December 2020

In these darkest of times I’m trying to hold on to all that is positive.

But, today, as scientific advisers are calling for yet another national lockdown the future looks bleak and it seems apt that I’m writing this on the 21st of December, shortest day of the year and the winter solstice.

Spring and brighter days are surely ahead though and the brilliant news of a vaccine at last gives us hope. Key workers, carers and the NHS continue to work tirelessly on our behalf, acts of kindness proliferate and families, friends and neighbourhoods continue to support each other. There is much to be thankful for.

Nature is here to soothe and inspire if we care to look. In my garden the little winter flowering cherry tree is bright with palest pink blossom that started to open almost as soon as its last leaves had fallen. Bulb tips are emerging from the sodden earth and inside the scent of hyacinths fills the room. Hoar frosts sparkle on winter foliage and cold, misty air blankets the landscape.

When I began these pages for 2020 I had no idea they would become as much a record of this turbulant year as about my garden through the changing seasons. Now, as the year draws to a close, here’s wishing for better times ahead for us and the world. Thanks for your interest in my work and for reading this journal. Please stay safe and keep well.