Post Christmas Plans

It is that time of year again. No; not boxing up decorations or planning resolutions or preparing preliminary tax figures. What I refer to is something monumentally more important and something my sister and I have our own countdown calendar for. It involves strategizing, pen and paper, calculators, catalogues, an art and engineering degree, and dreams that exceed your budget! Every year we dream extravagantly of traditional gardens, then seek each other and our calculators for reality and humour! This year is no exception, and while we cannot share a cup of tea and warm oven offering to inspire us, the distance does allow us to draw up our plans separately, send them off poste haste and see how close we are to a match. Invariably we have a few diferences, but after feeling our ante's upped, and explanations, reasons and motives cross examined, we usually end with identical seed packets picked out with slightly varied garden layouts. So far we have ignored the fact that we could each grow half and share the other. It is too much fun to plan complete gardens and compare notes; this year's garden is no exception! Here is to dreams, seeds, sprouts and the fruits of our labour! Here is to one sweet garden spider making its way to its new home!