Saturday 22 December 2012

A Year in the Life of a Lady Gardener - December

December can be a month when gardening is not only possible but also a pleasure.
The current December is not one of them;
the current December is a nightmare. 
I am sure there must have been a cold as well as dry and frosty day, how else
could I have taken this photo, but the memory of it has long been flushed away by the incessant rains.





The only crop worth recording are these three Father Christmases.
They too have seen better days, perhaps I must renew them for next year.


I have managed to salvage some evergreens,
holly, variegated laurels and pine for pots standing outside the front door.
Only the holly berries are live, the red leaves are artificial.

I was going to add the leaves of Mahonia instead, which are in the process of turning,
but love you all though I do, the rain was too heavy.


The Mahonia will still be there in January, but I might have been swept away,  or sunk deep into the mud. 

You surely wouldn’t have wanted that, would you?




The last picture of my castle for this year,
not strictly in the garden, of course, but just over the hedge.
Rosehips provide the only colour.





And, finally, may I wish you all a 

Merry Christmas

from
900 years old and still standing ready to receive choir and audience for 
a wonderful carol concert in its ancient walls, frozen both in time and temperature.




I’ll be back after the holidays.

52 comments:

  1. i hope you have a wonderful christmas friko....have yet too even get too heavy a frost other than on my window a few mornings...love your castle...hope the holidays are filled with warmth...smiles.

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  2. That castle photo is amazing. Love the angle and the tone. Hope you have a dry holiday...talking about rain that is.

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  3. Merry Christmas to you as well Friko. Stay warm.

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  4. Happy Christmas, Friko. Some great photos. I love the red rosehips against the grey background.

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  5. Thank you for the lovely photos.
    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, my friend.

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  6. Merry Christmas.

    Pity about the mahonias...I was lucky when I went to check on the house in France...it was a cold and sunny day and the mahonia alley was in flower...of course, idiot didn't think to take the camera.....

    I do hope things start to dry out soon....or will that bring on a hosepipe ban?

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  7. Have a wonderful Christmas. I love your three Father Christmases, they are so whimsical and colorful.

    Love and hugs ~ FlowerLady Lorraine

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  8. And a Merry Christmas back to you and yours, Friko! :-)

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  9. Friko, it was lovely to see this last view of your garden just before Christmas. I do hope that rain will soon cease. Over here in NYC, today was, and still is, very windy, and chilly and clear. Perhaps you'll soon receive similar weather.

    Meanwhile, a very Happy Christmas to you and yours. xo

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  10. Enjoy your holiday, public and private.

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  11. Love your three Father Christmases! Have a great holiday and a Happy New Year!

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  12. Wishing you a wonderful Christmas season and all that is good in the New Year...
    I can feel the cold from those 900 year old stone walls at Heath Chapel but my soul is warmed thinking how beautiful the choir must sound...each note will be a gift.

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  13. Every photo is a work of art. Merry Christmas to you too, Friko!

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  14. Happy Christmas, Friko. Here's to a more cheery 2013!

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  15. Thinking of you, your Beloved, Gardener, and your dear new dog, with love and hopes for a lovely Christmas season and an even lovelier 2013.
    Hugs, Kay and Dick and Lindy

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  16. I would love to hear music in a very old place.

    Merry Christmas!

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  17. I adore the last two photos and thank you for your lovely Christmas message. And, it looks soooo cold!!

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  18. It's nearly nine o'clock here in Holland , eight o'clock in England , and still Apocalyptically dark . Any red at all seems miraculous .
    May you , Beloved and Millie have a wonderful Christmas with lots of good food and wine ... and , where appropriate , bone-shaped chews .

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  19. Have a truly magical Christmas. Your photo on the still and frosty day took my breath away - so, so beautiful. Thank you.

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  20. Happy Christmas Friko and Millie and Beloved! And a happy new year too. I hope the rains stop for you. If only I could send you some of our relentless sunshine and heat :) X

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  21. Frohe Weihnachten, Friko, für Dich und Deine Lieben!
    Hier hat es heute 12 Grad, für Heilig Abend ist ebenfalls ein frühlingshaft milder Tag vorhergesagt... also dieses Jahr Grüne Weihnachten anstatt Weiße.

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  22. Ich wuensche Dir ruhige und friedvolle Festtage und ein richtig Gutes Neues (GARTEN) Jahr! Alles Liebe fuer Dich Friko und Deinen Mann - und fuer den Vierbeiner natuerlich auch! :-)

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  23. Have a wonderful Christmas Friki.

    I agree that your first photo is breathtaking and love the three Santas.

    Anna :o]

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  24. Hele fijne gezellige dagen jullie toegewenst en een gezond 2013. groeten van cobie en bas.

