Trees ....

With winter settling in, this blog, like the garden and allotment (and by all appearances Archie and Angel who are only too happy to spend extra sofa time snuggling under fleeces) will be enjoying a period of restful dormancy until the Spring. I'll still be popping posts on the Dog Friendly Gardening Facebook page, so do please join us over there - as usual, if I do post a blog, it will be flagged up there anyway. I'm planning on catching up with a bit of maintenance on the allotment such as hedgetrimming and rebuilding the sagging walls on one side of the compost heap, but otherwise I'm getting a lot of enjoyment from looking at the trees all around. As well as convenient places for dogs to post their pee-mail, they have an ever changing beauty all year round and in winter, their architecture is ratcheted up another gear on those mornings when each bough, branch and twig is delineated by frost or snow.
Yes, I'm fond of trees ... and as well as admiring those in the area, I'm looking forward to reading a  recent buy, spotted in the gift shop during a recent visit to Chiltern Open Air Museum, "Special Trees & Woods of the Chilterns", written by locals and inspired by Thomas Pakenham's fabulous book, "Meetings with Remarkable Trees" Winter is after all, a wonderful time for a bit of armchair gardening, catching up on some of that reading you've been promising yourself. If you haven't yet got a copy yourself  or want a gift for a dog owning friend there is also "Dog Friendly Gardening" - all profits are donated to charitable causes.
In the meantime, we all wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Spend spend spend!

It might not be ideal weather for gardening: the ground is either frozen or boglike at the moment - but it is perfect for sitting indoors in the warm with a cuppa and going through gardening catalogues, sorting old seed packets - or if you really feel the need to get out, going to the local garden centre and spending any vouchers you may have been given for Christmas. Which is exactly what I did a couple of weeks ago - adding to my range of Wolf snap-on tools. You can never have too many tools ... and as there is a pet shop just opposite, Archie and Angel ended up with new toys too ...  they aren't too bothered about gardening tools, but are of the opinion that you can never have too many toys. So despite the weather, everyone was happy!

Find out more HERE!

We're back!

An orgy of present-unwrapping ...

Hope you all had a good Christmas and New Year!
Archie and Angel were thrilled by all the turkey and probably had more presents than anybody else. It's nice to get back to normal though and to start planning for the gardening year ahead - although it is mainly planning at the moment as the weather isn't really on my side at the moment. Either the ground has been frozen solid, or the rain has kept me from catching up on work on the allotment ... this morning I took advantage of a dry moment to go and dig some leeks. I had only just finished when torrential rain appeared out of nowhere and by the time I reached the car I was quite literally wet to the knickers. The leek and potato soup (with extra garlic) was welcome for lunch though ...

Sensibly staying in the warm and and dry

 





One of my other chores this morning - before the rain set in - was to empty the poo bin. I keep a mini metal dustbin with a close fitting lid into which I pop Archie and Angel's poo (suitably wrapped in biodegradable bags), and empty it every couple of days into the council poop bin nearby.  I've written about various methods of poo disposal in my book, and have been thinking for some time about saving up to buy one of the dog poo wormeries as being a more eco-friendly idea than the council poo bin. 

Dog Poo Wormeries has kindly agreed to write a blog post here explaining a bit more about it - watch this space! As well as clicking on the link, you can also find them on Facebook as Dog Poo Wormery.

Click HERE for info

Snuffling around!

In haste today - but here's an idea for a fun indoor game for those of you whose dogs are getting to spend less time outdoors sniffling around the garden. Haven't tried it myself yet but Archie and Angel love the challenge of getting a treat out of a towel, so I'll be adding this to my list of things to make and try after Christmas! Here's the link: SNUFFELMAT

Thinking ahead

A bit of a blatant plug today - but it's all in a good cause!
If you are being organised and planning out your Christmas present list for friends and relatives,
why not give those who are dog owners a copy of Dog-friendly Gardening?
It will help them ensure that the garden is a safe as well
as fun place for everyone - two and four legged - to be.
All royalties are donated to a charitable cause: to
find out more visit the website at
http://dogfriendlygardening.jimdo.com/

If you want to buy the book, click the link below!

Click HERE for link

Deck the halls ...

Picture: Didier Olmstead

In case you hadn't noticed, it's Christmas - and that time of year when the outdoors comes indoors in the shape of Christmas trees, holly, ivy and mistletoe. Very jolly and festive it may look, but do remember that they can cause problems to your dog if he decides to take a nibble. Fir tree oils can irritate, dropped needles can get stuck in paws and fur, chemicals used to prolong or decorate the tree may be toxic, while holly berries can make your dog very ill if he samples a few and those from mistletoe can kill. Hanging them high out of his reach doesn't mean they are safe, as the berries often drop off and fall to the floor, unnoticed by everyone except your dog who may think a few unexpected treats have come his way and will promptly hoover them up.
Some plants traditionally given at Christmas can be equally dangerous: Poinsettia is now off the 'fatal' list - apparently it was only there originally due to a misreported case of poisoning. However it can cause nausea and vomiting if it gets nibbled, so make sure it is out of reach. Amaryllis (Hippeastrums) and Hyacinths are also often given but can be toxic. You could of course, always drop a few hints that if anyone is thinking of buying you a plant or flowers this Christmas, you would rather they donated the money to a charity instead ...

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