Last weekend marked the end of a full year of this garden diary. From one winter to another. Fifty two consecutive weeks, three hundred and sixty five pictures and a random assortment of musings depending on whatever happened to come to mind when sitting in the garden. The idea started life when I was recovering…
Six On Saturday 08-02-20
It is the time of the year when you find yourself peering down at emerging buds and leaves with a mixture of hope and relief. There is the thrill of seeing tender plants starting into growth mixed with the slight trepidation of what February may still have in store for us. Perhaps this is another…
Six On Saturday 01-02-20
Now — now, as low I stooped, thought I, I will see what this snowdrop is; So shall I put much argument by, And solve a lifetime’s mysteries. A northern wind had frozen the grass; Its blades were hoar with crystal rime, Aglint like light-dissecting glass At beam of morning prime. From hidden bulb the…
Six On Saturday 25-01-20
Another mild week and we have still suffered very few frosts this winter. February can often be the cruelest month in the garden though so we are certainly not through the worst yet. There was a time not so long ago when a mild winter like this would be met with a sense of relief…
Six On Saturday 18-01-20
The week began with storm ‘Brendan’ passing through, bringing one or two branches down with it. Today though it was clear, calm and bright. For the first time in a while I had the opportunity to spend a little time in the garden. It was perhaps only about five degrees at midday but with the…
Six On Saturday 11-01-20 ‘Armchair gardening’
While much of the country seems to have been under a bit of a deluge this winter it has actually been relatively dry here and a glance at the rainfall chart shows that December was in fact drier than average and that trend has continued into the beginning of January. Today however it is pretty…
Six On Saturday 04-01-20 ‘Resolutions’
It is something of a relief this weekend that the festivities have come to an end and we can turn back to the simpler pleasures in life without all the excess that Christmas throws at us. I am not really one for making grand resolutions. Most changes in the garden seem to occur by gradual…
Six On Saturday 28-12-19 ‘Six Of The Best’
2019 is drawing to an end and this seems like an opportune moment to look back at (almost) a full year of the schoolhouse garden. Retrospectives and compilations are a perennial feature in newspapers at this time of year. I suspect this might be in part because they are relatively easy pieces to compile without…
Six On Saturday 21-12-19 ‘The shortest day’
Well we finally made it. The winter solstice. The shortest day. There will be six hours and fifty two minutes of daylight in Fife today. By next weekend that will have stretched out to a massive six hours and fifty five minutes. It is not much, but it is a start and for me it…
Six On Saturday 14-12-19 ‘Light in the dark’
It is been damp, overcast and brooding this week in keeping with the increasingly bleak state of our politics. So it is natural that we look for hope wherever we can find it. On a walk this morning I saw a magpie and hastily looked for a second one as if that would break the…
The Schoolhouse Garden 