Well im starting to think that someone has really upset mother nature!, A few months ago we had the well publicised floods that pretty much ruined peoples lives and destroyed all that they owned, now we are being hit with a so called arctic blast which doesn’t seem to want to retreat back to where it came from!
With snow fall we have not seen for many years and severe frosts with sub zero temperatures thrown in just for the hell of it were all wisely staying indoors and keeping warm for as long as possible as and when we can, so the thoughts of gardening are well away from our minds at the moment and no one can be blamed for leaving all the outdoor chores on the back burner for the very near future!
My poor garden like many others is taking a very big battering, if the excess amounts of the white stuff are not enough the final nails in jack frosts coffin are the freezing temperatures and very hard frosts, i remember only a few months ago rambling away saying how our winters are so much milder than they used to be and how i was planting palm plants to add a touch of the tropics in my garden, WELL that certainly came back to bite me on my rather cold behind!, since i opened my rather humble mouth we get one of the coldest, most prolonged winters in decades……..SORRY
 
One job i have been doing in my garden at home is shake the deludes of snow from my larger specimen plants, the weight of snow alone can ruin a plant to death let alone the chill of snow killing away at our plants, i use a simple yard broom and buffer the plants to dislodge any snow that is resting on my plants, i do this every time we have a heavy fall of snow and im hoping this will help my specimens pull through in the spring!
Another job im keeping up with is keeping my pathways clear, my trusty old snow shovel has certainly earned its keep the past few weeks, keeping the paths clear helps to keep the snow and slush away from my carpets indoors which can be another constant gripe this time of year, its bad enough having the stuff outside so don’t like having it in the home either!
 
In this rather cold spell we cant just think of ourselves, we have to think of the people living around and near to us whom barely cope at the best of times let alone with the very cold weather, elderly and the more infirm neighbours can really benefit from a friendly face and something as simple as sharing a pint of milk or a loaf of bread can really help.
I have an elderly neighbour whom is house bound so we have popped over a few times to check she is OK and made a couple of trips to the shops to help keep the cupboards stocked, even exchanging telephone numbers can reassure people, knowing they have local help at the end of a phone goes a long way, we have also been doing our bit to clear local paths and help neighbours dig out cars etc, its amazing how we can pass the same people everyday and not really know them until something like our crazy weather turns up and we all pull together, helping each other out just a little bit can work wonders with community spirit and give everyone an extra boost, We don’t do things like this to earn a medal or appraisal, we do it because we want too, and hopefully with the knowledge that if were ever in distress, there will be a helping hand too.
 
So if you can only do one thing after reading my rambling why not just observe who is living near you and who could really benefit from a visit or a pint of milk from the local corner shop, its quite humble when you can  ’Love Thy Neighbour