It's my fault.

I’ve spent a lot of time today clearing up the apples that have not been used or stored. In all I collected up seven wheel barrows full and dumped them in the wood. The ones you see in the picture are about half the total amount.

It is right what someone said about this being a busy time in the garden. I find it quite annoying when people come to me and make comments about me being able to take it easier now. I often have people come to me in the winter and say there can’t be much I can be doing at this time of year – these are usually the same people who are complaining about the weeds getting out of hand the following spring. I know there are some parts of the world where you can’t do a lot of gardening in winter but here in the UK some of the most important work is done in the winter months, what you do in the winter can determine how well your garden looks the following summer.

I’m pleased you liked the pictures and video of Tess, she does have long legs as many of you commented on. The fun she was having in the video is reasonably calm compared to some of the stunts she pulls. At the moment she is very keen on gardening and spends lots of time digging planting holes for Vicki ready for when she buys some new plants. I have to confess that I think I may be the cause of this craze because I took her to work with me the other day when I was planting the roses and thinking back she did seem quite taken with what I was doing – especially the bit where I was digging the hole.