Frost

Twiddles thumbs. Looks down at notes. No, not a whole lot has happened this week. Although that is all relative. The holidays were fast moving and full, and now it feels quiet in contrast. We’re edging back into routine, but with differences. Not the frost. That’s not unusual.

Car

My car is off the road. More than likely for good. We’ve had it for eight years and it wasn’t new. Up to now, it has fitted all the family in (including the hound), taken us on adventures and transported DIY materials home. It’s been good and fairly luxurious. Amazing what you get used to.

This week, I started driving my daughter’s car, as a temporary measure. It is a small, basic run-around and a contrast to my late car. Usually it takes me a while to adjust to a clutch when I swap cars, but this time it is also the length. I’ve found myself backing into parking slots, pausing and then having to back another car length. Lorry drivers are not so considerate either, I’ve found, when you’re driving a small car.

I miss the heated seats, especially on a frost covered morning, and other mod cons, but hugely grateful that I have something to drive. Needless to say, I’m writing a list of features for my next car.

Apples

This has never happened before. I’m still picking apples and windfalls. Usually, I leave a fair spread of apples for the blackbirds and fieldfares over winter. This January, there is not only a carpet of apples left, but I’ve been picking up basketful of good apples, to make pies and turnovers. We’ve had a heavy frost or two, which usually turns them to mush. I have no idea what is going on, but no one is complaining.

Teasels

Did you know that Somerset used to be the main producer of teasels for Britain? It was used in the production of woven cloth to put the fluffiness into flannel or wool. Great racks of the heads would comb the fabric and was used across the country. It’s mechanised now, so the teasels are, on the whole, redundant.

Teasels grow well in our garden. We encourage areas of it around the garden. The flowers are purple in summer and they provide pockets of water in their stems, but mostly we grow them for the goldfinches. Unbelievably, they are still finding seeds in the seed heads this week. I counted five birds on one plant.

There is a movement to stop using bird feeders, as they pass diseases from one bird to another when they visit. The empathies is shifting to natural planting, such as teasels. This year, we plan to encourage other natural plant sources and hopefully drop the bird feeders all together. I want it to work as a beautiful garden as well as a haven for wildlife all year round. I’ll post up more about our plans.

Rabbit

Along with all our regular garden visitors of pheasants, we’ve noticed rabbits too, this week. They have been spotted munching on apples under the furthest tree. They are in the surrounding fields, but this is the first time for a few years that we’ve seen them in the garden. I’m pleased. I love seeing their antics as they hop around the garden, especially as they ignore my vegetables. Fingers crossed they stay and bring the little ones too.

Well, that’s my week. Quiet, thought filled and frost. Not bad for January.

Thank you for all the lovely comments about my Great Aunt’s (and sister’s) book, last week. It’s lovely to share her story with others.

Joining in with Anne’s word of the week. My word is frost.