New Year

The New Year has continued with the wet, windy and rather warm theme although interspersed with some fine sunny moments.

Not a lot happening in the garden just small shoots from the rhubarb, bunches of yellow flowers on the mahonia and little yellow stars of winter jasmine. Surprisingly - few spring bulbs are shooting. Usually by now there are little green shoots and maybe the odd snowdrop showing some white. I wonder if this is warning of a long, cold winter to come.

Cold end to the year

During the week before Christmas we had severe storms with violent winds. Thankfully only minor damage here but friends further south were flooded out.

The corrugated roof on the lean-to was lifting off with the wind and the rose arch (tubular metal construction which replaced a previous home-made one a couple of years ago) is flattened. Also a section of roofing-felt on the summer house was blown off. So far nothing serious - but the forecasters are promising more wind and storms for the new year.

Yesterday was fine and sunny and this morning is cold and frosty with just a little breeze. Doing a few tidying jobs in the garden:

• Cutting back the old leaves from the hellebores so we can see the flowers - and indeed the little buds are already showing colour.
• Clearing the overgrown reeds from the little pond. I'm always worried about disturbing the hibernating frogs and newts but it has to be done to stop the pond getting smelly.
• Covering the already-emerging rhubarb with compost to protect from the frost.
• Removing the dead leaves from the hostas which are lying on the gravel and getting soggy and messy with all the rain.
• Trimming the climbing roses which seem to have ambitions to reach the sky.
• Having a big bonfire!

NO-vember

I remember this poem as a kid - about the limit of my poetry-remembering skills! (If it was me writing I could nearly add No blog!)

November by Thomas Hood

No sun - no moon!
No morn - no noon -
No dawn - no dusk - no proper time of day.
No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member -
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds! -
November! 

Don't know much about Mr Hood (read Wikipedia entry here when I get a chance) but I think he was being a bit pessimistic or perhaps he was a townie.

Today - last day of November - we've had a few hours of bright sunshine and blue skies, lovely for walking, and during this month the moon has been bright and large when we've had clear night skies.

As for "no birds"!

The bare trees provide a great opportunity to see birds of all kinds which are normally hidden by leaves. Our maple was alive with long-tail tits. And this year we have some winter visitors - fieldfares. I don't remember seeing them so close to the garden before, only in ploughed fields when I've been out walking. This afternoon there were 20 or more at the top of the walnut trees taking advantage of the last rays of the setting sun.

Image from BBC website http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Fieldfare