Thanks for your comments on yesterday’s post. I hope I didn’t offend anyone who comments here regularly and that was something I should have considered before posting. However, it would look a bit stupid if I took it down, so just see it as one of those things and feel free to comment as you always do. I am very fond of you all.

Thanks for bearing with me, as they say at the call centre, I am sad and low right now but hope to pick up soon.

When we squint towards the light in the gloom of the Northern Hemisphere’s winter occasionally we see some lovely things right in front of our noses.

Here is the senecia gone to seed, looking a lot like a mini dandelion clock, but also quite snowflake like. It mostly lives in the bathroom in the window, liking the warmth and damp no doubt.  Not one wisp of snow so far has drifted this way, but winter has a way of popping up quite randomly these days…

Here is the lime marmalade that I made in December from Thane Prince’s recipe which she kindly sent me. You cook the shreds separately and reserve them while you do the rest and then add them in at the very end. I am going to have to make more as we gave most of it away.

Just a taste? oh all right then…

and here’s something from B’s treasure chest…. he has a whole bunch of these in different sizes, his Dad used to go to auctions and had a fondness for picking up old tools. The other day I found a pair of big old warm slippers (OK the dog had eaten a small piece of one of them, but basically they were still good, only the sole was flapping about and I asked B to mend it for me; he likes mending things) and out came this and the glue and he fixed my slippers for me.

and the early crew are already up in their privileged and sheltered spot with their backs against the patio. I say words like ‘frost tonight’ to them but they ignore me. That geranium too should still be under the ground…

Anything surprised you lately?