In between

Stop Press. If you'd like to leave me a message try the new cbox system on my side bar - and heads up to Blkb for telling me about this!

Well these are the in between days, the dog days of the year. Christmas is over and New Year is almost here. I was in the supermarket today and you could tell most adults were thinking " Yay, my time now!" The checkout belts were awash with bottles and cans rather than cream and Brussel sprouts.

The weather is mild, damp and horrible. I took a present to a friend yesterday and she was just back from Aberdeenshire, where it's freezing cold. She said the hoar frost was just spectacular and the light was sharp and clear. I really feel uninspired as far as taking photos goes, except for yesterday when I did some shots of my husband's cousins for his aunt, as her sons are home from all over the place, including China.

N is off to the north too, she staying near Findhorn, which will be lovely at this time of the year. She called me from the train, I wonder how Basha, the dog, is doing on the train, bet she wants her own seat!

I've been checking on my most popular posts, so far one I posted on bottle brush plants seems to be the most popular. I'm so glad gardening has beaten cancer, ;).

Oh roll on Spring! I long to be in the sunshine either digging or taking pictures. First photocall will be the snowdrops in a nearby wood, they carpet the ground and grow right up the side of the loch. Part of my Christmas is a filter for my macro lens, which will hopefully help me get some great close-ups.

Anyway better close, I've another meal to cook!

Blousy French ladies

My new bare-rooted roses finally arrive. They were due in October, but couldn't be dug up as they'd not gone dormant.They are all big blousy bourbon type flowers with heavy scent. I can't wait until the summer to smell them on a still evening. Two are French varieties, Mmme Isaac Pereire and Ferdinand Pichard, the other "Heritage" is a modern variety with an old look and a musk scent. I hope they do well, I've put them in ground that hasn't grown roses before, so there's no risk of roses disease in the soil, and I gave them a barrowload of homemade compost. Also finished tidying up the plum tree, now it too is dormant. I took off the large branch
damaged by the weight of the glut of fruit back in the summer. Also cleared the remaining grapes from the greenhouse, they were past their best, and pruned the vine.

Can't believe the amount of bulb shoots already through, I just hope we don't get a savage January/Feb that will frost and check all the growth. My winter jasmine is flowering, adding a Spring-like yellow to the a corner of the garden before we've even got to Christmas.

I'm looking forward to the garden next year, it''s in the best nick it's been in for years, I just hope the new things I've put in take and flourish