Janus Pater, firstborn of Roman deities, presides over all transitions and beginnings, the door keeper, guardian of the new year, and custodian of the calendar, from whom January takes its name. In deference to Janus I am ambivalent about January – the lengthening days tell me to look forward as spring is coming, but the
Celeriac – a variety of celery, Apium graveolens rapaceum, with a large turnip-like root, used as a vegetable. I like to grow a new vegetable each year and as I am rather partial to both celeriac and celery they were near the top of the list last year. I had attempted to grow celeriac in
In the 16th century every good country huswife would consult her copy of Thomas Tusser’s Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandrie for advice on the work to be performed in the garden each month. So for November: If Garden require it, now trench it ye may,One trench not a yard from another go lay,Which being well filled,
United Nations days of… come and go and I admit most pass me by unnoticed, although I can usually manage a cheer for International Womens Day. It is frequently observed that I have a “bee in my bonnet” infact there is usually a whole hive tucked under my woolly hat. World Food Day got a few of
The days are shortening and the northerly winds bring a cold nip to the morning air. Time to find the woolly hats, fill the log baskets and get ready for Samhain which begins on 31 October. This is one of the Celtic fire festivals when the doors on the hills open and the wee folk visit the realms