The Garden in Winter
Summer’s a long way off……
I need cheering up, I decided to give into the manflu for a couple of hours today and rest up. After a brief walk in the snow to buy The Times I returned to watch two hours of political commentators tell me I’m doomed. First the VAT is going down-yippee! income tax might come down-get in! Then they tell you that once you’ve spent all that spare cash they’re going to bang the taxes back up! I’m not rich but then I’m not poor either so I’m now the great liberator when it comes to paying for this mess.
Feeling less like Barack Obama and more like a bloody idiot I wandered into the garden to see the snow, which, as far as I’m aware I’m yet to be taxed on. Hang on, if it’s falling then it’s tax free but once it hits the ground then I start paying! Switching over to mellower thoughts and trying to ignore the pain induced from the chilli laced cough sweets my mother had given me I surveyed the herb garden.
The salad burnett has taken a pounding overnight but to its eternal credit it stays green through the darkest of days (yes days-we’ve lost half our daylight hours now) and offers a pleasant cucumber like respite from the winter chill. I need a pimms!
Another hardy staple is my sage. Always there (sounds like a song) it went into a fat bouquet garni for a pot of soup I made earlier.
I have a fine trailing rosemary plant which graces a side fence and is currently showing tiny white flowers, I remember seeing trailing rosemary whilst holidaying in Cornwall and was struck by its beauty so this year I finally got around to growing some.
I did have to remove the flowering catnip the other month, it drew far too much attention to the neighbouring cat who likes to begin his tour of my grounds with a bowel movement in the front border followed by a siesta on said ‘nip’. I’d hoped this ugly thing might have put it off…..
Hope your weather is better wherever you are, unless you’re one of my Californian visitors in which case I don’t 
Stay warm.
Miles
ps: If you want to know the name of the hideous creature pictured above simply scroll over the photograph for a description 
Miles
very clever hoverover !
Great pics, I too thought about going out to take some pictures around were I walk at theback of my house but in the end thought better of it !
Get well soon (he said half-heartedly)
Rod
November 24, 2008 @ 8:08 am
Miles,
You are not like your brother then
Elsie
November 24, 2008 @ 10:02 am
Miles,
It’s been a while since I’ve actually seen your brother and with age memory dims a bit but I’d say it’s not a bad likeness, ‘cept for the fangs perhaps
Devillishly good lookers the Collins boys 
If it’s any consolation I don’t feel fantastic either and have been downing hot rosehip syrup drinks by the pint. Never heard of chilli cough sweets… perhaps we should be making our own?
I enjoyed this post Miles and am pleased to note that you now have some trailing rosemary….. we remember well what happened to the bush you had before!
Cid
November 24, 2008 @ 10:51 am
Rod,
Glad you like it, means a lot
Miles
November 24, 2008 @ 4:55 pm
Elsie,
No I’m not!
Miles
November 24, 2008 @ 4:56 pm
Cid,
and that goes for the chilli sweets too!
You’re not missing anything
As for the rosemary bush, well that’s long gone!
Miles
November 24, 2008 @ 4:57 pm
Miles,
Thanks for the spice tips! I do appreciate it. I really had no clue what to do with either cardamom (didn’t know it ended with a “m” and not an “n”) pods or the fenugreek seeds. I have some squash on hand, so I’ll play with the cardamom there and I also have some chana dal in the cupboard, so I’ll mess with the fenugreek as well.
I may have to skip the pear tart tatin as I can’t eat regular flour and I’m not sure about substituting my “alternative” flours. But who knows, I may get creative and give it a try.
Chilli-laced cough sweets? Are you sick? I need to go back a read your prior posts. It takes me no time to fall behind. You are rather prolific, you know.
I wasn’t able to scroll over your gargoyle to retrieve the secret inscription. Must be my Mac computer. Or are you locking out Americans? Maybe I don’t blame you.
And by the way, things are not pleasant over here either as our new president promised lots of things to lots of people during months of campaigning so people are worried about how all that will be financed, especially when our Congress is bailing out failing institutions right and left. Wish someone would come bail me out.
Take care all. I absolutely LOVE your blog. It is such a breath of fresh air, fun and entertaining. Not to mention informative. And get well soon.
Melissa
P.S. I do have some seed posts somewhere in my past. I’ll find them and send you the links.
November 24, 2008 @ 9:21 pm
Melissa,
Thanks for that, the secret code on the gargoyle was a trick I learnt during my brief tenure as a special agent
Actually I’m just taking the mickey out of my brother. Forget the pastry and poach/roast the pears with some infused stock syrup-just as good, maybe a piece of nice cheese to go with it?
I’ve just been listening to how little this government are going to give me and how much I shall end up giving them-they blame the Americans, I blame the unelected Scottish Prime Minister who ran our finances for ten years.
When all else fails we’ve still got our blogs!
Take care
Miles
November 24, 2008 @ 9:49 pm
The best I can say about the whole economic crisis is that greed was alive and well, and virtually unregulated. The consumer cannot skip out of this blame free, however. Joe Six-Pack and his wife, too, tried to get something for nothing. Looks like tomorrow DID come.
February 10, 2009 @ 6:21 pm
BTW, how did you manage to get a picture of my ex-husband to post on your site?
February 10, 2009 @ 6:22 pm