Last Monday was very exciting. Two new purchases arrived on the same day….and it’s not even Christmas yet! A long overdue replacement wheelbarrow arrived, with a whopping great capacity of 120 litres! It required rather more assembly that I had anticipated, but as soon as every nut and bolt was tightened I immediately put it to work carting compost from the heap to the greenhouse. She handled like a dream, and the punctureless tyre is a great feature. You are probably beginning to get an idea of just what a big deal this is. My other package was a cordless hedge trimmer. The bane of my life (well one of them) is the 2-stroke petrol engine that powers most tools, such as strimmers, chainsaws and hedge cutters – they are so temperamental, and as a consequence frustrating, because they never start when you want them to. So I have converted to a 4 stroke brushcutter/strimmer (more reliable in my opinion), and I have been tempted to make my first foray into the cordless tool market because the battery technology has improved so much in recent years. I know that I will have to recharge it after just over an hour of use, but by then my arms are screaming for a rest anyway, so that’s fine.

Video footage from the trailcam was inconclusive when trying to establish whether my greenhouse intruder was a squirrel (my hunch) or a rat. The camera had been triggered, but I hadn’t set it up quite correctly because there was too much glare when I played it back. On Tuesday afternoon I didn’t require the technology to determine the identity of the unwanted guest, because when I opened the door into that section of the greenhouse there it was looking back at me. So what was it, squirrel or rat? Rat! On Wednesday morning it was dealt with, and since then there has been no evidence of any activity, so it would appear that it was operating as a lone wolf – appropriate because it was the size of a small wolf! I am very much a live and let live kind of guy, but I will not share the greenhouse with Rattus norvegicus.

My close encounter last Sunday with a Goldcrest may just have been trumped this week, though it’s a very close call. Early on Thursday morning I went out to get the milk in for my muesli breakfast. We are lucky to be able to have organic milk delivered in glass bottles by a family run dairy based in Sudbury, well Ballingdon really. Anyway, that’s neither here nor there. As I went out of the kitchen door I detected some movement in the half light in my peripheral vision. Not 3 metres away, hovering at hedge-top level was a beautiful Barn Owl. Upon seeing me it drifted silently along the line of the hedge not much more than a metre above the ground. As I returned from the garden gate with the milk caddy it ghosted above me and disappeared around the front of the house. It really was a magical moment, and the best start to my day.

I am going to be cutting the next batch of Romanesco cauliflowers this week, and January King type cabbages – it’s actually a variety titled Violaceo di Verona, which is a far more romantic name, but it is basically the same thing. There will also be Brussels sprouts and cavolonero. Apart from squash and mushrooms most of the veg offering is in the root category. Apples this week are Red Pippin (also known as Fiesta), oranges and lemons from Sicily. I have taken a punt on some Christmas treats as a bit of an experiment – nuts! I have ordered a limited quantity of Chestnuts and Walnuts organically grown in France – ooh-la-la. If there is interest in them I can get some more closer to the festive period.

The onset of this cold weather came as a shock to the system when it arrived on Friday. The maximum daytime temperature showing on the Met Office forecast for the week ahead is 6° and pretty cold overnight. There have been several days of dry weather, which has been very welcome, but that all comes to an end tonight when the rain arrives, and is predicted to be with us all day tomorrow, so it will be back to square one. I wore my long knickers to the market yesterday, and 2 pairs of socks, which could be a regular wardrobe choice during the winter.

It’s December on Friday, so Christmas cakes and puddings should be under way, allowing plenty of time to feed them. In fact today is ‘stir up Sunday’, the traditional time to get the mixing bowls out, but I think that we can be a little more flexible than that. Nigella says that you should steam your pudding for 5 hours, others say 8 hours – what do you reckon?

Right I’m off to the cellar to find the brandy for soaking the fruit, I may be some time, hic. Have a good week and stay cosy ‘n’ warm.

Phil