December

A wintery feel to the start of the month - cold and windy but thankfully dry.  I can't believe we're almost at the end of the year, where have these last few months gone to?

Garden photo update for December:

Well over 30 garlic now

The spinach in the raised bed did really well to begin with and now seems to have stopped making any further progress.  We've not tried an autumn planting before and we had intended to get a hooped cover for the seedlings but for various reasons never got round to it.  I have a feeling that it's probably now too cold for much more growth.  We'll see how things go.

A lot of lawn and some unimaginative planting.  Hopefully we will have done some work, front and back, by Spring next year.

Outside the back door, all looks much the same . . .

. . . but on closer inspection I noticed these shoots popping through the ground.  I suspect bulbs of some sort but as we didn't plant this area, it's going to be something of a surprise  to see what these actually are.

It was good to visit 'up north' with family, and the wedding was pretty spectacular!  We were really pleased to spend time with some relatives we wanted to re-engage with, and others to get to know better.  Much chatting and discussing (football results, wedding fashions . . . !!)  

We were ready to return home, though.  The big city sights and experiences are OK but we found ourselves missing our little bit of quiet simplicity.  And there is still work to be done, the little homely touches that will make it our own.  So while it was good to see everyone and be part of the celebrations, it was also good to be back.  Today we began the process of cozying our nest, just little bits and pieces to begin with, but I am in need of some kind of order and routine, however vague that may be.  Washing, mending, knitting, decluttering a pile of paperwork - it all helped us slow down and consider what we are doing, and what needs to be done in the days and weeks ahead.

And we found the Christmas decorations - well, it is December!