On a gloriously wet afternoon I am writing a newsletter to you all, and it's on time. Having said "gloriously wet" I do feel so sorry for people living in parts of the country where plants and crops are being severely affected.

I am going to break a few rules here so that I can tell you all that I want to say, and catch up on the last two months. So that my writing corresponds to the photos that I'd like to share, this is the September newsletter.

I am taking the liberty of writing about my garden in Normandy, France, as so many readers have asked about this. Some of you will be Instagram followers and this is taken directly from the post. There will be a second part to the development of this garden to follow.

There is always so much to write about but sometimes it is hard to start, and now is one of those times. I didn't write to you last month as we have been fairly busy with our lives here in Normandy in France.

We arrived at our home in Normandy in France in the second week of May and we will be staying for the usual three months. It is nine years since we bought our place.

Along with many people, this is my favourite time of the year as the garden quietly starts to rest. It's a time for plants and people to contemplate, while the changing autumn colours can be enjoyed until they fall and disappear in one way or another.

We have already slipped into April as this newsletter goes out. February had its usual hot days and many drying winds, so most of the time was spent watering where possible (we have our own well), as well as continuing with a lot of late summer pruning.

As a new year begins with all of its hopes, I want to share with you some news of our dear cat Sam who lived with us for eighteen years. As nearly everyone who receives my newsletter has visited the garden, many of you will remember Sam.

As I start to write, there is loud thunder and heavy rain outside. The good thing about the rain is that our gardens are being watered, as they have been plentifully during the spring in Canterbury.

We will be home at the end of this week after nine weeks at our French home. In my last newsletter I wrote about, and sent some photos of the development of our garden here in Normandy. I intended continuing the story this month but unfortunately my cell phone skills aren't that good so I'll finish another time.

Again I started writing about the history of our garden Frensham but decided to tell you about our garden in France as we are here now. Many of you will know that we bought a house in Normandy nine years ago and apart from two years when we couldn't travel because of Covid restrictions, we have enjoyed three months here each year.

I haven't been able to write a newsletter for a while. Maybe it's a sign that I'm slowing down. I mentioned in my last newsletter that I would write about the history of our garden. I am still working on this. In the meantime I have taken a little walk down the nostalgia path and this newsletter tells a small fraction of times gone.

It has been a while since I have written as life has taken over as it sometimes can. I realise as I write this newsletter in an outdated format now, that this is the eleventh year that I have been writing from the garden.

I have just managed to get a newsletter to you in March. The month has gone so quickly. The first thing that some of you will notice is that there aren't any photos.

It feels a little uneasy to be writing about beautiful things in the garden when many people in the North Island are dealing with so much tragedy. Hopefully the pleasure of growing plants or looking at gardens will help to heal wounds in the future.

This is a brief message to wish you all the very best for the festive season. We are having a busy season with garden visitors and it is so nice to meet people who introduce themselves because they receive the newsletter.

We’ve been enjoying a month of lovely visitors, good conversations, and happy plants doing what we want them to do. Even better, we’ve had heavy rain for more than a day, so now the bird song is back in abundance and everything looks lush.

It’s a warm sunny day as I write. What confusing weather we have had this month. A friend visited yesterday and took some photos which she has generously let me use in this newsletter. It is always interesting to see how others view a garden.

We leave our home in Normandy in France to return home to New Zealand in a couple of days. It will take quite a while to walk around the garden and see everything that is happening.

I am writing to you from our home in Normandy in France. For new readers, we bought our house in a small village seven years ago.