Horizons new................

 The garden is in Spring mode......it is confused.

 Hellebores are in full flower.

 Primroses dot the woodland area.

 Even dwarf iris are making an appearance.

 Whilst it is lovely to see the flowers, I worry.    It  does not feel right.    It is much too warm and has been for weeks.

 I have joined several charities, and intend to become more involved with them.     The environment has always been very close to my heart, and it has never needed more help than now.    

     Mr P and I also intend to travel more, perhaps taking the Grandchildren with us..............we are at the moment looking at New York at Easter.    Poppi and Riley, now they are older would love to see it.    I have been several times, and alongside Paris it is one of my favourites.

So all in all I will not be blogging as frequently, I may disappear completely I do not know.   Anyway enough of me :)      

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy New year and hope that all your dreams come true...........    

Silent footsteps..........

 We are in our 15th year at the farmhouse.     I can remember the day we moved here, it seems like yesterday.     I am by nature a dreamer, a romantic......Mr P a practical man, who keeps me grounded.    I had always wished that one day I would have a large garden, a garden that I alone had planted.

 I never expected the dream to come true.........but come true it did.     A journey began that rooted the garden to me, and me to the garden.

 I had no real experience.    A little girl that helped Dad and Grandad..........oh how grateful I am to them both, for allowing me to get my hands dirty.    

 Both cottage gardeners, compost the most important addition to their garden....never buy a plant, grow it yourself.   

 Oh yes, no real experience, but lots of memories.    Rarely a day goes by, that I do not think of one of them and smile.

 I planted the Californian pine when we moved here.   It wasn't supposed to be this large but it has been a wonderful addition to the garden.    It attracts so many birds, for me a bonus.

I planted a seed two years ago, it has been a long time coming.
My father philosophy was "Let it alone, it will grow if it wants to"     Strangely I have found him to be right.    So often I plant something and forget that I have, then suddenly I notice the first green shoot.     My Father walks with me in this garden.   He spent so much time here.......teaching me the old ways......sitting together in the sunshine chatting about plants.
It is nearly three years since he passed away..........I miss him as much today, as the day he died but it does not hurt anymore.
I think of him with great affection and know I was so lucky to call him 'My Dad'

Brrr !!

 The weather has turned.      Mild days have left our shores.

 It is cold this morning.....wet......and the wind has a bite to it.

 Wet and cold gets through to my bones these days...........

 No doubt summer blooms will fade with these conditions.

 The birds wait patiently for me to fill the feeders.

 A Goldcrest looks for insects.    One of our tiniest birds 9cm
3 1/2 inches.    Can you see her?

A Nuthatch visits the bird table.............a regular visitor.

It feels like Winter is knocking on the door today but with this topsy turvy weather who knows.
I do know, I will not be gardening this weekend :)

Watching the birds..........

 I sat and watched the birds this afternoon.

 I struggle to get decent images.    Living in the countryside the birds are not used to people being around.

 I put some birdseed on a tree stump and sat on a bench beneath the old hawthorn tree.

 It took a while but eventually I got some nice images.

My thoughts are very much with the people of France today, especially those living in Paris.      I have visited this beautiful city many times......I have sat in café's , eating, drinking and chatting.    It saddens me to think just how much the world is changing, and that peace seems to be just a word.
I do not know the answer to the problems we face, I wish I did.

Let us aim to harvest peace.
Let us exhaust ourselves ploughing the stony ground.

Modern prayer from Turkey.

Waiting patiently.............

 I scattered borage seeds in the Spring.

 Spring came and went.........no seedlings.

 Summer came.....I waited, nothing.

 Summer finished......I gave up.

Mid November, I have a bed full of borage flowers !!

What a strange year this has been for the gardener.............

Grey skies but very mild..........

 Gloomy days but incredibly mild.    The honeysuckle does not know whether it is Spring or Autumn.

 Most of the day was spent clearing leaves, an endless task in this woodland garden.

 Most end up in the copse.   When Spring arrives most of this will have disappeared.

 I also had time to cut back some of the trees.    Little Grandson loves to come to this area and his safety is my priority.    Still lots of clearing to do but I made a good start.

 The lollipop beech look beautiful at this time to year.

 Due to the damp conditions and the mild temperatures everything is looking lush.

 I am concerned that if we suddenly have a really cold snap, how will the plants fayre.

 I personally love the seasons to be as they should.   A warm November just does not feel right.

 Whatever happens, gardeners  cope.......we just do :)

Just wanted to show you my neighbours pond..........it is on the boundary of the copse.      I can literally put my hand in the water, it is that close.         I love the way they have left it looking completely natural, in tune with the surrounding countryside.

Have a good week...........enjoy your garden, whatever the weather.

Getting ready for winter............

 The logs were delivered on Saturday.    They come from a local woodsman, and come from coppiced woods.    Healthy for the environment and beneficial to wildlife.

 The height of the log store was raised in the summer, so it made it easier for my husband and I to stack them.    If the weather is fine it is a job I enjoy, very therapeutic. 

 As most of you know, Nella is a rescue dog.    She was abandoned in woodland.    Her story is hers alone........but whenever the logs arrive, she will not leave the spot until they are all stacked.    Same every year, and I wonder..........

 As the garden fades, I am inspired more by the flowers because there are so few.   

 In the dull days of late autumn they become increasingly precious.

 I played with my macro lens today.    I haven't used it for such a long time.

 I had forgotten how much pleasure it gives me, to walk the garden, and see flowers in a different light.

 The seedpods of the stinking iris are just beginning to open, bringing colour to the woodland area.

 Natures artwork is everywhere and there is none so beautiful than a spiders web,

especially after rainfall........

Beautiful autumn days, but I am getting ready for winter...........