Nature Watch

With the Christmas rush, I’m up to my eyes with orders and the business. Nicky’s almost equally busy but I’m having to leave it to her to sort out some of our work-life balance for another week! So this is what she’s been noticing in the outside world, beyond chez Millican.

Nicky writes: I’m enjoying the frosty mornings, walking Archie, our yellow Lab. He’s been doing a good Bambi impression in recent days, funneling along the paths after the scent of hedgehogs and other night visitors.


Archie by the river with Skiddaw in the background

The recent storms and floods up this way have wreaked a lot of devastation in our garden – not, thankfully, our house as we live on a hill – but it always amazes me how quickly Mother Nature bounces back.

Just a week after the floods, we were out on a crispy night, gazing at the clear night sky. With no light pollution here, we have fabulous views of the starscape. There was a full moon, and snow visible on the fell tops like sprinkled icing sugar. Incredible how quickly calm can return when the weather was wreaking havoc just seven days earlier.

The floods had a significant impact on local wildlife. Friends found a red squirrel lying on their doormat during the floods.


Photo courtesy of alan cleaver 2000

Luckily, red squirrels are regulars in this area with an active support community keeping a look-out for intruding greys.

Heading back from the fells to our garden, I spot the chairs still out on our decking. They don’t seem a lot of winter use but, on clear days, there’s nothing like a glass of hot mulled wine and a slice of stollen on the deck. We look straight out onto stunning views of the fells opposite.

Despite these walks with Archie, my work-life balance isn’t actually all that it might be! If you want evidence, take a look at our garden. I’ve been doing my best and, with a lot of evergreen, the plot still looks active. But the piles of leaves blown under plants and bushes by the wind give the game away. And after floods in the garden and the veggie plot for a week, the ground is distinctly soggy underfoot. It’s certainly not the finest moment for our sprouts and broccoli as a result.

The beetroot is still hanging on in there, but the leeks need a good burst of sunshine and that’s a rare thing at this time of year. With sunrise at 8.30am and sunset before 4pm at the moment, the garden isn’t getting much sunlight or warmth. So we have to be content with some somewhat withered looking vegetables at times. The important thing, though, is the taste. And on that score, they still deliver.

So it’s time to prune, clear and put the garden to bed for a couple of months. Luckily I cut and dried our sage and lavender some weeks ago, so there’s enough for the sage stuffing on Christmas day, and small presents of lavender drawer fresheners, hand-made by our daughter.

I’ve also planted some more bulbs for the spring, while I had local gardeners round recently for the winter cropping. My Rowan tree – traditionally planted at the front of houses for protection – now looks like a coat stand. But experience tells me that it will soon bounce back into life. The fir trees have also had their annual haircut, opening up the view to Skiddaw, the Lakeland’s fourth highest fell.

As I head back towards the house, I notice a strange mix of elements. There are the bean wigwams, looking distinctly bare. Mental note – give a lick of paint before spring. Many of the bushes, like the magnolia and Rhododendron by contrast, are already in bud. So seasonal decay mixed with signs of new life.


Our almost empty veggie plot with the view of the fells

I pass the compost bin, currently fit to bursting. We’ve just been given a Bokashi bin too. It can apparently be used to decompose food, even cooked stuff, without attracting rats and other predators. We’re looking out for tips how to use it to best advantage – all suggestions gratefully received – but the truth is we’re not actually sure that we leave enough food to warrant using it.

Influenced by sites like My Zero Waste , we manage to do some meals from “the bottom of the fridge” these days. So we’re actually wondering if we should donate the Bokashi to a bigger family.

Finally, I head back indoors. It’s time to return to the Millican orders. But tonight, I’m looking forward to creating our winter wreath, a real annual ritual. I’ve already cut the holly, fir and rosemary sprigs for the wreath and am looking forward to dumping the greenery all over the wooden floor.

Then, with a glass of damson gin to hand, I’ll make wreaths for my Mum and us. With pinecones recycled from last year, moss pulled from the stones out back, and greenery from the garden, it’s a real home-grown affair. Maybe it’s not as sophisticated as the wreaths you’d find in a florist but I like making them with my hands and the creativity involved. It’s a good reminder that Christmas will be soon upon us. Then it really will be time to put our feet up and stop.