Escape from the Christmas mayhem to spruce up pots and outdoor furniture, sow sweet peas, or even paint a fence

I suspect you’re not thinking about the garden much this month. After all, we’re 12 days away from Christmas. Perhaps you’re wrapping presents or running school fairs, or maybe you’ve stumbled upon this while having a little scroll in the queue for a grotto somewhere. It’s difficult to even be outside and at a loose end during daylight hours at the moment.

In case you’re feeling a little overwhelmed, what if you went out into your green space or garden, and started having a bit of a potter? Nothing fancy; goodness knows, I don’t put my garden “to bed” as tradition would dictate – chopping down perennial growth and sweeping up leaves and laying a thick black blanket of mulch over neatly edged beds. But rather a gentle ramble, picking up the plastic flowerpots that have blown about the place and finally emptying that sad pot of desiccated summer annuals into the compost bin. You’ll probably feel a bit less chaotic, possibly even a little festive, afterwards.

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Escape from the Christmas mayhem to spruce up pots and outdoor furniture, sow sweet peas, or even paint a fence

I suspect you’re not thinking about the garden much this month. After all, we’re 12 days away from Christmas. Perhaps you’re wrapping presents or running school fairs, or maybe you’ve stumbled upon this while having a little scroll in the queue for a grotto somewhere. It’s difficult to even be outside and at a loose end during daylight hours at the moment.

In case you’re feeling a little overwhelmed, what if you went out into your green space or garden, and started having a bit of a potter? Nothing fancy; goodness knows, I don’t put my garden “to bed” as tradition would dictate – chopping down perennial growth and sweeping up leaves and laying a thick black blanket of mulch over neatly edged beds. But rather a gentle ramble, picking up the plastic flowerpots that have blown about the place and finally emptying that sad pot of desiccated summer annuals into the compost bin. You’ll probably feel a bit less chaotic, possibly even a little festive, afterwards.

Continue reading...

Escape from the Christmas mayhem to spruce up pots and outdoor furniture, sow sweet peas, or even paint a fence

I suspect you’re not thinking about the garden much this month. After all, we’re 12 days away from Christmas. Perhaps you’re wrapping presents or running school fairs, or maybe you’ve stumbled upon this while having a little scroll in the queue for a grotto somewhere. It’s difficult to even be outside and at a loose end during daylight hours at the moment.

In case you’re feeling a little overwhelmed, what if you went out into your green space or garden, and started having a bit of a potter? Nothing fancy; goodness knows, I don’t put my garden “to bed” as tradition would dictate – chopping down perennial growth and sweeping up leaves and laying a thick black blanket of mulch over neatly edged beds. But rather a gentle ramble, picking up the plastic flowerpots that have blown about the place and finally emptying that sad pot of desiccated summer annuals into the compost bin. You’ll probably feel a bit less chaotic, possibly even a little festive, afterwards.

Continue reading...

Baxter enjoyed a decades-spanning career on radio, TV and film, and was famous for impersonating famous people including Queen Elizabeth II

The actor and comedian Stanley Baxter has died at the age of 99

Born in Glasgow in 1926, Baxter was best known for helming TV sketch series including The Stanley Baxter Show and The Stanley Baxter Picture Show.

Continue reading...

Baxter enjoyed a decades-spanning career on radio, TV and film, and was famous for impersonating famous people including Queen Elizabeth II

The actor and comedian Stanley Baxter has died at the age of 99

Born in Glasgow in 1926, Baxter was best known for helming TV sketch series including The Stanley Baxter Show and The Stanley Baxter Picture Show.

Continue reading...

Baxter enjoyed a decades-spanning career on radio, TV and film, and was famous for impersonating famous people including Queen Elizabeth II

The actor and comedian Stanley Baxter has died at the age of 99

Born in Glasgow in 1926, Baxter was best known for helming TV sketch series including The Stanley Baxter Show and The Stanley Baxter Picture Show.

Continue reading...

Announcement draws anger from Labour MP over refusal to remove tonnes of rubbish dumped near school in Wigan

The Environment Agency is to spend millions of pounds to clear an enormous illegal rubbish dump in Oxfordshire, saying the waste is at risk of catching fire.

But the decision announced on Thursday to clear up the thousands of tonnes of waste illegally dumped outside Kidlington has drawn an angry response from a Labour MP in Greater Manchester whose constituents have been living alongside 25,000 tonnes of toxic rubbish for nearly a year.

Continue reading...

Announcement draws anger from Labour MP over refusal to remove tonnes of rubbish dumped near school in Wigan

The Environment Agency is to spend millions of pounds to clear an enormous illegal rubbish dump in Oxfordshire, saying the waste is at risk of catching fire.

But the decision announced on Thursday to clear up the thousands of tonnes of waste illegally dumped outside Kidlington has drawn an angry response from a Labour MP in Greater Manchester whose constituents have been living alongside 25,000 tonnes of toxic rubbish for nearly a year.

Continue reading...

Announcement draws anger from Labour MP over refusal to remove tonnes of rubbish dumped near school in Wigan

The Environment Agency is to spend millions of pounds to clear an enormous illegal rubbish dump in Oxfordshire, saying the waste is at risk of catching fire.

But the decision announced on Thursday to clear up the thousands of tonnes of waste illegally dumped outside Kidlington has drawn an angry response from a Labour MP in Greater Manchester whose constituents have been living alongside 25,000 tonnes of toxic rubbish for nearly a year.

Continue reading...