January; light and dark

I recently walked some of the Cornish coastal path around Falmouth and the Helford estuary.

 Not only did I have some extraordinary and unexpected conversations with "strangers" leading to invitations and garden designs but I was struck by the amount of life I came across.

Admittedly these observations were when the rain wasn't  horizontal and I wasn't hanging on to a tree for dear life. But when the breaks came - and there were plenty of them - they were stunning. Strong yellows of gorse amongst the defiant green prickles, swelling buds of the mountain ash, oaks and Hawthorn and even small daffodils nodding their heads in the breeze.

I even managed some sunbathing in the shelter of a Helford estuary beach.

The wildlife certainly know the days are now getting longer. When the birds weren't sheltering from the winds the buzzards, blackbirds and inevitable seagulls wheeled in the skies. I looked on, envious of their acrobatic freedom as they swooped fearlessly over ragged cliffs.

I wonder if they are waiting for a "proper" winter as many of us are...or for that matter they have any opinion on global warming?

What ever my musings lead me to conclude there will be plenty of jobs to do when I get back home.

• WE might have fed rather too well this Christmas but for a lot of wildlife it is still a struggle. Apart from the joy of seeing birds at the feeders we can do our bit to bolster the numbers of common species such as sparrows and blue tits with simple bird feeders.
• If you have Hellebores that produce flowers from the ground you can show them off better by taking off the leaves.
• Make sure you get the most of the winter flowering Mahonias, Daphnes and Loniceras, even taking some cuttings into the house for a scented flower arrangement.
• Some of the ornamental grasses and perennials left for their winter interest may start looking messy. Just cut them back 75 - 100 mm from  the ground.
• Because larger trees and shrubs are still mostly dormant it is a good time to move, prune and plant them without too much fear of doing them permanent damage. Just avoid letting roots to dry out when planting.
• Partially prune Wisteria by cutting back side shoots shortened by summer pruning to two or three buds but avoid cutting off flower buds.
• Moles start becoming irritating at this time of year. You might have to level out their "hills" and think about disrupting their love lives wit some of the many devices on offer. What a thought. Shotguns maybe a bit too savage.
• If we do start getting frosts then not only protect your tender plants (Abutilon, Palms and others) but check your pots are protected too. Raising them a tad with a broken tile or two will stop them becoming water-logged.
• If the pond freezes over resist the temptation to crack it open with an iron bar. The fish won't thank you - in fact it will probably kill them.  A pan of hot water set onto the ice will do the job fine.

As I squelch around gardens and country paths I remind myself of the fact that time is on our side now and that every bit of vigorous digging will ease my conscience about the brandy butter, stuffing and cream I worked my way through.

Funny thought - that when we are at our most fulsome (!) nature is often at her most lean.  I guess that's why we go on walks in bracing storms and enjoy being woken up from our mid-winter doziness. 

Until we do it all again in a year's time.