Month: December 2015

Why I garden4 Comments

Goodbye to 2015

Reclaiming Paradise

Here’s a review of my garden year January In which we said goodbye to our beautiful Robbie, aged 15, and enjoyed the first snowdrops February When I visited Shetland and was impressed by a bath garden, I sowed some broad beans under a cloche, I spotted some self-seeded lavender coming up through paving stones and I finally replaced the leaking water barrel with an old dustbin. March The daffodils appeared, and so did some mysterious holes in the lawn. I sowed my first seeds and enjoyed some lovely violas. April The magpies made even bigger holes in the lawn, we … Continue reading Goodbye to 2015

Why I garden3 Comments

Sparrowhawk

Reclaiming Paradise

Christmas festivities over, Scotland’s New Year hype yet to start. Not too wet, not too cold. It was a day to get into the garden and do some stuff. So I’ve turned the compost bin – that was fun – cut back the runner beans and taken down their poles Here’s what they looked like in May. Then I put some cardboard down on the raised beds to help stuff grow in the spring and to keep the cat off.  As I was out in the garden, doing  these exciting tasks, I heard seagulls screeching above me.  I looked up … Continue reading Sparrowhawk

Why I garden5 Comments

Season’s Greetings

Reclaiming Paradise

  So this was the year when Christmas wasn’t in the least white. But the sun shone on Christmas Eve, showing up the beauty of this unseasonal rose. Today the rain is pouring down and the swamp is back.  We had a few red sprouts for Christmas dinner and a garden apple in the traditional Christmas pudding.  Just to be clear, it wasn’t just sprouts and Christmas pudding – we also had our traditional chestnut roast and vegetables from our vegetable box delivery. It hasn’t been the best ‘produce from the garden’ Christmas but time to start planning next year’s now. Season’s … Continue reading Season’s Greetings

Recycling and reusing5 Comments

Bird tree again

Reclaiming Paradise

There was a sudden drop in temperature last night and this morning the garden was covered with a sprinkle of frost: This put me in a slightly festive mood.  It’s a bit early for the Christmas tree in our house but I thought I’d have another go with the bird tree from last year.  This was my attempt to make a Christmas tree for the birds, complete with bird food.  It looked nice but something other than birds got at the food, tipping it over and making a mess – possibly a fox.  I kept the tree and grew flowers up … Continue reading Bird tree again

Cooking and eating from the garden6 Comments

Baking

Reclaiming Paradise

Yet more rain and wind at the weekend so I thought I’d do some more baking.   I made lavender sugar a few months ago and Saturday seemed the day to use it.  I made a batch of assorted biscuits, using a tried and tested recipe for ginger biscuits, but using the lavender sugar instead of ordinary sugar and skipping the ginger.  They sort or worked.  The trouble was that this recipe uses honey and the honey masked the lavender so you couldn’t taste it. Also I cooked them for too long and they were in serious danger of breaking our … Continue reading Baking