Sorry for the delay but Christmas got in the way, hope it was good for you with many a drink sank and some “come dine with me” type delicacies consumed.

I got a couple of great gardening books from yesteryear which are brilliant for ideas as they often feature plants that were once fashionable and now forgotten. There was also some good stuff learnt from “Herbs and the kitchen garden” by Kim Hurst from 1998 like planting lemon balm near hives keeps the bees happy and a handful of mint in a hot bath comforts the nerves.

That reminds me when I once ran a bath and put an infusion of strained lemon balm in (also great for the nerves). I turned off the tap and promptly forget all about it until about 3 hours later when it took high strength bath cleaner and elbow grease to get the filthy tide mark off. Years earlier I had another bath experience when I was given some heavy duty acid (that the council caretakers used to take off graffitti with) to clean the bottom of the toilet in our council flat. It worked a treat so I tried it on the bath and it took all the enamel off and long soaks in the bath were never the same again!

Not much gardening done this week apart from putting in a blackberry cane that spent a week in Forest Hill sorting office but now out the back with some winter protection around it of fleece wrapped round a couple of short bamboo canes.

This is a time of putting the feet up or out socialising, but it’s also a good time to plan for next year and even some real forward planning like what you could overwinter next year as the garden is a bit bare at the moment. Okay the weather will dictate but there’s always cloches, cold frames, mini greenhouses and even windowsills that can supply you with herbs, salad leaves and the like if it’s mild.

I also have to watch it this time of year as I tend to get over-excited as I’m itching to start off some seeds, I know it’s far too early but give it a month or two and my kitchen windowsill will be chocka with all sorts of seed trays and pots with clear plastic bags over the top.

Take it easy!