I could watch the sun setting all day every day … (if only).

When we moved back in ‘22 I bought Dunlop (<£15) for the garden. After the 2nd pair sprung a leak I upgraded to Hunter (£100+). The 1st pair started leaking before the end of the year, the 2nd before a month was up. Fail. Le Chameau are the top recommended boots but what about Aigle?

I’m in need of better RobotVacs. This one is over four years old and struggles to keep up with three Maine Coons (even when I remove clumps of fur from the carpet before it sets out).

Oooops. In my push to finish power washing the pavements I forgot to feed the pheasant his late afternoon snack. Plus I forgot it’s Winter Solstice (easy enough to do as we didn’t celebrate in SE Asia). It’s the first official day of winter yet we still have ferns? Hmmmm…

Lately, a bird of prey has taken to surveying our garden from the trellis outside the polytunnel. And now I know why rodents haven’t invaded (a real concern) 😊 A couple of weeks ago, when I was inside the polytunnel it was watching me from outside. I’m tempted to set up a camera… soon.

Most of the black gunk comes off easily with a power washer. It’s the embedded bits that will take more time.

I’m not a perfectionist when it comes to power washing (not sure how to get off the black bits) but I do have fun. It’s … a form of meditation? Anyway, it suits me.

Addicted to power washing much? Who, me? Ha. This is the before (obviously). Last year I tackled it in November but this year I’ve been swamped.

A quick snap of cats then off for a nap we all go. Nite!

PlantNet says it’s a Viburnum of some sort. I came across it along the walkway when strumming grass.

What a gorgeous day for a drive down Devon lanes 😊 If you zoom in on the first photo, about the middle you’ll see a black/dark triangle. That’s a field of solar panels, partially hidden in plain sight. I don’t mind them. The man does. But it could be worse?

The team we hired to power spray the drive bailed at the last minute, so today we (the man and I) took turns removing the moss. Almost there … tomorrow should do it. For this bit anyway. There’s still the back to do.

Too fun. When putting up the newly filled bird feeder, the pheasant came running. He already had his bowl so I merely moved it under the feeder and all was well in his world.

People keep asking me if I’ve thought about raising chickens. The answer is yes, but no. My hands are already full.

As it’s still dark out, this is it for now (Robins love hearts).

I forgot to refill the bird feeder. Sweet. One of our resident robins came to remind me…

Dartmoor pony.

Clapper bridge (12th/14th century) at Postbridge, Dartmoor. "slabs are over 4 metres long, 2 metres wide and weigh over 8 tons each, making the bridge passable to a small cart. First recorded in 1380, built to facilitate the transportation of tin by pack horses to the stannary town of Tavistock".

Duchy of Cornwall. No public access.

2017: Wistman's Wood, Dartmoor. This is as far as we made it. With energy sapped by a double wammy of a flu, we turned back.

Wistman’s Wood: “Walk around not through…” December 2017 we made an attempt to walk to Wistman’s Wood on a holiday visit from Thailand. At that time you could go into the woods. With both of us ill with a nasty flu, we didn’t quite make it. And back onto our Bucket List it went. Eight years later …

The polytunnel is finally producing veg I recognise. For the past couple of weeks we’ve steamed their green leaves but soon enough the real stuff will be ready.

Storm bird must be hungry this morning. He let me stay close (second stair).

Too close. Back. Back. Back.

Christmas comes early … Months back I purchased a dozen Red Crocosmia on eBay. I assumed they meant Lucifer, and if not they’d be a red that’d compliment the Lucifer I already have. Instead, these beauties (?) are just starting to bloom. Not too shabby of a mixup 💓

For me, this continues to be a fav place in the property. Possibly because absolutely nothing to do there (as far as chores go anyway). When I visit it’s all about the looking, not the doing.

Another sunny December day in Devon. Loving it …

Of all the addictions to have, raising fig trees from cuttings is … one of the most fulfilling? Harmless? Interesting?

Walking the dog from the village … (not me, the man) … brrrrrrr - frosty morning!

Magnus' breeder had a rule - no kittens for Christmas - so Magnus didn't arrive until after the New Year (Maine Coons generally don't leave their mama and/or siblings until much later anyway. This merely added a week). While we were waiting the breeder had fun hiring a photographer. Ho Ho Ho 2014.

I just realised the problem. Sedgwick dances for snacks and we stopped the Dreamies (they are not good for Saxton - might not be healthy for cats in general). What to do …

Magnus and Saxton getting ready for a (mostly) all day snooze. Cats.

Grass it is… now that I know. (I’m easily entertained, yeah? 😁)

Ah. The pheasant has an opinion about his bowl being on a hard surface.

Cartoon by @andertoon.bsky.social.

They both crave nibbles. Sedgwick has nibbles. Tansy doesn’t.

OTD 2020 on my balcony in Bangkok compared with today. Nothing ever changes. Year in, year out, extreme pollution is a given in Thailand.

Memories... true then true now 😁 Stephen Deer @phil_lol_ogist Few know it but this pocket is for the money academics make from their publications.

Just recently I overheard that December is the time for opening up your fruit and brassica cages to the birds. Too late. Except for entryways, this sucker is nailed down. With a little help, they’ll have to sneak in like they always do.

Sedgwick goes for halfsies these days 😁

Time to get back to it (no time like storm time). Thanks again to my talented buddy Celia! Her gold spiders decorations are a personal hit every Christmas 💓

Still flowering… RHS: Rosa Lady Marmalade ('Hartiger'PBR) (F) rose [Lady Marmalade] A repeat-flowering rose, to 90cm tall, with glossy, light green foliage. Clusters of fragrant, double, apricot to orange flowers are borne from summer into autumn.

Wind is coming in at a hard slant, turning over wooden chairs as it roars through. Selling point for chairs made with heavier materials… and the cost isn’t that different actually. We put thought into a sturdy polytunnel (many will be destroyed in the UK today) but none for chairs.

Keeping our Staffy (bird killer) and the resident pheasant apart is a daily challenge. Yesterday the pheasant showed up when Tansy was ready to go out. The man herded the pheasant to the top field hoping it’d stay. Nope. I assumed if fed it’d leave but it followed me back, then flew into the trees.

Stormbird. We’re under a weather watch, so no surprise our hungry pheasant is here.

BucketList: Dunster, Somerset is one of the best preserved Medieval villages in England. www.dunster.org.uk/dunster-vill...

In 1995, my Bangkok business partner and friend, Robbie Gilchrist, & I flew to Bali for sun, sand, and cocktails, but accidentally arrived on the one day the island shuts down, Nyepi. A random adventure to West Timor followed… open.substack.com/pub/qbarandr...

Found my 32-year-old dive logbook… and it sent me right back to the Andaman Sea, long nights on deck, insane underwater caves, guns to the head, incredible Thai meals, and unforgettable friends. Chapter 5 of my memoirs is live. 👉 qbarandrew.substack.com/p/chapter-5-...

Mystery solved ...

>> Eremition (noun) refers to the act of withdrawing into solitude, a deliberate retreat from society for [spiritual] reflection, personal renewal, or to escape worldly distractions, stemming from the word "hermit". erineschaden.medium.com/eremition-b9...