002. Storm Babet hits

I’m sitting at the dining table again, writing this, but it’s a very different day: warm, very wet and very windy. Every so often, the cat and I get up, walk over to the back door, open just a crack to let in the fresh air and birdsong, and look out forlornly at the grey damp — or the sheeting rain. It’s quite dramatic.

We’re very lucky that the weather is nowhere near as severe here as it has been in some places, especially in the north and west, but I’ve seen from a Twitter friend that Framlingham in Suffolk is flooded. The mind boggles! It’s in the countryside, relatively high ground, no large watercourse, no extensive concrete to cause run-off, and yet…

It’s part of the reason I want to get rid of as much of the paving in our garden as possible, and why I hate it when people pave over their front gardens to turn into driveways or have artificial grass. Every act of urbanisation like that, as small as it may seem, magnifies the effects of climate change on a hyperlocal level. And while I’m not going to castigate people for flying to a holiday destination once a year, for example, there are small things that we can all do that, if everyone did it*, would make a big difference.

• If you have a garden, don’t pave it right over or cover it with artificial grass. We’re in the UK so, let’s be honest, you were never going to be able to use that space all year around — look at the weather today — and do you really want to be the guy who has to hoover their lawn?
• If your outdoor space is just grass, cool — let it grow a little longer. You’re not playing crown green bowls or golf out there, and the insects will thank you. Think about scattering some flower seeds around the edge, or planting herbs. They will help feed pollinators, who will help feed birds and so on. You’ve seen The Lion King; this is our version, on a slightly smaller scale.
• If you don’t have a garden, why not try a window box? Maybe you’re in a flat with a balcony? I’m obsessed with these planters that fit over a balcony railing. You could definitely have flowers in here but they’d be amazing filled with mint, thyme, marjoram, dwarf lavender… I bet they’d be ideal for wild strawberries too.
• Recycle as much as your council allows you to but also try to avoid plastic packaging as much as possible — it’s horrifying how little of it is actually recycled, even if you put it in the right bin.
• If you can, compost your food waste. Get a wormery, a Bokashi bin, a compost bin if you want to put garden waste in there too or one of those things that breaks down all your kitchen waste - including meaty bits - into liquid fertiliser.
• Eat less meat. I think we’re all aware these days that lifestock farming is very resource-heavy, as is the processing, packing, transportation and storage. Plus, loads of the fruit and veg in UK shops is grown overseas. The more you go for plant-based foods or meat and dairy options that are grown locally to you, the fewer food-miles and the fewer food-watts.
• You could even have a go at growing some of your own veg. Personally, I’d try squash, courgettes, potatoes or tomatoes - they’ve generally pretty easy and it’s so satisfying to eat something you grew yourself. Also, there are some amazing squash varieties, they’re just super fun!

There’s a very long way to go in my own garden but, earlier this week, I was thrilled to see that the top tier that I cleared and sowed with grass seed has a lovely fuzz of green appearing already. The lower tier was sowed just under a week ago and it’s still looking pretty muddy but keep your fingers crossed, pals. And I just took delivery of my birthday voucher purchases: clematis, jasmine, a potentilla, lavender plants and a huge box full of spring bulbs.

The climbers and potentilla are for the back garden, along with some allium bulbs and lots of flower seeds that I’ll start off indoors then plant out next year. The other bulbs - daffodils, crocus, snowdrops and fritillaries - are going in the front. Once it’s no longer monsooning, I’ll be out there planting them in swathes that I hope will look beautiful amongst the grass. Wish me luck.

As the wind lashes and the rain splashes, I’m after a dinner recipe that will be cheap and delicious, so I’m going for an old faithful - the Three Bean Chilli from Rukmini Iyer’s The Green Roasting Tin, served with wild rice for extra nuttiness.

And I’m dipping my toe back into the world of bookstagram with a readalong; do look me up, I’m @magic_kitten. There will be photos of cats.

Until next time, my loves, take care of yourselves and your little patch of this earth.

Much love xx

* These are obviously not possible for everyone and, of course, we must all make sure we’ve put on our own oxygen mask before we try to help others. We’re no use to others if we’re broken.