This climate change business is most perplexing. There was a time when winter was a time to get the digging done. Not so the last few years. With the autumn comes rain and more rain. By November the ground is sodden, the soil claggy. My wellies become giant boots in seconds if I am unkind enough to the soil to walk upon it. This year the situation looks set to last until March.
Certainly we have intervals of splendid skies like this, but these periods of unrain never last long enough for the soil to dry out. All I can do on my plot is pick a few overwintered vegetables (leeks and greens), add fresh supplies of pony manure to my compost bins (a nice man who keeps horses dumps regular supplies out in the lane), and well, take photographs.
The light was just going when I took this first photo, but the burst of clouds above the bare ash trees made me think of Ailsa’s energy challenge over at Where’s My Backpack. Simply to see them filled me with energy, and made me think that the generally dreary look of allotment gardens in February had its scenic qualities too. And of course there are signs of spring. Lurking inside this nest of purple and green is an emergent winter cauliflower, in real life, little more than an inch across.
And the marigolds that grow themselves all over my plot, are coming into flower, although they proved a little hard to capture in the biting wind. Perhaps these hopeful signs mean that I will soon be out digging.
Where’s My Backpack – go here for more responses to Ailsa’s ‘energy’ photo challenge
Tish Farrell 
Hope the situation improves for you.
I appreciate your kind thoughts 🙂
“Periods of unrain” sounds almost unreal. and funny! 🙂 We are no that far apart, but North Norfolk certainly seem to be the driest part of the country and most of the time we are concerned about the lack of water …
I think Shropshire gets the leftover rain from Wales. But if you’re short of rain then the weather patterns have perhaps shifted. Things seem be moving in a northerly direction. It’s worrying for you, though. Of course in Britain we last did something comprehensively useful about water storage and collection back in the Victorian period. We might be sorry that we haven’t been a bit more creative.
I don’t believe in this climate change nonsense. It hardly ever changes. I spend most of my time under azure skies, in sunglasses, shorts or chinos, t-shirts, iced teas, ice cream, salads, sandals, danglign my tootsie on the pond, Bar b q’s .
Yeah, I know; tough eh? 😉
Oh phooey, Ark. I’m not in the least jealous 😦
Tish, I enjoyed learning about your garden plot. We have erratic weather patterns too. This winter our water table is overflowing (East Coast, USA), and the winter has been bitter cold (as opposed to the last decade or two). But we’re lucky, because the West Coast is suffering so much from a long-term drought. We must change the way we garden and live. I do hope that you will be digging out soon.
It looks like we all of us have to re-tune to our weather. And you’re right about changing our gardening ways. Thanks for the digging good wishes 🙂
My pleasure…
Climate change is confusing not only Mother Nature but many a gardener.
I heard an excellent show on BBC radio 4 the other day from Iceland, where because of warming, it’s changing fishing habits, and new crops, never before seen in Iceland, are being grown.
We do live in interesting times!
Love the photograph and once again thank you for a superb post. Janet:)
Oh, I heard that programme too. It was quite fascinating how they were exploiting the pluses of change.
I meant to say, I really like the blues in the image, especially the reflection of the sky on your green house….makes for a lovely composition.
Thank you, Janet.
I have heard that climate change will bring more rain to some parts. Over here the weather is just getting more and more unsettled – 35C one day – 18C the next and so on and so forth. Hope you dry out to get some good gardening weather soon.
Isn’t it amazing how a colorful seedling can transform the day from gloomy to glorious? Or at the very least…not as gloomy. 🙂
That’s it exactly, Elisa. I can’t tell you how excited I was to find that tiny cauli 🙂
Isn’t it frustrating not being able to plant on time. Last year things never caught up properly down here.
Frustrating is definitely the word, Gilly. I’m hoping I can make up for lost time by using my polytunnel more effectively, but I’m only just getting the hang of it.
These pics get me salivating for my own garden to start – oh, maybe in mid-April, if I’m lucky.
It looks that way here, too, though we haven’t had a very cold winter over all. In fact today it is spring, which is quite a shock after yesterday’s winteriness.
We are still buried and it is still bitterly cold. Eventually, it will melt. Then will come the mud. And finally, if anything survives, the flowers. Sigh.
Oh the flowers are sure to come.
I am quite relieved to read this post. Never having had a garden in the UK before I have been feeling guilty that I am not out there doing whatever needs to be done. Is it too soon to sow seedling, like marigold?
You can sow marigolds in pots under shelter, but for outside it’s probably better to wait till later in the month. If the soil is wet and cold nothing much is going to like it. Hope this helps. Please ask anything you want. Am not an expert mind you. 🙂
Thanks Tish. Am grateful. Have been googling for info but it not been madly helpful 🙂