Author Archives: midlifegardener

About midlifegardener

A new house and a new garden. Having spent the past 5 years mainting my father's garden I am now taking on my own gardening project down the road in a new single store dwelling. The Old Man has passed on but he remains in my thoughts as I develop the new patch

Freezing in the Heatwave

Posted on August 4, 2022 by midlifegardener

When my parents were looking for a house in the second half of the 1970s, their choice was influenced, in large part, by thoughts of self-sufficiency.  They bought the new house because it had been a smallholding, and they proceeded … Continue reading →

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Provenance

Posted on July 20, 2022 by midlifegardener

The other day Mrs B came home with a new cook book. This not an entirely unusual occurrence: we both enjoy discovering new recipes, and Mrs B owns a Bookshop. You do the Math. Home Food, is written by Olia … Continue reading →

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A Long Dog’s Journey into Night

Posted on April 14, 2022 by midlifegardener

So much of our lives revolve around routines. We are creatures of habit, as they say, and no creature is more habitual than Mr Long – Young Badger Boy. He gets us up at 6 a.m. every morning and was … Continue reading →

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New Year, New Potatoes

Posted on February 20, 2022 by midlifegardener

Potato Day in January carries calendrical significance like a gardening equivalent of the Chinese New Year. For the Chinese, 2022 is the Year of the Tiger, but how will this gardening year be named? Will it be the year of … Continue reading →

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Clearing Up

Posted on January 19, 2022 by midlifegardener

January. The party season is over so we have been clearing the decks in a manner that some say the Government should. It is difficult not to sympathise with the PM. I often head into the garden with the idea … Continue reading →

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Potted history

Posted on December 6, 2021 by midlifegardener

In October, when I discovered that my big brother had already planted his spring bulbs and even sown his sweet peas, I decided to use my blog posts to see when I had previously planted bulbs and so I read … Continue reading →

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One Man and His Dog

Posted on September 28, 2021 by midlifegardener

I continue to use gardening to help me cope with the stresses and strife of life and if the definition of mindfulness is “a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting … Continue reading →

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“I’m a Pallet Man…”

Posted on September 2, 2021 by midlifegardener

There is more to having a garden than simply sowing seeds, potting on, weeding, planting out, dead-heading and harvesting. It is not all about the cultivars and compost, the maintenance and the mowing, the pest control and the picking out. … Continue reading →

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Blighted

Posted on August 18, 2021 by midlifegardener

“Tis because we be on a blighted star, and not a sound one, isn’t it Tess?” I decided to start this post as I ended the last – with a literary quote (welcome to Pseuds Corner). But this week I … Continue reading →

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Preparation & Performance

Posted on August 5, 2021 by midlifegardener

This week I learnt that plans are afoot for the 2022 Open Gardens Day in the village. I have been told the date (confidentially), but as it probably needs to go through the usual committees and organisational debates, I am … Continue reading →

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