowers, narcissi and primroses, it’s easy to assume that the […]
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It’s early June and the hedgerows of England are at their most ebullient. Nowhere are they more vivacious than in the West County where the crystal clear air permits colours to pop and sparkle. Warmed by the summer sun, refreshed by the last rains of spring, our hedges are flushed with foxgloves, ferns, campions and buttercups, […]
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To call this winter a wash-out would be something of an understatement. Parts of the country have experienced double the average amount of rainfall and vast swathes of countryside are still under water. When the rain stops and the sun comes out, as it did last Sunday afternoon, it is cause for much celebration. We […]
Read MoreWe’ve had statues and compost guesting in the candy spot so I thought, why not a dog? Especially when the dog is as charming and intelligent as Boycie, my sister’s Parson Russell Terrier. We both share a love of jaunty neckwear, so get on famously. And like me, Boycie will happily walk for miles and […]
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Last night, as we lay in bed, it was almost as if a BBC special effects man was standing outside the bedroom window chucking buckets of water at the window. The sea roared, the wind howled and the freezing rain came down in sheets. By this morning, arms tired, our imaginary tormentor had moved to […]
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