I'm having a hard time not knowing quite what to do with myself at the moment. I awoke, after a horrid night's sleep, wheezing with some as-yes-unknown bug/allergy that's sitting in my chest, with an obscene passion for cleaning and tidying. So I now have an immaculate kitchen, but that, somehow, was not enough. So I thought I'd brave the garden because it's been hideously ignored for the past few months, since we got back from honeymoon (yes, that long!). We've mown the lawn, had a new fence erected but the whole place doesn't look loved. So I made tentative steps out there today, apologising to the cosmos who have been battered by an arctic wind and not propped up, the borage which hasn't been pulled up and composted, and the weeds which are growing everywhere - stifling everything in sight.

I made amends in a small way, but it felt good to be out there once again, and I cleared alot of stuff. I pulled out many of the annuals that we had during the summer, I know by now that they'll have seeded if they're going to, and most were on their way out anyway. I planted some Oxford Wonder tulips which promise to be enormous, the flowers measuring up to 8cm! It all looks a bit better now. The lavender bushes have been given a hair cut (remember not to cut back onto old wood, lavender can only put new growth out from the last year's growth) and I've filled two compost bins in the process.

And now it's cold. Very icy, it's supposed to freeze tonight, the first time this year that it might hit freezing! The house is starting to feel a little colder too, I'm having to wrap myself up well and make use of my slippers - lest I should get the dreaded chillblains again!

I was going to write an informative garden post, but all inspiration has fluttered off. Which is now exactly what I'm going to do...

P.s. Do you like the new banner at the top?