A Relaxing and Happy New Year's Day

In our house New Year's Day is a day that is usually spent relaxing and pottering around the house. My reward for tidying and packing up the Christmas decorations was to laze around the back garden under the umbrella and read. This book was part of my Christmas loot and is an interesting read.

From time to time I would look up at the garden. At this time of the year the garden is full of Calla Lillies

.

There are many clumps of orange

And yellow

And pink

But something funny has happened to this clump. I suspect that there is a problem and I will be removing the clump and destroying it.

The Tuscan kale is doing well planted amongst the perennials.

The marigolds are starting to thicken and fill up the gaps in the garden beds.

The dwarf Meyer lemons have really taken off and will soon have lemons.

The apricot tree is laden and the fruit is ripening. Fortunately it is ripening in stages and not all at once which means that we and the birds will be enjoying them for a few weeks.

Some were picked and stewed in brandy and vanilla syrup, 

And some made into jam.