Anticipating Spring

I spent nearly all of last weekend in the garden, helping it wake up from its Winter slumber, clearing away the detritus and mulching the beds.  Its a job I dread doing but once I’m out, trowel in hand I absolutely love it, seeing new signs of life, green shoots and the spring bulbs nodding their heads does lift your spirits enormously.  I’ve planned earlier this year, treated myself to a mini green house to bring on seeds and over winter delicate plants which got me all giddy when it arrived.  Even in this current climate of hope regarding the pandemic I’m still erring on the side of caution.  I don’t think we will be planning big escapes this Summer just in case, so we are again going to focus our time and effort on home and our outside space.  We enjoyed the slow pace last year and spent far more time together in our own plot and we hope to do it again this year too.  I’ve also invested in a beautiful rusted rustic corten steel pizza oven from Rowen & Wren to enhance one of the seating areas which will be so much fun to use!

The garden is beckoning this weekend too, got a few big jobs to do before the fun of planting starts, a large bush is being removed this weekend to make way for more wild flower sowing and a delicate late flowering clemitis to meander its way over rusty steel support.  Then we are attempting to build a new fence at the back of the garden, we have the timber, how hard can it possibly be, just the two of us, I’m sure we will manage and not swear too much!

Also some other good news, it was an absolute joy to be asked to write an essay for the current issue NL3 of Northletters publication focusing on the shelter and sanctuary of home.  It couldn’t be more apt for the current climate that we are all living in right now.  Home is our space that we can nurture to keep us safe and comforted, my home is a haven for me and my family and if I can keep adding those special elements to create a calm, loving environment then I know my work is done.