I spent Boxing Day in the greenhouse, lured outside by the promise of blue sky and sunshine I quickly had to take refuge from the rain! Before the weather turned damp, I just had time to take a few pictures of  new shoots and a few hardy specimens doing their best to grow despite the cold and damp. These Cardoons have been in our front garden for 15 years, always delighting us with their tall flowers and every year “will be the year” I blanch the stems and cook them – maybe 2013 will be the year – or more likely they’ll be snaffled by local flower arrangers for wedding  or church decorations which is their usual fate!

I love Boxing Day, the hard work of cooking Christmas dinner is over, the fridge filled to burst with “leftovers” and each of us indulging in a little quiet time before the evening’s tv viewing begins. It’s just the three of us and a garden full of birds, the starlings have fought off the chaffinches and are tucking into home made fat balls (beef dripping and stale chocolate cake), at least a dozen black caps are feasting on the bird seed and our “tame” pheasant is scratching for grubs under the holly bush. The robin has taken charge of the bird table and is strutting back and forth, very proud to have it all to himself.

This is my family Christmas, quiet, peaceful, almost solitary. This is just how we like it.