And so it begins – this lengthy winter season with little mild. Days go by with out seeing sunshine because the skies are principally overcast. Even on days when it would not rain, the clouds are there blocking out the sunshine. Nevertheless it does rain rather more, and the bottom is saturated with water making the soil heavy. I attempt to not work it nor thread on it, but there are bulbs to plant and weeds to take away so invariably it turns into much more clogged the place I’ve labored. Final week I used to be on the Gatekeepers Cottage, lastly attending to grips with the big English perennial border infront of it. My Godfathers had despatched me spring bulbs from Holland, they usually wanted planting earlier than the frost settles.
Firstly the border wanted to be weeded. I usually let the weeds run a bit wild in autumn as there may be a lot harvesting to be accomplished within the kitchen backyard that point merely runs out. I hate sofa grass, however residing within the wild surrounded by nature I’ve come to the conclusion that as a lot as I proceed to combat it, it should by no means go away. (Ditto creeping thistles.) As a substitute I take a philosophical stance, and regard eradicating it as train. I weed the borders a number of occasions every season and dig the weeds out as finest I can. “By no means thoughts,” I believe to myself because the weeds crop up and mingle with the crops, “solely God is ideal so my borders do not must be.” Now in autumn I additionally reduce final summers perennials, leaving the border as neat as attainable for subsequent spring. Then I planted the bulbs, one after the other, to make the border right into a sea of Pheasants Eye narcissus in spring. I additionally snuck in a mixture of tulips, as a result of… effectively simply because I suppose.
Even when we do not get a lot mild presently of 12 months, being out within the contemporary air does me good. Within the north of Finland, we get the lengthy polar nights known as Kaamos when the solar does’t attain over the horizon in any respect. Right here within the south it would not get that unhealthy, however six hours daylight continues to be a really quick time and particularly so when the day hardly will get mild in any respect. My Fb feed fills up with memes in regards to the uncommon occasions individuals do se the solar, with posts akin to “Oh my God I noticed probably the most wonderful uncommon factor as we speak!” getting probably the most likes. No surprise the Christmas lights come out early… But part of me would not thoughts the darkness. November is an effective month to cozy up at house and have early nights in. I just like the quiet stillness of the countryside, and being bored within the night after 5 hours of pitch blackness will get me again right into a rhythm of falling asleep early. The cellphone goes on silent round 8 pm, and I get up lengthy earlier than daybreak ultimately comes. It’s a good life. Quiet, however very good.
