Going potty

Going potty

Over the last few years I’ve developed a deep affection for having a garden.   In my younger days, it was a hassle – something that took up precious weekend time, but now I thoroughly enjoy watering, weeding and getting a bit of dirt under my fingernails.

Adam and I had a rambling cottage garden in the U.K., complete with terrace vegetable patch. I desperately wanted to replicate our bags of potatoes and pots of peas, tomatoes and lettuces this spring, but the timing of our trip back to England for our wedding, meant it just wasn’t feasible and we’d miss picking the fruits of our labours.

In a bid to satisfy my earthen cravings, I’ve compromised and decided this spring I’m going potty…

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Hello autumn

Hello autumn

In the last week it feels like autumn truly arrived in my part of Australia… even though winter is technically only a day away!

Suddenly everywhere I looked there were trees with vibrant crowns of red, yellow and orange leaves.  I realised the sun was taking its time to rise in the morning and by late afternoon the day’s glow was quickly disappearing into the night sky.

I’ve waited so long for this change in season and now it’s here, I’m making the most of it before it disappears…

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Bluebell watch

Bluebell watch

After months of patiently waiting and a few false alarms, I can now accurately report the annual bluebell show has started here in Malvern.

I saw my first glimpse of bluebells en masse over the Easter long weekend when Adam and I went camping in the Cotswolds. It was a pretty magical sight – a sea of tiny purple-blue flowers under a canopy of the sweetest smelling pine trees.

Bluebells in a pine woodland near Nympsfield, Gloucestershire.

The day after we arrived home, Adam and I took to the Malvern Hills to see if a similar sprouting of wildflowers had occurred. We were in luck.

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The first signs of spring

The first signs of spring

The northern hemisphere has now officially entered spring.  I’m welcoming it with eager anticipation after virtually doing two winters back to back. While Malvern hasn’t had a terribly brutal winter, our one in Wagga Wagga was wet and grey, so it feels like there hasn’t been much variation in the weather in the last six months. Doing two cold seasons consecutively though does makes you appreciate the hints nature gives, which shows the chill is almost over.

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