Belated new year
Happy new year. Well, I missed the calender one, but I’ve just squeaked into Chinese New Year. It’s so, so wonderful to be back. I have been away for a shameful seven weeks.
Driving up to the house this afternoon I was looking carefully for any damage or dramas but everything is just wintry and still. It doesn’t look like we’ve had any major storms or bad weather. In fact it’s all just fantastically normal. Weeds of course. The weather has been too mild to slow things down completely, but it still is a wintry garden. 
And within ten minutes of my arrival I had my own Chinese Year of the Dragon demonstration by a very plump and vocal Artur. He howled and yowled and stalked about. And I am delighted to see him.
The horses are at hand as well. I have given two apples to a very greying Ulysse – he whinneyed excitedly, but it was all cupboard love. Jean Daniel has put him on the lower terraces as there is very little feed. And he chased me all the way down to the lowest path where I collected our infra red trail camera.
All his Arab horses go white eventually, and this four year old is taking on the hues of the rest quite quickly. I must take care to feed him apples every day. I need his manure.
The potting shed is a haven of warmth. A bit too warm for some of the plants. But I have some germinating gaura seedlings which is fun. And once I watered all the rest I even have a thriving little garden colony in there. I had no time to really inspect things. I wanted to do a lap around the garden while it was still light. 
And of course I had to have my plump little helper stalking me all the way.
Right now I am perched very very close to the roaring fire while I try and defrost the house. More news soon.
24th January 2012 @ 1:14 am
Hello Lindy,
I’m a friend of Sarah Wieben’s. I believe we met briefly a few years ago when you were in town and you and Sarah were heading up to the North Shore of Lake Superior. Sarah shared your website with me quite a few months ago, and I am just now getting around to reading all about your fabulous gardens.
Your gardens have everything that thrill me: a kitty, stone walls, bulbs and more bulbs, potting shed, endless plants and more.
I get the feeling that you have more than 24 hours in a day over there in France! I don’t know how you accomplish so much in your gardens.
I love how you feed the horses apples because you need their manure. I/we don’t have such a handy manure source for our gardens. Our front yard is a flower and herb garden that I tend to and our entire back yard is a vegetable garden that my husband, Dan, tends to.
Dan started a blog about Our Homestead in the City (http://danandkatherine.blogspot.com/), and his blog is pretty straightforward. I haven’t added anything yet to it, but I think in the spring I’ll have to start posting photos. I do write an e-newsletter for my acupuncture/herbalism practice. My January newsletter is all about inspiring folks to get their hands in the dirt. http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs074/1102660244839/archive/1109067351613.html
I got a chance to see the painting that Sarah did of your home in France. It was quite beautiful. I was in school at the Minnesota College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (MCAOM) while Sarah was at MCAD. Sarah said back then that I was learning the internal arts and she was learning the external arts, but come to find out one cannot separate internal and external in art or healing.
Anyway, a pleasure to meet you via your blog.
Katherine
24th January 2012 @ 7:07 pm
Dear Katherine
Thank you so much for posting; and it’s a delight to meet you again, albeit electronically. I’m going to look at your blog tonight. Thank you for the link!