Hibernation

A hazel leaf immortalised by frost

Brrrr what a morning! white fields, smoky red skies and what looks like armies of birds pecking frozen stubborn ground in a desperate attempt for worms -winter is officially upon us in all it's icy glory.Like any sensible mammal I am hiding indoors taking comfort in over sized jumpers and hot cups of tea. The roads are passable by car but not safe to walk on foot. Well in my estimation anyway. I have become a great deal less adventurous since I fell on the ice last year (luckily my well padded arse finally came in useful for something taking the brunt of the fall and bruising in a spectacular fashion for weeks afterwards). Now I'm like an old lady clutching at walls, cars, trees and generally anything that might keep me upright when the ground turns treacherous. And the comforting thing is I know many of you are doing exactly the same wherever you are (yes Jude I'm thinking of you clutching at all the hedges in Yorkshire!).

Joey following me out of McDaids pub in Dublin city on Sat night.

While there have been discreet enquiries about my health, (maybe even a few visits to www.rip.ie) I am alive and well, (walking like a crab though thanks to an over zealous pilates teacher).Yes there has been serious radio silence for weeks now but I'm only HIBERNATING, and I will come back out when the weather looks up or sowing season begins, whichever happens first! Although the gardening classes have been busy doing lots of stuff like making veg gardens with paths and raised beds, learning how to make compost, sowing green manures and overwintering crops I have been doing sod all at home. In fact for the last few weekends I have run off to Blarney and Malahide to visit all and sundry. That's the upside of winter,less gardening time equals more socialising time, and helps you apologise for becoming a virtual gardening recluse in the Summer months I suppose. I console myself with the fact that on a day like today there is nothing you can do anyway except order seed catalogues and look at glasshouse porn on line. There is a lot be said for winter after all!

chard looks more beautiful covered in frost this morning

Frost is not a problem in the vegetable garden as even a light dusting greatly improves the flovour of any veg you might have still standing like Kale, brussels sprouts, chard or parsnips. But when I walked through the garden this morning (in my thickest furriest coat) it was obvious that last nights white out is the final death knell for a few frost intolerant crops like celery,leftover salad crops from the autumn and late crop peas. Mind you we do need this cold. It's so important for fruit trees to get their fruiting cycle set, its important for the ground to kill viruses and break up cloddy soil. It descimates slug populations too-a cause to make most gardeners cheer! The only reason to get pissed off is unwalkable roads, white knuckle driving and bloody tree ferns.My husbands opening line every evening is to wonder if we need to put jackets on the flaming tree ferns. And while I do like the tree ferns I hartily wish they had stayed in Australia where they belong. Putting a jacket on a dog is about the furthest I will stretch-putting a jacket on a fern is just going too far!! Yet who bought the bloody jackets? Me- like an eejit. Yes I drew this trouble upon myself. But I thought a jacket preferable to some mcguyver throw together I might have to make in a late night frosty armageddon emergency in mid-December. Come the wekend I will put on the jackets permanently for the winter with an inner layer of straw and be dammed after that. Fecking tree ferns.