As the New Year begins, with certain restrictions in place, we are grateful for our gardens. Not much colour for now although at home I have a Camelia in flower and Hellebores and primroses, which have been flowering since last Spring. Skimmia is a beautiful deep red and seed heads provide interest, the only berries left are the ones the birds can’t eat.

The church garden has had a big tidy up with years of grass cuttings and debris removed from around the shed, trees along the side of the large hall cut back and the red chips replenished around the church building. Now is a good time to sit back and plan for the year ahead and look forward to the first signs of new life appearing as the bulbs start to show through with the expectation of the beauty to come. In the meantime eco themed art work from the congregation would brighten up the space in the winter months. For example terracotta pots could be decorated and planted with wildlife seeds to encourage butterflies and bees. Or knitted insects, flowers and animals would be a cheery addition. Let your creative juices flow …

In the meantime, we can watch out for wildlife. The wild birds give us such pleasure, see how many different ones you can spot and pick a favourite. One that most folk love is the Robin. They are intelligent, hardworking and watchful. It is said they teach us to be loved and remind us to have fun day to day. A robin’s message has to do with retaining our identity and the sweetness of life, to listen carefully and to exercise compassion and patience. In this New Year let us be thankful for what we have and for each new day, nature not only keeps us alive it gives us hope in these difficult times.