Last year’s chilli plants have been cut back, and new leaves are already starting to grow. This year, we’re keeping them shorter to help protect them from the wind and encourage a bushier shape.

We’ve planted two new fruit trees, a mandarin and a pear, both generously donated. The mandarin is already producing fruit, which is a promising start.

Just before the rain arrived, we managed to place some large stones in the soakaway and planted a mix of wildflowers in our little garden. Hopefully, they’ll establish well.

We’ve just had eight days of rain, with the land flooding twice and our electricity running very low. But we made it through, and now the ground is starting to dry out and turn bright green again. Before long, it will be overgrown and need trimming, which will at least provide more ground cover.

While the land is still soft, we’re taking the opportunity to dig more swales and enlarge the soakaway. This will help protect the most vulnerable areas by either holding water where it’s needed or diverting excess away from the land.