17th Dec 2008

The days run so fast now it seems all we can do it is take a deep breathand try to keep up with the change. It has been a strange year really! Things have stayed approximately the same to all appearances and yet thewall of gloomy predictions has gotten ever higher as economic woes camefrom just about every quarter. Not all of it seems to add up of course, but then it never does. One thing is certain and that is when change comes it generally catches us all by surprise (even me the reluctant pessimist!)We’re almost to the shortest day of the year now and once it is passed thenthe growing world can make new plans underneath the snow that will surely fall and luckily cool any thoughts of premature growth. This year the period before Christmas has been much cooler than normal. We have had a lotof deep frosts already. I think I have de-iced the car more this last month than the whole of last winter. Some sad news is that the Yucca palm broke 2of its 3 branches under the weight of the snow fall the other week. It had looked so great all summer. I shall plant the broken stems in the greenhouse and try to encourage them to grow. Nick gave me the palm to look after when he moved up from the south…one day he will have a garden again and want it back. Perhaps he may have more than 1 if the branches root. Despite looking so tropical they are amazingly very hardy.