It was such an unseasonably warm and sunny patch that it felt surreal. We were in London at the same time last year, late February, and I remember trudging along the Thames in a snowstorm, public transport virtually at a standstill. That memory still fresh in my mind, London looked at once dazzling and dazzled…
Of blackbird song and February tasks
My very own harbinger of spring is here. Sitting perched on a high branch of the Japanese cherry tree, deep black after the storms, stark against brightening sky. A black bird on a black branch, a perfect kacho-ga in monochrome, singing in the rain. The bird is marking the territory. It must be a young…
Share this:
My winter of camellias
My fascination with camellias is not new, it dates back to my teenage years. We didn’t have camellias growing in gardens, of course, not with the climate like that. They were then completely exotic, faraway beauties and in those pre-historic (aka pre-google) times I didn’t even know what they looked like. But the allure of…
Share this:
Our new Mulberry Tree House
It happened with lightning speed. We were number 17 on the waiting list, how can it have gone so fast?! In August, before leaving for our summer holidays, we filed the official application; in September, I decided that application had been way too short and impersonal, and I wrote The Letter, detailing the reasons why…
Share this:
Garden Chronicles – An Ode to Bulbs
I am late with this again. Although not as late as last year, when I planted my bulbs around New Year, a true record and not to be repeated. Why do I insist on running so late on this particular garden task, time and again? It’s not as if I didn’t buy all these cute…
Share this:
Garden Chronicles – The Magic of the Compost Bin
Am I really writing a post under that name? To start a series of posts about gardens and gardening in November (of all months!) and with such an “exciting” subject to boot is not just risky, it probably looks very silly. I mean, who is going to want to read about this, now? (Or ever).…
Share this:
It was strange to see the Japanese garden in Clingendael on such a day. It was raining, the strong winds of the previous two days had made the trees look half naked, the tree trunks a glistening, stark black. At last the autumn has come fully into its own. I don’t think I have actually…
Share this:
The Journey Begins
Thanks for joining me! Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
