Was called away, so not quite finished. What I had meant to add was that this weekend I engaged, at long last, in what can only be described at gardening! This is as opposed to clearing snow, breaking ice and being generally freezing whenever outdoors. I have spent several satisfying days manuring the borders. Having been resident for over a year now, and having ponies as ‘paying guests’ we have built up a lovely supply of compost and manure. The garden waste, combined with that of the ponies’, has turned into a brown, crumbly mixture, for once looking just as it is supposed to from the pictures in the books. I love the look of it as you cover the ground and provide a protective blanket for the green shoots to bravely protrude – very satisfying! I remember writing very similar thoughts on my blog this time last year and am reassured by the predictable, but always exciting, cycle of the seasons. Looking forward to new experiences is exciting, but that of looking forward to the known delights, such as Spring, is perhaps even more pleasurable because of its predictability. The first snowdrops emerging from under the snow show great promise of joys to come!

The last couple of weeks have seen the arrival, at last, of some signs of Spring. On a few mornings I have opened the curtains to see green grass rather than glistening frost and I have even been welcomed outside by some birdsong. The news this morning has promised the ‘best Spring ever’ in terms of bulbs and blooms, and it couldn’t come soon enough.
The, still continuing, cold dark nights have been brightened up significantly by the treat of ‘leafing’ through the online catalogue of Gardening Direct. The website is user friendly and provides great, promising, pictures of all the plants. It is like a guilt free visit to a sweetie shop for me, and I have thoroughly enjoyed ordering my summer plugs. I have learnt my lesson from last year and ordered larger plugs to save time potting on and hopefully less waste. Now all I have to do is eagerly await the visit of the postman and it will be Christmas all over again!