Category Archives: Musings

Tweeting is something I decided to do rather hesitantly and very much in the slow lane, as a conscious effort to keep myself up to date with the various tools available to me as a writer. My previous post on the subject was perhaps a bit naïve – and managed to wash all sorts ofContinue reading “Why do we tweet – the sequel…”

A few weeks of Tweeting (I am still floundering with the subtleties of Twitterworld) leaves me somewhat perplexed – and in truth, rather inclined to back away into the undergrowth. Why do we Tweet? Is it because we want to shout our thoughts/opinions or share interesting occurrences with as many people as possible – whoever,Continue reading “Twitter: so far – so what?”

Today’s letters page in the print version of The Telegraph carries an abridged version of one sent to them by Kate Metcalfe – the very ‘my friend Kate’ who features in my Thorny Problems page all too frequently. The single half-standard gooseberry bush she bought (from Ken Muir‎, and yes, it did cost quite aContinue reading “My friend Kate’s goosegogs”

Normally I am pretty much a Ken Thompson fan, enjoying immensely and learning a lot from what he has to offer in the way of really helpful stuff for gardeners. I would, however, like to register a bit of a protest about something Ken wrote in Telegraph Gardening on June 15 about the ecologically pointlessnessContinue reading “Bought-in bumble bees”

My new book, Gardening in Pyjamas, is out on 11th April.

And now for something a bit precarious, professionally speaking –  a little bit out on a limb: A reader of my Telegraph page wrote to me about my lawnmower, a Bosch  lithium-ion cordless model that  I have been using for about four years and about which I cannot speak too highly. Referring to it recently on my page, I mentionedContinue reading “What price ‘freebies’?”

My first, and I hope not my last post for the BBC gardening blog is up and running – about posy pickers. Here’s the link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/gardening/2011/06/lets-hear-it-for-the-posy-pick.shtml Commenter Stephanie Donaldson is obviously a dedicated PP like me, and on her blog, ‘The Enduring Gardener‘, there are some pictures to inspire, of extremely tasteful garden posies she has put together –Continue reading “Blogging for the BBC..!”

Two days ago, early in the morning I was carefully walking along the edge of the pond (precious primulas in full sail to my left, water to my right) in order to haul out some of the mass of oxygenating weed that was threatening to engulf the pump. I had just wandered outside, having completed the ‘weekly tips’ section ofContinue reading “Gardening in my slippers – a cautionary tale”