onionbagblog

Late February and it seems that spring has finally sprung out in the estuary wilds. I say finally, but I fear my impatience for all the fawn and flora is down to being a first timer when it comes to countryside living.

Spring back on the mean streets of South London sometimes meant that the roads were swept; if you were lucky then a solitary weed might poke through by your front door, watered by the urine of the street drinkers in the early hours.

Nice.

And so ever since our ambition of actually owning a garden became a reality, I have been waiting for the change of season in Wivenhoe, and the chance to observe on a daily basis the changing landscape around me.

Out down towards the front, and sadly any of this new sign of seasonal life seems to have been curtailed by the un-environmental Environment Agency. Closer to home however and our little patch is presenting us with hidden surprises popping up to say hello.

We have been incredibly fortunate to inherit a wonderful, mature and manageable garden. We’ve only lost one tree so far due to our green-fingered incompetence.

Whoops.

I personally planted some cheapo B & Q bulbs back in November, just before that bleak midwinter bedded in for the season. I wasn’t too optimistic of any action, but the shoots are now starting to poke through.

What is really wonderful however are the hidden surprises left behind by the very generous previous owners. Not knowing of the whereabouts of any under soil little surprises, we are waking each morning to find new spring plants emerging out of the winter gloom.

The plan is very much to see what this spring and summer months presents us with. We can then start planning properly next autumn, looking beyond a pleasant garden to hopefully a vegetable patch as well.

But until then, it is a time to explore and appreciate all that is green and good around us in Wivenhoe.