You can never have too many books!

Santa was somewhat late delivering this year as our youngest was still awake until not long before 1am. She then woke up again at 4.09am. Oh yes, 4.09am! Her brother woke at around 5.30am. The neighbours got up at 6am. And finally ours woke up and got up at 7am. Mrs D and I drank a lot of coffee that day.

Despite spending most of the morning in the kitchen (and over-cooking the turkey - cry), we all had a great day and shared lots of lovely presents. I'd already had a blackcurrant bush delivered (Titania from Ken Muir), which is still being kept alive in the kitchen with regular 'baths' in the sink! The 'library' was increased with a number of fruit books:

Nigel Slater's Tender: Volume II, A cook's guide to the fruit garden

'The Apple Book' by Rosie Sanders

RHS 'Growing Fruit (Royal Horticultural Society's Encyclopaedia of Practical Gardening)
' by Harry Baker (retired Fruit Officer at RHS Wisley)

'How to Grow Orchard Fruit' by Richard Bird and Kate Whiteman

You may have noticed a bit of a theme! Following on that I also received a 'Aluminium 3in1 Apple Peeler Corer Slicer Suction Stand - which is amazingly addictive!


Is that a thaw I see?
That white stuff seems to be disappearing and we've finally turned off the heating (for at least some of the day), so I'm hoping the soil will also have defrosted enough to get the blackcurrant in the ground and salvage the brassicas under the collapsed netting. Before the next lot of snow strikes...