*singing* "It may be winter outside..."

... "But in my heart, it's spring!"

And according to the daffodils in "my" gardens, it may still be early November, but as far as they are concerned, it's nearly spring.

Look! 

There they are, poking their noses above ground already.

Anyone would think that it's nearly spring, and yet we haven't had a proper winter yet. In fact, it's been surprisingly mild, I've been working in a t-shirt for most of this week so far. Yes, trousers as well *sigh*, not just a t-shirt... *rolls eyes*

Anyway, here we are in November, trying to catch up with all the usual autumn slaughter jobs - cutting down perennials, general trimming and tidying - and now we also have to watch where we are putting our feet.

I'm often asked when, as a professional gardener, is it best to start working for a new Client, and I have to say that it's a lot easier to start in spring, because then you can see where all the bulbs are. 

Which saves you from that heart-wrenching moment when you feel their crisp new shoots crunch and shatter under an unwary boot.  Oops.

So, even though it's winter, the daffs think it's nearly spring, so be careful where you put your feet, when weeding or cutting back the beds and borders.

Not that there's been much opportunity to get onto the beds and borders, as this has to have been the wettest summer/autumn since - well, since the last one, ha ha. The wettest for some time, surely? (*hasty googling*) Well, what do you know, it's the wettest since 2006 (and the year has not ended yet!) and it is the seventh wettest year since records began.

I rest my case, m'lud.

When it's been raining, I try to stay off the soil as much as possible, as stomping all over wet beds ruins the soil structure, not to mention leaving wet muddy footprints all over the grass, and treading mud all over the paths, patio etc, so it's a lucky escape for the new daffodils.

And there's always a lifting of the spirits that appears when you see the first daffodil noses peeking out of the soil - and so I sing, "but in my heart it's spring!"

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