The festive season is encroaching on my garden!

I’d love to say all is hunky dory down in my garden however – that would be a delusion.   It is one thing to have a wonderful garden that is bursting into life and on the verge of delivering some goodness to our plates and larder, but to have a period of holiday smack bang in the middle is so conflicting.

Don’t get me wrong – I love Christmas and all things tinsel and cake, trees indoors filling the house with an amazing piney aroma.  I love the meaning behind it.  It is important to pause and remember the reason for the season, the birth of a small baby thousands of years ago.  Even the gifts are such a lovely tradition to acknowledge those you care about, although I’m not so in love with the shopping part.   It is a wonderful time of the year.

Then following hot on it’s heels is New Year and that is always a hoot, although it is getting increasingly harder to stay awake long enough these days.  It’s kinda like ”  4….   3….  2….  1….  Happy New Year….  and goodnight to all!”

Just to add to all of away-from-garden-ness is the summer holiday and weaves it’s way through the midst of the festive season and beyond.    And don’t get me wrong here either – I love spending time with my family on a beach somewhere, away from all the cares and responsibilities of the world and even better if there is no wifi – for all of us.

But all the while I’m engaged in preparations and shopping and baking and pre Christmas parties, and kids end of school activities, the festivities, celebrations and time away – the garden still grows and it needs me.  There are tendrils to tuck in, peas to pick, tomatoes laden with green fruit to feed, salad crops to resow to ensure a constant supply, zucchini to keep up with before they become marrows, onions to harvest and strawberries to fill my belly with as I garden and then tell the family the yield is down this year – probably because of the birds.

So this weekend I shall (in my head) declare it a festive free zone and take every opportunity to restore order in the garden.  I will lose myself in my mowing, weeding will be a pleasure not a chore.  It will be fabulous.

I won’t go as far as saying Bah Humbug because as a gardener, bugs that bring you down aren’t welcome in my world.  I just need the festive crazy to pause for a moment so I can find my peace and joy in my favourite place – my garden.

Come again soon – I’ll let you know what I’ve achieved.

Sarah the Gardener  : o)