First of all, I’d like to say how overwhelmed we are with the level of support and interest that the local community has shown in our little venture. We’re receiving new enquiries daily and got that over-subscribed recently we’ve even had to take on a full-time member of staff to help us cope with demand! Incredible after such a short amount of time trading and we couldn’t be more grateful. 21 seems like the key to the door after all!
Secondly, what a massive relief it is to finally see the colours of early spring squeezing through after a mega cold blast of weather. There seems to have been almost no window of opportunity for judicious pruning this year as the temperature went from -8˚c to +10˚c in the space of 48 hours and every thing went budding crazy! In the gardens that I visit around Haydon Bridge, I’m seeing plenty of early Iris, Crocus and Tête à Tête, with the shoots of peonies and stonecrops just peeping through the surface. I’ve been struck this week by how easy it is to get fixated on the 2 foot square area under your nose and not really take a moment to appreciate where you are – and that is not always just the location you stand in either! I’ve lifted my head a few times this week and been blown away (on Tuesday literally!) by the stunning views of the Northumberland landscape and Allendale Valley. I’ve worked in shops, offices and hotels and travelled all over the world on business but getting drenched in Catton is better than all of it!
Enjoy the lighter nights and the honeyed twilights – and take the advice of Adam Frost and just take a moment to be among your planting.