Despite the bitter winter and storm damage, there are some bright days and early signs of spring. We have daffodils bathing in the thin sunlight.

And the quince, with its intense pink flowers, and the hellebores, with their lime and dark green leaves with cream flowers, are magnificent given they were covered in snow just a few weeks ago.

Cloudless nights are intensely cold but, to compensate, we get tropic-like sunsets, in January.

While there has been no garden work, we have been busy building my publishing website – jump in and have a look at patoakleypublishing.london (POP).

It gives more details of the background research and illustrations that were commissioned for my first book – Louisa’s Lament – which should be out by the end of February.

Come back next time for more news of my book and the emerging spring garden.

Chilling with a good book as it is too cold, wet and windy to do garden work and LOUISA’S LAMENT is just the job! Here’s an extract from Part I.

Xin nian kuai le

Winter has arrived and the storm season is here in force. It has been nothing but driving rain and brooding dark skies, so November has been very lazy. When we get a break in the weather, there is the seasonal clearing out and repairs to be done, and walking on the beach when the winds ease is a small pleasure.

But mainly, this is hunker-down time. Need a good book? One that starts with ‘It was a dark and stormy night’? Well, have a look at LOUISA’S LAMENT. The story kicks off in the late evening of November 6th, 1892, when, on a stormy night, there was frenetic activity in Dr Steele’s quarters facing into the front quad of Guy’s Hospital:

Working with June Schneider, the artist, much research has gone into creating the artworks for the book and its cover. After years of investigating, I have built up vivid pictures in my mind of what it was like to live and work in London in the late 19^th century when the story takes place. We spent many hours studying archive pictures and discussing how to convey the key scenes from the story. I hope you will like the illustrations when you see them.

LOUISA’S LAMENT is out in the new year and you can register your interest by sending a note to: annie@patoakleypublishing.london

Come back at the end of next month on the eve of 2023 to see another picture from Louisa’s Lament.

Blowing in the wind. Everything is blowing in the wind. The summer has given way to the storm season and the beaches, houses and gardens are being pounded.

But some days it is unseasonably warm and bright, so the resilient plants are thriving despite the salt-blasting and gale force winds.

There is much storm debris that needs to be cleared. But the clocks have changed to winter time so the days are too short for such hard work. And new supplies of Tunnocks have arrived for my birthday so it is time to hunker down, eat treats and read.

And the book? Good progress to report – might have samplers to give out before Christmas. The artwork is excellent and you will get a peek next month when you come back for more news.

The autumn equinox has passed and the summer, with all its intense heat and light, has gone. It is chilly in the mornings now and the days are shorter, but we still get to sit out and enjoy the sun and watch the sea glisten on the odd mild day.

But before the gardening season is over and the big clear out begins, we have one final burst of colour enlivened by the returning rain. My garden is now a muddle of rich warm reds, muted pinks and a tapestry of all shades of green. The sedums, rose hips, pokers and cascading roses are muscling out the grasses in competition to be the star plant this month.

Also spotted, hiding over in the west garden, is a pop of flaming red and the recovering blue hydrangea.

And there is much progress with my book. I have met my project manager at the printers, TJBooks, the typesetter and the web designer. The manuscript is going through another round of edits and the illustrator and cover designer are doing their bit to make my book a reality.

So enjoy the sunny days as they arise and come back next time for more news of my book.

Down in the secret garden, we are celebrating. After a summer of intense heat, the rains have returned and everything has perked up. The heatwave has been broken by four days of downpours, constant drizzle and rolling mists off the sea. It is now cool enough to sit out and enjoy the sun again.

The rain is not enough to counter the effects of the drought and consequent early autumn die-back, but it is very welcome. My lovely blue hydrangeas, the white oleanders and the olive tree have all lost their leaves, and the farms up along the cliffside have already baled the winter feeds. The recovery is going to be long but some of the more resilient plants have survived, like these show stopper white agapanthuses:

The rosemary falls, after a drastic haircut, and the wisteria and verbena have toughed it out:

And these delicate poppies and the stone river border plants have found enough moisture to survive:

It will be the autumnal equinox in a couple of weeks, but before the summer ends there is beachcombing.

