February - The Season Joiner

February 'Going Out'

February. There's certainly a feeling of having survived when February arrives. That long, challenging month of January has passed and we're all set for spring. But February for me is very much the in between month. A joining month if you will. At school, we were taught the joining words to build our sentences - and, but and the rest; I see February as something like that. It joins winter to spring. January, undeniably winter, always cold, days too short and nothing really growing; then there's March with the daffodils (which seem to flower, irrespective of the weather, always in March) and later in the month the clock change is undeniably the start of spring for me. Which leaves February as the season joiner.

Here, in the UK, it does have some of its own joy. We celebrate St. Valentine's Day, reminding our other halves we still love them. For me, it's an exchange of cards, maybe a little present but usually an excuse to go out somewhere. This year, we are vacating our house with our eldest daughter who is visiting from London. We're leaving the youngest to cook a three course meal at home for her loved one. I'm slightly anxious about the next morning mess but oddly rather excited about a prospect of a meal out at the local inexpensive Mexican followed by the cinema with my eldest daughter 'third wheeling' as she puts it. What to see though? Nothing is grabbing me I will admit. It's twenty five years since Titanic was released (I remember seeing it first time around on a plane to America and being oh so grateful for its three hour length) and that's showing again, but can I face all that water and the cold? The other possibility is Avatar 2 which everyone recommends, but sadly, I am seemingly the only person who does not appreciate fantasy or sci-fi in any form. I'm just not bothered. The rest of the offerings do not fit our timescales and with horror always off the menu, it's a limited selection at best.

The other highlight of February is of course pancake day, Shrove Tuesday. The day before we enter lent, the build up to Easter feasting (which, quite frankly at this point, feels like an eternity away). Traditionally, we should be using up all our fats, flour, dairy and sugar. For me, my healthy eating push may yet preclude this indulgence this year. I'm thinking hard about how I can factor it in. I'm not a fan of bananas so banana pancakes are most certainly off the menu. I've got as far as considering pancakes made with no fat yoghurt - all suggestions very welcome. Of course, being a sugar and lemon juice kind of girl, the topping always has some indulgence.

So what's happening this month?

In February I'm growing...

Late Bulb Planting

Finally, all the bulbs. I found a bag of tulips lurking unplanted in the garage last week. It is very late to be planting them out but I got out there and dug a trench in the raised beds and popped them all in nonetheless. I'm thinking that the cold weather before and after Christmas and indeed this month, will have slowed the growing down of all our bulbs. Most of my other tulips are just popping up. The soil is cold but pretty dry and the raised beds offer very good drainage, I don't think they'll rot before they shoot and flower. The question is, just how late will they be? or will they catch up and flower in April/May with the others. I'll keep you posted.

Pots of Colour

I've been making up a few winter or early spring pots of colour to go around the front door. A curated pot of flowers last quite a few weeks and should keep their colour pretty much until the bulbs take over now. I've used plants with interesting foliage and shoots such as small euphorbias, ophiopogon (black grass) and then dotted through with spring flowers that are in the garden centres - primroses, anenomes, saxifraga and the like. I can't advocate more for this kind of gardening. It's very easy to do, lasts for several months and takes up barely any space. High impact too. It certainly brings a smile to my face to see spring flowers used in this way. The trick is to use interesting foliage combinations with flowers that pop against that foliage. Rather like choosing accessories for a room.

The great spring clearance continues. No, this is not a bargain sale, more the clearing and tidying of the garden ready for spring and summer. I'm sure I've said before but weeding now often results in the need for less weeding through the summer months. It's back breaking work though. Cutting back the perennials, weeding, trimming hedges and shrubs - it's far from easy. Am I half way through the garden? No, probably not yet, but it's getting closer. I allow myself two hour spells at this kind of work - no longer. It's great to be outside though doing and there's some therapy in that too I think.

Garden Clearance

This is certainly a month for choosing and planning to sow seeds although, I rarely actually get much sown. Part of this is space - my greenhouse is chocker-block with tender perennials overwintering. Part of my non-seed sowing is from experience though. The light levels are too low and the nights too cold generally to get the seedlings going now. Germination is always much more successful if I wait, and wait quite a while, April is favourite. Some direct sowing can also take place then too which gets around the space issue, especially as we often have a couple of sneaky late frosts in May. I have selected quite a few direct sow packets this year such as cornflowers, Californian poppies and verbena bonariensis. The latter seems to do really well here once it starts growing and freely self seeds. I planted a couple of plants about ten years ago and still have a few popping up in very unexpected places. That said, I am hoping to add to their number this year again. I shall also grow cosmos and dahlia Bishop's Children again this year in little pots. They also seem to do well here and extend the season well into October.

In February, I'm wearing...

