Recently, I have been on a gardening kick.

I admit it… I get on one every year… and by the time summer drops in, I am about ready to give up!

The heat still gets to me… my fair English skin was never designed to withstand a Virginia summer… and the travails of the gardening life can easily get you down.

The first year I was over here… I was pregnant during a HOT summer.

The second year, I had a small baby, but managed to do some… and we started on a formal garden.

The third year we had a good year and everything went fine.

The fourth year, we had a drought, and my MIL was sick and dying.

The fifth year we had a flood… and spent most of it trying to do up MIL’s house to sell plus I was pregnant again

The sixth year, we had plenty of rain… but since it came about once a month in the space of a few days… we had drought and flood in one.

This year… I *plan* to do better.  Of course, plans are always subject to weather conditions!

My aim, is to achieve a certain level of self sufficiency.  I don’t believe that we cannot achieved that which was achieved in the colonial days, and as far as I am concerned, fresh veggies from the garden cannot be beaten!

I remember picking fruits and vegetables in my childhood quite fondly.  And I admit… it seems as though it is something that is much more easily done in the UK than it is over here!
So... now I am bound and determined to at least do some level of gardening... and I even found a group that can help with the canning and cooking aspects too

Our garden... weeded and serene!