Something old, something new something borrowed and something blue.

We are a week into February and more than a few flowers are starting to push their heads up, turning towards the sun. It is time to do our usual monthly summary and January was a month with quite a few days of sunshine when we managed to tidy up some of our spaces, mulch, plant wildflower seeds and harvest some lovely vegetables.

The muted palette of winter is slowly changing and there are flashes of colour to be found across the land if you look close enough.

These unusual and beautiful fungi grow on the hawthorn wood in our stumpery. Stumperies are such a lovely way to add some sculptural interest to your growing space along with some much needed habitats for insects. You can read about the creation of our two stumperies here. The old wood is allowed to decay naturally over time.

Inside the planting of seeds has commenced and this year we are growing a new variety of variegated plantain. We are in awe as always about the excellent medicinal properties of this plant and can’t wait to see how they will turn out.

We have spent some time contemplating the fact that we are only borrowing the land where we grow our food from the earth and calling it ours is nothing but an illusion. We will strive even harder to be fair to all the creatures and lifeforms that we share it with in the coming year.

Nothing else seems quite as blue as these early irises found down by the pond on a stroll one evening.

Around the main circle we did some tidying up and many bulbs and perennials can be seen pushing up through the soil already. In a couple of months the land will be teeming with new life.

East

South

West

North

Because the sun is so low in the sky at this time of year interesting shadows can be found everywhere and we think it adds to the feeling of anticipation for the months that lie ahead. It is as if the whole place is slowly waking up and getting ready for the intense onslaught of life that will fill every inch of space in a short time. We are as always looking forward to the days when the sun’s rays hit the earth at a much steeper angle and a myriad of plants, bacteria, fungi, animals and people can thrive and grow in a harmonious whole. There really is no better place to be.