Green 'Drinking Jacket' and new Wellies

The simple answer is nothing much new. I don't really think of February as a month for shopping for clothes and I really haven't been. I'm still hunkering down in jumpers, trousers and boots. A lot of the time has been spent in the garden and so trousers, jumpers and maybe a gilet or short jacket. I rather like a gilet in the garden as it keeps me warm but enables my arms to have some freedom of movement. My two favourite go to gilets are my bright red furry (from Rino & Pelle) one (for the less messy jobs) and my trusty green which I've had for absolutely years. In what feels like another lifetime, the green gilet (now a vintage Hobbs classic) was known as my drinking jacket because of its regular appearances at apres ski - I'm still agog that I would have been able to fit it in the suitcase in the first place.

Tea in the Greenhouse and New Cardigan

My only sale purchase this year was a rather lovely cardigan/jacket from Odd Molly. It has such a gorgeous pattern and I love to wrap myself up in it after a cold morning's gardening.

I have spent quite a lot of time in my exercising gear this month too. What with trying to run twice a week and adding Pilates to the exercise mix, an unusual amount of time has been spent in lycra. I added to my winter sports gear with a new pair of leggings and a long sleeved top from M&S. I find their sports wear is good quality and fits well. I like a little tie at the waist on my leggings to stop them slipping down when I'm running and this feature can be tricky to find. They are also nice and long, and for me, that's a factor.

Ready to Run

Oh and we should talk wellies. Wellington Boots. I'm not one for stylish wellies particularly. I might have been at one point, but when you discover that you have to have very thin calves to fit in the trendy ones, it's just all too depressing. They're also very expensive. I use my wellies for winter gardening and the occasional canal side walk. I'm not using them as a fashion item particularly. My longstanding pair of wellies (so long standing, I have no clue where they were bought from, but I know they will have been cheap) finally split in the sole at the end of last winter. A rather inconvenient session of jet washing the patio wearing plastic bags inside them finally convinced me they had to go. With our mild, dry autumn I hung on longer waiting for the last minute to purchase new ones. I was rewarded by a Joules sale of all Wellington Boots and managed to pick up a new navy pair, with adjustable calf straps, for just £20 - a true bargain. I can confirm they are very comfortable too.

In February, I'm styling:-

Progress has been slow in this area. I haven't actually got my paint brushes out as yet this year. I have an idea for my daughter's bedroom which I mentioned last month, needs a refresh. A mood board is forming but I have yet to actually make any paint purchases. I have, however, removed the old desk and a small chest of drawers which were part of some old build in furniture. It's poised to be started once I finally commit to a colour and get under way.

The Beginnings of My Mood Board

The kitchen now has an Anglepoise style standard lamp which I love. In the end, I went for a neutral colour more to save money than because I like the colour. That being said, I think it fits in rather well. I now have an idea to paint the door leading from the kitchen to the garage, which contains some of our utility appliances (washing machine, dryer, extra fridge and freezer for example). This door is used frequently and sits in the corner of the room. My idea is to paint in in Arsenic from Farrow & Ball. Its a stand out colour that I love and oddly seems to blend rather well with the kitchen soft furnishings. I've bought a tester pot and think it might work - again just waiting for the final mood to commit to it.

The Kitchen Anglepoise

Finally, I have the urge to paint the chimney breast in our sitting room. Currently, it's painted in Down Pipe (Farrow & Ball) with a warm, light neutral on the walls. My urge is to move away from dark grey which I think has had its day now to a rich warm rust colour. Our brick fireplace has several warm tones within the bricks and I think a warm red would work. I have my eye on Blazer (Farrow & Ball) which is quite a statement colour. I shall mull this idea for a while to be convinced before I start.

There's been no further progress on the brightly coloured portrait painting I spotted at new year. I still have this in the back of my mind so I will keep looking. I have a vague idea to paint a trio of abstract images myself for the stairs to the first floor. It wouldn't be my first foray into painting art work but it would be my first abstract. I have the canvases ready and I have though about my starting point, beyond that, I am waiting for the urge to have a go one day and see how they turn out. After all, I can always paint over anything too dreadful.

In February I'm cooking...

Here's the thing, I'm not actually cooking much at all. This suits me absolutely fine. As I mentioned, I've put myself on a healthy eating burst and I've taken to having lots and lots of salads and plenty of fruit. Oddly, I currently have no cravings either which has to be a bonus. As some favourite salads and recipes emerge I'll let you know them but at the moment a plate full of salads is doing me fine.

Skye McAlpine's New Book

However, I have treated myself to the rather lovely 'A Table Full of Love' book by Skye McAlpine. I have her other books already and thoroughly enjoy her style of food. She lives straddling London and Venice and her food reflects her life. I can't wait to read the book in detail but from what I've seen so far, I would whole heartedly recommend it.

So I'll leave you, off to make another salad for lunch - I know in February. It seems to me that my February is one of making plans and ideas get to the point where they move from plan to actuality. A facilitator month, an enabler or, just simply, the joiner.

Best wishes,

Claire