ready for the new gardening year

At last it's over and we can breath a sigh of relief for another year. I refer of course to Christmas, not in any scrooge like way you understand, but more as an impatient gardener awaiting a new year in the garden.

For when Christmas has passed I know that Spring is coming, at some stage anyway, and another gardening year is ahead of me. I think it was the great Alan Titchmarsh who said that we have about 45 gardening seasons in a lifetime, and so 45 tries at getting it right - which when you think about it is probably near the mark. I started gardening when I was about ten and so I have reached my 45 years to get it right, but hopefully I have a few more left.

By now you are probably totally fed up with the usual telly fare over christmas. Jurassic Park I, II and III, My Fair Lady, - all the usual culprits - African Queen, Scrooge etc etc. One highlight, though, was the Vicar of Dibley, always enjoyable I think and part II to look forward to shortly.

As we approach New Year I sit there with gardening books on lap, planning this and that, but often never really realising my dreams. However, one day I might win a garden make-over and who knows!

Of course I am also excited about all the fantastic flower shows ahead, from Malvern and Chelsea to Hampton Court and Tatton - with lots in between - and of course will try and keep you all up to date with everything that is going on in the gardening world.

My wish is that all your gardening expectations are realised in 2007 and remember the Recklessgardener motto: Just give it a go! Don't be afraid to experiment or worry that your knowledge is not good enough - to enjoy gardening is simply to get stuck in, get your hands dirty and enjoy the odd glass of wine along the way. Life could not be finer!

getting ready for christmas

I thought to put you in the Christmas mood I would publish another pic of our Santas enjoying their shopping trip in Liverpool. I also have to report that I have another camellia flower on my tree. By the time it gets to spring, when it should be flowering, most of the flowers will have opened at this rate!

It was also a pleasure to go out into the garden and cut my own holly for the house. I was lucky because some of it had berries. Although I didn't grow my own wallflowers, I do have my own holly bushes so swings and roundabouts!

The ground is very, very wet. So it's best not to tread on it at this time of year. Therefore, I have done very little weeding etc in the garden but just tried to tidy up where necessary. The fencing and paths have a distinctly slimey appearance and I only wish that i had some form of underground water storage to catch all that lovely rain which I might need come the summer months.

Anyway, hope you are all now into decking your halls with holly. Have a great Christmas and don't forget to log on regularly to Reckless in the new year for all your gardening news.

on the mend

Now the tooth has gone I am on the mend and getting back to normal. Last Sunday saw the Santa Dash in Liverpool City Centre. As an avid Liverpool FC fan I am used to being surrounded by red but the sight of probably over 6,000 Santas was a bit too much!
Everyone had a good time and the atmosphere was great. I haven't found out yet whether Liverpool beat Las Vegas for the total taking part - they are trying to get in theGuinness Book of Records - but there was certainly an awful lot of Santas (except for the couple of blue Santas who were obviously not Liverpool fans!!)

Talking about global warming I am reading King's Counsellor, which is a book about Tommy Lascelles who was Secretary to King George VI. Interestingly he writes on 13th April 1943 that he was able to walk about Frogmore, after dinner, without a coat and then on 17th April that it was another perfect day and he couldn't remember such an April, and that rain was badly needed! As Britain was in the middle of a World War I don't suppose they had much time to think of global warming, but it was an interesting comment to make and 50 years ago!!

Now I am back to nearly normal I will try and post more often. Thanks Bob for your concern and hope the Christmas preparations are doing well at the big house.