snowed in!!

being snowed in has its advantages- it means i cant go to the allotment and lose hours there- when i should be getting on with my work, so i have managed to get lots done since the pretty white stuff fell-

-however i couldnt help myself- i had to go and see what the allotment looked like under the blanket of thick snow- it was beautiful!

here are some summer / winter  shots:

my favourite place to just sit and relax-(but not today!!)

the snow was very deep here in maidstone- or am i just very small??

we started a bonfire (any excuse) to keep warm, and i harvested some

brussel sprouts for dinner!

Oh summer days spent at the allotment- feels like such along time ago now,,,

Great Dixter Christmass Fair 2010

Great Dixter Christmass Fair 2010 was a great success, with hundreds of people coming to dixter over the weekend, to have a glass of spiced hot apple juice, see the garden and its winter structure and wonder around the house with all fires lit- doing their Christmas shopping with a vast range of stalls selling all sorts.
I bought chocolate (obvious to those that know of my sweet tooth!) , olive oil, bundles of wooden labels for the allotment/garden and a  fantastic wall chart designed by the charming Christopher Lloyd -(the great Christopher Lloyds nephew)

you may have already seen a much larger version of his wall book on the south bank, London:

 

   

More info on these great books: http://whatonearthbooks.com/



Here are some of the pictures i took over the weekend:

 frosted sempervivum on the larder roof,

the kitchen drive , and a little black bird collecting his berries

frosted ferns and cotoneaster horizontalis are key in the garden at this time of year,

structural plants are left in the winter and here is a perfect example of why, teasel

are dotted around the garden for the winter structure,

the topiary adds to the permanent structure and is beautifully highlighted with a frost or snow,

.....and of course pics of little conifer,

a little bundle of loveliness!!

the frozen horse pond, with the Jurassic gunnera leaves

cotoneaster horizontalis and the peacocks highlighted by the frost,

the view from the top window of the house, looking

down over the topiary lawn and beyond,,,

  

(above pic:gardens illustrated.com)

 

the fair was also the launch of the new book, dear christo

a book by his freinds, a nice insight to the real christo,

out to by now-http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dear-Christo-Memories-Christopher-Dixter/dp/1604692235