Come back next time for news of the Book as we move into its production phase.

The lazy dog days of summer are here and there has been a heatwave. On intensely hot days, it is such a relief to feel the cool onshore breezes down in the secret garden.

The heat has been exhausting and the resultant drought has left everything so parched. But here, because of the winter’s rain, we have a store of ground water that keeps everything going until the storm season arrives. This month the statuesque agapanthuses have opened and they are glorious. After much coaxing, the gladioli have bloomed at last but they are easily blown over in the wind.

The spotlight though is on the sea lavender. It grows in all the in between spaces filling the voids with its haze of fine lilac flowers. They are a magnet for bees and butterflies.

And then there are the crimson geraniums that form an honour guard as you go down the steps to the house. What a welcome.

The heat has made progress on the wall repairs slow but there has been much hard work in draining the brackish pond. Our big fat red/brown toad and the green newts now have a refreshed home and the birds love their restored solar pump shower.

It’s a walk along the beach this afternoon and maybe a lemon curd ice cream for tea, and then a look for the dog star in tonight’s sky.

Come back next time for news of my book. The manuscript is complete, the ink drawings have been ordered and work is underway on the cover design. If the production guys can schedule it, a special edition will be ready for the autumn.

Flaming June has arrived. With its intense tropical heat and sudden summer downpours, the yellows and blues of the spring have given way to the more vibrant reds and oranges. The flaring poppies and flamboyant roses have arrived.

Around these parts, there is a local hybrid poppy which is self-seeded and very delicate. It’s not ‘flaming’ but it has a purplish-pink hue that compliments the ubiquitous erigerons that fill most of the underspaces around the flaming blooms.

Also self-seeded and growing wild are sage and foxgloves which are prolific in our weather.

The excitement of seeing what has burst into life is one of the great pleasures of gardening but there is a sadness too. The Japanese call it mono no aware – being sensitive to the transience of things. All this will soon be gone as the summer solstice has already passed and the days will start to get shorter again. Enjoying the moment is enough, especially down by the water waiting for the tide. In six hours all this that you see will be covered with water, a cycle that is repeated twice a day – mono no aware.

We now have over sixteen hours of light a day and it shows! My seaside garden is flourishing. It is due to the combination of intense heat on cloudless days mixed with drenching downpours from storms that blow in from the Atlantic now and then. As a result, my room with a view is surrounded by lush vegetation as is my writer’s lodge in the garden. The agapanthuses down in the secret garden have soaked it all up and they are getting ready to burst into flower.

If only you could smell the fragrances now filling the garden, especially in the early evening after a sunny afternoon. The Rosa Ragusa is magnificently fragrant. The wisteria is just going over but its fragrance still fills the air in the western garden and the red climbing rose by my study has just arrived on the scene for the summer. And a delicate honeysuckle has popped up in the middle of the quince – not sure where it came from but its lovely in the terraced garden.

It is a muddle of growth everywhere you look and even in the most inhospitable situations, something still manages to get going like the nasturtiums and foxgloves- all self-seeded.

My book is finished and the manuscript is with my editor while I sort the pictures and formatting. More news of this new phase next time so please come back to catch up on progress.

Surf’s Up!

We are now getting more of these bright sunny days to relieve us from the cold blasting winds from the east or the rolling fogs that creep in over the waters from the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic ocean. The constant winter rains have soaked into the earth and, together with the spring’s warmth, have created the magical conditions for growth. The flourishing terraces are already full to bursting and the arum lillies are a real showstopper.

The agapanthuses grow wild here and they are another welcome sign of spring. Down in the secret garden, they have sprung into life and are getting their purple pompom heads ready for next month.

With the sun’s warmth, the buds are breaking out all over. The clematises and wisterias are promising many pink and purple flowers as they bask in the bright light.

The hard work season is coming with the repairs to the storm damaged walls and the veggies to be planted – spuds and garlic are going in this week. And my manuscript is ready. More news to follow on the tome and Many Thanks to the readers who commented on the draft opening chapters.

Come back next time to find out what has burst into life in May.