December already

Annual ramblings below: see last entry for November

Martyn replenished the bird feeders the other day, and we've been rewarded with visits from robins, nuthatches and sundry tits: great, blue, coal and long-tailed.  As the weather gets colder, I dare say we'll see plenty more.

There have been a few days when it has been pleasant enough for a spot of gardening. The big sedum is cut down to the base, and I've made a modest start on the iris sibirica. Various tubs are re-stocked with flowering winter bedding, and I've grubbed up the boring geraniums by the front door and replaced them with polyanthus. I've done some of the planting on tops of tulip bulbs lifted in the spring: they say it's not worth bothering trying to get repeat flowering from tulips, but we'll give them a try at least. Talking of polyanthus, the ones we brought on from plugs last year went into the new bed for the summer, and are starting to flower nicely. There's a lot to be said for improving the soil - and more still for getting some big strong boys in to do it for us. Some of the antirrhinums we had in pots on the steps were showing signs of life when I heaved them out, so they have gone out behind the bench at the top of the garden along with said boring geraniums.

The art group met on Thursday for its last session of the year, and eight of us repaired to the Carpenters' Arms for lunch afterwards. Not a bad meal, nicely served in pleasant surroundings. Martyn has been painting like a mad thing lately: he has really got the hang of watercolours, a medium that continues to thwart me. Still, I'll take a small kit with me when we put ourselves into floating residential care next weekend, and maybe knock out the odd vignette or two during the twelve days we're on the high seas.