Veg Plotting

Neues Rathaus aka the New Town Hall in Marienplatz, Munich   Is one hour enough to explore Munich? The answer is yes... and no. Of course I would have liked more time to explore further, but an hour's certainly worth grabbing with both hands (and feet) when the opportunity arises. Our drop-off point, right by the huge architecture of the Bayerisches Nationaltheater on Max-Joseph-Platz   Several factors helped make our time there worthwhile: We were dropped off in the heart of the city, which is nicely compact to explore on foot I was with someone who'd been there before, so no stopping to consult the map was needed I had a vague idea of a couple of things I wanted to see nearby I had 3 companions who were a huge help as we spotted more things of interest between us. Our conversation and delight at being there added to my experience of the city We took a walk of around half a kilometre in a south westerly direction. Let's see what we found... A wa...

Yesterday was so-called 'Blue Monday', the day of the year when we're supposed to be at our most miserable. I can't think of a better way to counteract the winter blues than to visit a garden, especially when it's in Cornwall. Come with me for a quick pick me up trot around Heligan , which I had the good fortune to visit last week... The warmer Cornish climate is always going to cheer the heart in January, especially when the Camellias are enormous and in full flower like this one. There were plenty of daffodils in evidence too, plus lots of tender plants such as Dicksonia not wearing fleecy winter coats like they need in my garden. This is a garden that gives hope that spring will come, even in the darkest days of winter. Click to enlarge for a better view of the garden details Winter is a great time to admire fruit tree pruning perfection, top-up greenhouse and cold frame envy, and appreciate the odd splashes of colour to be found in the enormo...

Here's a chuckle for regular readers who know I don't make new year's resolutions... it's the answer to a meme I was tempted by on Facebook the other day. It's a pretty good set of actions to live by in 2017... if I only knew who Ruth is! However, despite my lack of resolutions I have made some new commitments for 2017. The clue is in the top line above; my mother's move to a local nursing home means I'll be spending more time with my family this year. I'm learning to appreciate the little things too - the impact of mum's stroke affected her speech, so every new word she speaks, or when she manages to string several together are very much appreciated. They're small victories to celebrate with a cheer. As a result we smile a lot rather than talk. Each one is much appreciated by me as mum couldn't smile at all for a while and they show she's more comfortable in her new home. Her face lights up when the staff come into the room, so I...

Some of my favourite highlights of 2016. Here's to a wonderful 2017 for you and yours :)

Bustling Oxford Street when I treated myself to a day out in London recently.  Merry Christmas everyone! Here's to a brighter, kinder 2017.

I couldn't resist this week's festive yarn bombing on Chippenham's High Street   Just popped in for a quick update and to show you some cheerful pictures. Thanks to everyone who commented on my last post ; your good wishes have helped me through the past few weeks. Mum moves down to Wiltshire tomorrow, so cross your fingers it all goes smoothly. There are still a lot of hoops to go through, but we're getting there... slowly. It'll be a while before I'm back to regular blogging again, but I'll pop in from time to time for a quick update or two. In the meantime, here's the full story  from our local paper on who's behind Chippenham's yarn bombing. Someone even wrote in with a thank you letter :)

I love how the tree matches the garage door at this time of the year. The house is just round the corner from us. Sometimes life conspires to take you down a different path to the one expected. It was just such a diversion which led to the start of Veg Plotting nine years ago today, when I realised being a distance carer was more important than my job. I started this blog on the day I wrote my resignation letter and what a sensible move that's been. It's meant I have at least one happy place in my life and it's allowed me to tell the stories which my head demands be told each time I go to the allotment. It turns out this new path has its own unexpected twists and turns, with plenty of new friends and surprises I've welcomed along the way. To keep Veg Plotting happy means I choose not to talk much about the most personal aspects of my life. Until today that is. The path turned again recently as I had to make a tough decision about my mum's continuing care...

Autumn is a good time to start plans for next season in the garden, and the following three books are great aids to help gardeners to do so. Over the past few weeks I've had the pleasure of reading: The mother of all plant reference works A great boxed set to inspire the budding fruit and veg grower, no matter how small their plot A book on design that's been a regular companion in my garden, whilst I ponder where it's headed next. All three are review copies, I received courtesy of the publishers. The RHS A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants This is no lap book, but a hefty tome weighing in at around four kilos. It merits a read whilst sitting at a table with a cuppa and notebook to hand. This is the 4th Edition of Christopher Brickell's outstanding work. Around 5,000 plants have been added, to provide a comprehensive reference of over 15,000 garden plants. I would have preferred the two-volume approach of the previous edition, but welcome the increas...

Fraxinus angustifolia 'Raywood' and Rhus typhina in Chippenham yesterday

Our part of the score, with my annotations above the score line on how it should be performed on the day.  My head is still stuffed with the most wonderful music today, so it's time to take a break from my usual bloggage. On Sunday I sang the chorales in Bach's St John Passion at the Wiltshire Music Centre  in Bradford on Avon, as part of a project put together by English Touring Opera (ETO). Our performance was reviewed in The Guardian yesterday, which has kept the music in my head and the good feelings going well into today. I must admit I was a bit daunted at first. I can't read music, it's a challenging piece, and it's not the kind of thing I usually perform or listen to. However, the WMC Choir component was a scratch choir, so there would be plenty of people like me there. It was too good an opportunity to miss. Can a scratch choir perform to the standards expected by ETO with just four rehearsals? It seems we can, as long as you do your homework. ...