I am, as ever, behind in the garden, but, I’m ahead compared to last year, so I am calling that a win. Seeds are finally sown, with the nightshades in. However, the soil temperature needs to be above 21℃ for them to germinate which is no easy task.
As such I currently have propagating trays in the huge window of our porch which thankfully gets sun all day, although there is a fair wind that blows through. One tray is full of chillies, padróns, red peppers and aubergines along with 3 varieties of tomatoes, because I didn’t grow enough last year!
Next to them are peas, sweet peas, cucumber, a scattering of other flowers, and of course, kale, because my beloved kale triffids have finally gone to seed after six months plus of dedicated service. Possibly because I neglected to water them, a tragic but inevitable end to most of my food growing efforts. In Doug we have a tray of salad greens and a tub of radish and spring onions on the go.
Meanwhile, everything in the garden is budding, and it is glorious. The flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum) is, as expected, flowering - it’s the first to appear, flowering in March and April. I don’t know what happens to the currants, I’ve never seen them. I suspect the birds get to them as soon as they appear.
Speaking of birds, the resident starlings are in full warble mode, the blackbirds are hunting for insects and the pied wagtail has made an appearance at the top of the lane, although he’s yet to make it to the garden. Add in neighbouring lapwing, curlew, oyster catchers, hooded crows, geese, gulls of various persuasions and a smattering of ducks, it’s fair to say spring is gaining pace and I have given up trying to keep up.
What else?
The daffodils are out and thanks to the previous owners’ efforts I’ll be picking them until the end of May and I’m hoping to see the European bluebells flowering soon. The willows are donning the first of their furry catkins, the Rosa ragusa is making itself known and the various, compact trees are reminding me of what’s to come. The calves are due to arrive next week and the lambs will soon follow. If you’re new here, the livestock’s not ours, but we are surrounded on every side which satisfies the farmer yearn in me. Better that than having to do the hard graft, right?
The days waver between very blowy and totally calm. Some mornings we’re still seeing a hard frost on the ground, but we also get some beautiful sunny days, just the thing to defrost my creaking bones!
Spring Equinox
At 9:01 on Thursday 20th March, the sun crossed the equator, marking the official start of longer days ahead. About bloody time!
After last year’s more difficult winter, I found myself feeling increasingly worried about how this one would pan out. As October turned to November and then December, I found myself carefully counting down the days to the Winter Solstice, so we could get to the other side and I would be able to start counting up again as the light crept back in.
This is our third winter in Orkney and taking my anxiety and past experience into account, I came up with a new routine to ensure I spent at least some time in full daylight.
Hello lunchtime walk.
What’s the point in being self-employed if you don’t have at least some autonomy over your schedule? Instead of walking Kiki at dawn and dusk, I shifted to a longer middish-day walk and it worked.
Since December 21st, I’ve been keenly aware of every extra minute of light we get and it feels like a small miracle that it’s still just about light at 6:50pm. Instead of feeling glum about the darkness, this extra observation has made me more content to watch the ebb and flow of the winter months.
Up here in the ‘far’ north, the Spring Equinox, signifies the start of a new movement when our increases in daylight will soon outpace the south and by mid-May, the nights won’t get truly dark at all. Two months of endless light.
And honestly? After a little adjustment, it’s my favourite time of year.
excited for your longer days :-) here the days are getting shorter and shorter, but the days are still nice and warm so we can't complain. A lunchtime walk is a great idea and yes, I need to be mindful of making sure I get enough sunlight in those shorter days as well. My workplace is actually close to a river walkway, so maybe I should do that when I get a chance!
Behind but ahead is definitely a win. I'm behind and behind, compared to last year, because we've been having infrastructure work done in the garden and for some reason that has stopped me sowing seeds. No idea why! The dark winters do take some getting used to. Perhaps because I was born and grew up in north east Scotland, I actually love them, and slightly mourn the long dark nights as they have their own beauty. But the growing daylight is a thing of wonder too.