About the weather

The last couple of days, rain has been lashing down, heavy and wintery, and the forecast for the next few days doesn't look good either which may scupper my plans for lots of Easter weekend gardening. At least it's not snowing though, unlike in Scotland and Ireland last night. The weather is totally beyond our control, but has such a big effect on what we can do in our gardens, allotments and farmsteads. The last couple of summers here in the North West of England have been pretty atrocious with weeks and weeks of rain throughout summer. The slugs loved it, the plants didn't, the slugs ate the plants!

It's interesting whenever I read blogs from other people around the world to see what the weather is like for them. I can't help sometimes feeling a bit envious, especially when I hear this week that the pecan trees are in flower. How wonderful. I remember visiting Greece too, and seeing the orange and lemon groves, and olive bushes. Not possible here, but we must make do with what we are given!

At least those of us with poor weather can start off crops indoors in our warm, centrally heated houses to give them a good start. It makes me wonder what people did hundreds of years ago. Did those gardeners and smallholders start off their vegetables and herbs inside in pots? Did these have to be in the main room with the fire? It would be interesting to read a historic gardening/farming journal someday. Maybe the monks from some of Britain's monasteries kept a diary. Will have to have a look.

This year, I am going to try and keep a log of the weather, along with my record of garden developments and visiting birds.