Well the clocks changed this weekend so the long dark nights are here and although it may be unseasonally mild at the moment cold, wintry weather probably isn’t too far off. I don’t like winter. I’ll admit it has it’s moments. I do love those cold, crisp days where the sky is so blue and frost has touched every surface making even the most mundane of objects look beautiful. There are the birds that visit my garden, birds that for the rest of the year seek their food from other places. I love the lights and decorations of Christmas and the warm hearty stews that my body craves. But, and it is a fairly big but, I hate being indoors. I get restless, I’m an outdoors girl at heart. Much as I love snuggling up in front of my woodburner, given the choice I would swap it like a shot for a warm day in my garden or on my plot. I don’t do being confined in my house all day very well, as Wellyman will testify. Wellywoman doesn’t want to hang up the wellies for long.
So what can I do to get through the next couple of months before the days start to get longer, bulbs start to push through and Spring sunshine lights up the sky. Well I don’t want to wish time away. I, like many people, utter the phrase ‘there’s never enough time in the day’ on a frequent basis. Well I’m going to make a list, a Winter list of all those things that I say I never have time for and I’m going to see if I can use these dark nights and inclement days to do them. (When I say I haven’t time for them I think what I mean is I would just rather be doing something else i.e in the garden or on the plot).
So rather than grabbing packets of seeds that take my fancy at the garden centre I’m going to study my seed catalogues this year and come up with a proper plan of what to grow.
I’m going to spend time planning my allotment so that I get maximum efficiency from the space next year.
I’m going to go through my old seeds and anything I don’t want, I’m going to donate to my local community garden.
I’m going to go through my cook books and try out new recipes. Most people only cook a few recipes from each cook book they own and I’m no different, so I’m going to add a few more tasty meals to my repetoire.
And finally I’m going to learn a craft. I would love to able to capture my love of all things plant-like in some way. At the moment I’m thinking linocuts. I love Angie Lewin, an artist who is inspired by nature. So I’d like to give something like that a try.
So, hopefully these should keep me busy and keep the Winter blues at bay and then it won’t belong before snowdrops and daffodils are on their way.