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  25. Happy Christmas - I hope you have a wonderful festive time. x Jo

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  26. die bilder sind wunderschön! falls meine post noch nicht angekommen ist, wünsche ich von hier aus, dir und millie und beloved schöne und friedliche feiertage!
    renée

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  27. I really must visit Heath Chapel. My Great Great uncle met his end in the woods nearby and part of my family are from that area.

    Anyway, a Merry Christmas to you and yours. I hope you have a wonderful time :)

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  28. Thank you for your post
    and love the old Chapel
    would love to visit.
    Your 3 santa's make me smile.
    Stay warm, dry and healthy
    and Merry Christmas over the
    many miles to you
    online friend...

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  29. I am sitting in the same boat, I hope it will not become true ! It rains and rains and as I had put some fake flowers in the flower pots in your front yard mid October, they are still there and "blooming" like in spring ! It looks quiet ridiculous with the Christmas lights and a Father Christmas standing there, but at least it's colorful ! I can't take them out, I don't want to catch a cold.

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  30. Merry Christmas to you, too, Friko! Best wishes for much holiday joy with those you love. May you have a joyous break from blogging and look forward to hearing from you again in the New Year!

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  31. And a super Merry Christmas to you too Friko. Thanks for your visits. Auch ein guts Neue Jahr !!

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  32. Merry Christmas, Friko, to you and your entire family, including the newest member, Millie.

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  33. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas, Friko, and to your beloved and Millie as well. I hope the rains cease and more frosty mornings dawn, followed by sunshine.

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  34. Hallo Friko,
    Dir und Deinen Lieben wünsche ich ein frohes Weihnachtsfest ! Neben meinen Lesern aus den Niederlanden, aus Belgien, aus Frankreich, aus Spanien, aus Griechenland und aus Schweden bin ich auf die erste Leserin aus England überglücklich.
    Frohes Fest !

    Gruß Dieter

    p.S.: Leser aus Schweiz und Österreich habe ich noch vergessen

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  35. Wishing you and your Beloved a happy and peaceful Christmas, Friko, and above all a dry New Year.

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  36. Merry Christmas to you to Friko. Hope your New Year is filled with sunshine. Dianne

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  37. I love your winter wonderland. Stark and beautiful!

    Merry Christmas and a most Happy New Year to you, Friko!

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  38. Merry, merry Christmas to you--wet or dry! ;)

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  39. Frico, I love your photos - in black and white they are graphical.Happy Holidays!

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  40. merry Christmas to you, too. I have been hearing of the rains in Britain via the online 'newspapers'... so disappointing this time of year and cold, too. I hope it eases soon. Christine

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  41. Dear Frico,
    Happy Holidays to you and a very happy and healthy New Year.
    Heidi

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  42. Hope you had a nice festive season Friko? - Dave

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  43. At first, I felt so cold, and then cheered up by the three Father Christmases and evergreens, found a hope to find some colors in the monochromatic image, and lastly I felt solemn in such time-honored church.

    Thanks for the fresh breeze and interesting talks from Valley’s End and for your friendship as well this year. Hope you had a merry and peaceful Christmas and wish you a happy New Year.

    Yoko

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  44. The photos you share are so beautiful -- that first looks like a fairyland. I'm not big on snow, ice, winter -- it's best viewed from within and my lifestyle doesn't allow me to just be within! But this truly makes magic.

    I hope your Christmas was a happy one and that you are enjoying Boxing Day. You were in my thoughts as our table conversation turned to the joyful and sad things of the year and as I was recalling Gypsy's farewell, I knew I wasn't alone in that grief -- nor the happiness in finding a new pet with her own personality and charm. I'm glad for both of us that way. Merry and Happy to you.

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  45. Hi Friko .. hope you've had a little respite from the rain - but it was cold at one stage ... though as you say long, long ago ... it's now back raining quite heavily here and blowing a gale -

    I'm just glad I'm not doing my old journeys of trying to get to Cornwall - as we used to do each year once my mother moved down there ..

    I love how you bring us some colour and winter cheer ... I hope you're both having a lovely break and sharing times with friends ... cheers Hilary

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  46. Though your are laden with rain, your photos are cheery, Friko, and I hope your Christmas was as well - and a happy New Year!

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  47. Sorry things are so soggy for you. They're pretty damp here too -- so bad that the beagle won't go outside without a fight.

    Love your photos, especially the one of the chapel window. If you ever decide to make some of your own Christmas cards, that would be a perfect one to use.

    Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and that you'll have a very happy New Year. All the best in 2013, Carol

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  48. Beautiful photos! Best wishes for a Happy 2013!

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  49. Lovely, every bit of it. Hope you had holidays as wonderful as yourself! Looking forward to another year of delightful posts.

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  50. Liebe Friko, alles Gute für das Neue Jahr, das Dir Gesundheit, viel Freude und Inspiration bringen soll!
    Deine Freundin Renée

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  51. LOVE the photo of your winter garden and the one near the end with the castle looming large. I wish I had more time to enjoy your blog. You are a treasure! :) BELATED Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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