“The falling leaves, drift by the window, the autumn leaves of red and gold”…………. so sang Nat King Cole. As I sit to write this my leaves are still green and hurtling across the garden with branches still attached. I know many people love Autumn but its not my favourite season at all and this […]
“So good to be back to some sort of normal” was the consensus at this year’s show. Over 200 fabulous entries made their way to the Community Centre on Saturday the 4th September. Ranging from a 27.4kg pumpkin to the tiniest, most perfect dahlia specimen. Impressive onions, sat alongside the funniest shape veg, plates full […]
We are very excited to have already received dozens of unusually early entries for the 2021 show. Various lockdowns and restrictions seem to have enthused everyone with their gardening and baking skills this year and we are expecting a fabulous display of local goodies. The schedule booklets are at various locations around the town including […]
“Summer afternoon, summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful in the English language” – Henry James Researching summer time gardening recently I came across this quote by Henry James that struck a chord. A familiar name to those who live in Rye, James came to live in Lamb House in […]
Spring is finally here….. I am writing this on the 1st day of March, a bright, sunny, uplifting sort of day. The 1st of March is recognised as the meteorological start of spring which is fine by me. Those of you who prefer the astrological spring can wait until March the 20th. There are even […]
I have always grown dahlias, and when we moved to Rye I brought a few of my favourites with me. Chat Noir and Rip City from Sarah Raven (deep red almost black), a small orange one named after an old friend of my mother’s and a large pink one nicknamed Aunt Nellie (sadly died in […]
“There are two seasonal diversions that can ease the bite of any winter. One is the January thaw. The other is the seed catalogues”. – Hal Borland What better way to spend a wet December day than planning for next year’s planting. It gives a real feeling of hope and a spring to look forward […]
For some reason my husband calls all flowers Nasturtiums. Maybe this is because Nasturtium is a good word to say (which it is), or because he thinks he’s being funny (which he isn’t) or because he doesn’t know the names of flowers well and this “joke” gives him an excuse not to learn. Naturally this […]
Oblivious to the morning trafficTwo brown mothsJive madly in the sunshineAir-kissing and flirting above my head –Two crazy rock ’n’ rollers tipsy on love. Through the latch gateGrass is bedewelled. Now with sheds unlocked, tools selectedWatering cans fullI set to work on the allotment.Our robin’s on Worm WatchSweetly singing in the tree.The spade cuts into […]
There’s been some rather impressive autumn hedgerows in our lovely part of the country this year. Bushes and brambles laden with berries and wild rosehips whilst fruit trees were drooping at the knees with Quince, Apples and Pears. Maybe this was due to the warm, if somewhat dry, summer we have just experienced. Whatever the […]