Well, 2025 certainly wasn’t our best year but we had some fun times and the weather was fabulous for sitting, if not necessarily for gardening. Here’s the traditional round-up, including the books I’ve been reading.
January
We had some early snow, which didn’t last long, but was good to see. The year started frosty but it was mostly a grey and rainy month.
We planned the planting, as usual, knowing that things were bound to change based on shopping trips, free offerings or plot progress.
The plot started to look more alive and was even producing some small harvests, salad crops, broad beans and a bumper crop of garlic.
We enjoyed a football match (Reading thrashing Hungerford: loyalties were torn), a soaking wet Hungerford carnival (well, too many people were wishing for rain!) and we bought a new car. Plus we enjoyed another cream tea for my birthday.
The hollyhocks were the star flower of the year - so tall and pretty with such a long flowering season. A lovely addition to the plot - not sure how they managed to stay upright through such a windy year!
I went to the allotment a couple of times and cleared the brassica cage - just enough space to fit some cauliflower seedlings. By the end of the month there had been a frost but our flower plot managed to survive and looked more colourful than earlier in the year.
We had a lovely trip to Oxford - relishing street food and a bit of Christmas shopping. Towards the end of October we went to the Welford Spectacle of Light. I loved it, even though it was pouring with rain - so beautiful.
We had a fun day at Longleat to see the sea lions and Festival of Light display - that was a VERY cold day, especially on the lake, but we did a bit of Christmas shopping and soaked up the festive atmosphere
We enjoyed a HAHA skittles evening - very nice chatting with some fellow plotholders who we haven’t bumped into on the site for a while. I have been to the plot, but only to clear our moth-infected leeks - so disappointing and concerning if it has spread to our onions and garlic 😫
And Jamie and I have loved staying at The Bear (especially the breakfasts!) while our bathroom has been renovated to a shower. It’s felt like a festive holiday and the staff have been so friendly. (The bathroom is still a work in progress, but nearly there and Joe has been a lovely chap to have around.)
February
We didn’t expect the change to be so abrupt. Such a devastating shock at the beginning of the month when Jamie suffered an ischaemic stroke and was treated at 3 different hospitals over the course of the month. So relieved that I was at home to immediately call the ambulance when it was obvious what had happened. And so grateful that the NHS acted so efficiently to remove the clot from the right side of his brain.
What a traumatic time those first days were, but kind wishes and gestures from friends, family and neighbours provided some brightness during bleak times. Jamie’s progress with the hospital therapists was good - though it wasn’t his favourite pastime. Within 3 weeks he was able to slowly walk with a stick.
Thank goodness Jamie was home by the end of the month with regular therapist visits and equipment to help with daily life 💜
March
Unfortunately Jamie had a chest infection, which I feared was another stroke, meaning a horrible day in A&E but at least the outcome was a stress reliever.
Later in the month we had short visits to the plot and it was good to see signs of new growth as well as providing exercise for Jamie (and me!). We weren’t very good at following the exercises without the therapists on hand, but Jamie was keen to try things himself particularly to improve mobility in his left arm.
The blue sky looks welcoming but brrr there were some very cold days when we had to light the chiminea and certainly didn’t stay outside for long. We managed to get a few seeds sown and managed to harvest some Brussels sprouts.
And we saw the partial solar eclipse at the end of the month because of the beautiful clear sunshine - didn’t even need to stay outside in the cold to view it!
April
The temperature hit 23° and, after a wet Winter, we were already wishing for rain. There were still frosty nights at times but it was good to get out when we were both able to. I moved to part-time hours to help with getting outdoors whenever the weather was decent or Jamie felt up to it. He could manage ok without a stick much of the time, but spells of fatigue and neuropathic pain were the biggest issues.
I had a few early morning lone visits (7am) to try to catch up with clearing the plot. I was beginning to feel the year running away from us although seeds were germinating and some potatoes were planted in bags though the ground prep wasn’t as good as previous years.
