I was a bit startled, when cycling through the village, to be accosted by a fellow gardener and asked if I was planning on going to potato day again this year. Already? I thought. It’s not even as if winter has properly started yet, and here people are planning for spring. And then I was startled again as I stuck my head out of the door to chat with a passing neighbour and found not just sunshine but – out of the wind, anyway – actual warmth. Looking around there are snowdrops everywhere, daffodils poking their leaves up out of the swamp that passes for the countryside, birds going bananas in the hedgerows. Time to start panicking about the garden again
The problem is that, with storm after storm marching through, we seem to have had nothing but an endless October this winter. It’s been so mild, I was picking caterpillars out of my kale the other day. There’s been no sense of anything going properly dormant and hence no sense of the impending spring. And I’ve barely been able to touch the garden because even if I wasn’t too busy, it’s far too wet to do anything but plan out where to construct the rice paddies…
Still, she says, recklessly tempting fate, at least the broad beans are hanging on in there…
Anyone else still feel they’re waiting for winter to arrive?
Town Mouse 
Our neighbours’ magnolia tree started budding in mid-January. This morning I found shoots of narcissus coming up in our patio planter.
My partner remarked last night (in a ‘don’t forget’ sort of way) that winter is still to come. Yes, it’s been like a never ending October, but frankly I think that’s what this winter will, in hindsight, amount to: a lot of water and a lot of wind.
Oh my.
Winter has arrived here, I’ll tell ya. Not only arrived, but has been hanging around and messing things up considerably.
Like a bad house guest that won’t leave.
You’ll have no luck with rice as it needs a temperature of 20C plus to grow, unless there’s a GM strain available.
No I’m waiting for spring to arrive! xx
No, suits me fine if it decides to take a short cut. The rain and wind certainly get tiresome but not as much as ice and a messy slow thawing out.
and this time last year,the snow hadn’t even got a grip…. (bad biking news over here š¦ )
Having posted this, I am now braced for snow …
I’m a bit startled too: I’ve not had to resort to the bus for short trips because the cycle lanes have remained stubbornly clear of snow and ice for most of the time, except the day I commuted the 25k to college and didn’t notice the ice until I was down in the next valley and firmly committed to riding…
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