We finally had a frosty weekend, after many weeks of mild, almost spring-like weather. I think we’ll have at least two more frosty mornings in this short cold stretch.

I’ve left lots of dried seed and flower heads in the gardens this year, both for the birds and winter interest.

Meanwhile, signs of new life are popping up, encouraged by the recent not-so-cold weather.

Stacks of old bricks are accumulating at the back of the house - the remains of our de-constructed wonky old garage which is to be replaced by a small greenhouse and potting shed.

I’ve been getting my winter tree pruning done this month, including the apples, pears, beech and hazel.

It’s been another very rainy winter, with all of our usable water butts currently full to overflowing. One of my projects this winter is to increase our water storage capacity by adding two large tanks and repairing a few leaky barrels that I’ve had in storage, with the aim to get through the growing season using only rainwater.

The sun is shining this afternoon, so it’s time to get back out into the gardens!