Long time no speak!
The farm and garden have been busy with plans and projects over the last year, leaving no time to discover the workings of my computer. Being new to the wonders of blogging and a new Apple Mac, I have have managed to crash the equipment with regularity (note to self - always select a photo to insert rather than download the whole of my iphotos).

My role as gardener has come to an end following an operation and full retirement in July. This leaves me with time to grapple with the technology and pass on the garden news regularly. When I say “garden news” of course I mean gossip (all staff beware!), doggy daring doos, and photos of successes and failures. It is always encouraging to hear of others failures so they must be included. I have to confess to an inordinate amount of glee at seeing a rampant patch of bindweed at Highgrove. The evil weed is my bete noir and I have been tortured by its resistance here. Every method of control has been used and where I thought that mowing would control it in the lawn, I now realise it uses the lawn as the equivalent of the Pakistan/Afghanistan border,making forays into the beds as soon as my back is turned.

Sandra is my replacement and is tackling all with youthful enthusiasm. Having started in January she has encountered the worst that an English winter can do. She has suffered my continuous mutterings about losses and moans about all the work I put in growing the seeds that will not be flowering this year. So she will not be surprised when I put in photos of empty spaces and bedraggled shrouded forms that were once proud bananas. Still it is a timely lesson not to rely on global warming when planning planting schemes.No matter what damage has been done the beauty was there for all to see. The crab apples were particularly lovely. We planted about 20 different varieties 2 years ago and although many are still tiny and not yet producing their glowing fruits there were a few glowing baubles on the tougher ones.Even Harriet (the old collie) enjoyed the snow. I will post some more doggie/snow pics on the next blog in a week.

Bye for now

Sian