With the icy breath of winter returning with a vengeance, only the most crucial of jobs, like feeding the birds and knocking off snow (to let in light and prevent damage) were undertaken.

Itching to start sowing seeds, I decided to sow only a few tomato and chilli seeds. These were kept on a warm, light windowsill, and turned regularly. The beauty of starting early is that if germination fails, the next lot can be quickly resown. If they fail on the second sowing then it might be a good idea to buy fresh seed. A lot of seeds are only viable for a couple of years.

Growing from seed is probably one of the biggest challenges, but for me the most satisfying. It also keeps planting reasonably economic although I do use a lot of potting compost ... and time!

I am again trialling plants, which is almost as exciting as seed sowing. I never know what the postman will bring next. I record how the plant is packaged, and what time it takes to get here. Notes are kept all season on their progress, so that new plants, or suppliers prove their worth.

The winter winds caused havoc to our beech trees at the bottom of the garden. Two loose branches hung precariously, drawing attention to further evident damage.

Although the original damage had occurred in the '87 hurricane, we had them halved five years ago, and they appeared to be filling out nicely.

The woodland/ferny area will now take on a new persona, but for better or worse, remains to be seen.