It was an exceptional year for blossom and our tiny apple tree joined in the show 🙂
May
It was a dry and sunny month but the cold northerly wind spoiled a lot of beautiful days - thank goodness for a polytunnel. We walked and visited the plot often, with my new regime of free afternoons helping to keep us moving. Jamie’s therapists’ home visits stopped as they were happy with his progress.
Beans were sown, and re-sown, along with carrots and parsnips and the sweetcorn were planted out into the dry earth. Rain threatened but watering, watering, watering was the main priority.
June
Ah, June was lovely. It started with some welcome rain then the rest of the month was mostly warm and sunny so we managed a birthday barbecue for Jamie, a cream tea and even a Sunday picnic - felt like we were beginning to get back to normal.
July
By the middle of July we were into our third heatwave with temperatures regularly hitting, and exceeding 30°. It was amazing, beautiful and exhausting. Some plants loved it; others disappeared without trace. Courgettes, sweetcorn, tomatoes and potatoes were being harvested along with some excellent shallots, grown in a raised bed, some of which we pickled for Christmas.
August
Another lovely month with plenty of warm/hot weather and we had a few trips to enjoy - we visited a local vineyard with Ivan and Linda; we went to the seaside - Hayling Island - on the coolest day of the month; we had some impromptu drop-ins at the local hotel for drinks by the river and we attended the sweltering Hungerford Beer Festival which had live music and veggie burgers. So nice to meet a few people we hadn’t seen in a while.
And we enjoyed lots of short walks to the river or canal to feed the swan family.
Meanwhile, on the plot, everything still needed lots of watering and harvests were plentiful; cucumbers, sweetcorn, courgettes and so many tomatoes - enough to freeze bags of passata and cucumbers to enjoy home-made tzatziki for picnics.
September
We had a weekend stay in Bath, with lovely warm weather to sit outside appreciating the buskers. What a beautiful city and a great spot for people-watching by the magnificent Abbey.
And luckily, before the frost, we harvested our melons and plenty of aubergines, tomatoes and beans - though the climbing beans were a poor show this year, the dwarf beans were lovely. The radish pods were really tasty, eaten raw or added to various dishes, but don’t wait too long or they’re like eating twigs 😖
October
At the beginning of the month I planted the onion sets and garlic cloves. I harvested the fig leaf gourds and a couple of tiny squash for a (small) Halloween display.
I pulled some beetroot and took home the last harvest of redcurrant tomatoes, which have been excellent, particularly for bruschetta and also in other meals.
November
We attended stunning fireworks displays at Newbury Racecourse and Abingdon Airfield. They were both really spectacular, but both involved more walking than was ideal for Jamie. Nonetheless he enjoyed the displays even though they were rather information overload for his brain.
I actually made the fig leaf gourd jam that I threatened - it was nice on toast, need to try it with cheese. To be honest I’m not sure that jams taste of anything but sugar these days!
December
So here we are at the end of a year we would prefer not to repeat, but it had its good times. We enjoyed our allotment-buddies Christmas meal.
We’ve enjoyed some Christmas events, including visiting relatives, Christmassy sing-alongs, a small theatre adaptation of A Christmas Carol and enjoying Hungerford lights. The allotment has taken a back seat but I’ve got plenty of excuses lined up - not least the awful weather.
We both survived the Christmas meal - mostly made by me, for a change, but no home-grown on that plate I’m sorry to say. We’ve mostly had a relaxing time and maybe we’ll have another night at The Bear to finish off the year 😊
Writing this review I can see how much progress Jamie has made since that terrible day in February. He is still often fatigued and struggles with pain and frustration at not being able to do everyday tasks which we take for granted, but there’s plenty of time for improvement, though it’s easy saying that from the outside. So 2026 is knocking on the door - I know we have some changes in store as I’m retiring at the end of January, but I wonder what other fortunes and challenges lie ahead…
I’d love to know what you think of my book choices or have any suggestions for additions to my ‘To be read’ list, though it’s already quite long, I’m surprised at how much my reading interests have changed over the years, but I expect more reading time after my retirement 🎉
Thankyou for visiting and here’s to a happy and healthy 2026!
And the last song of the year is provided by Lenny Kravitz - I realise I’ve gone a day early but, well, poetic license 😉
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Belinda