Month: February 2026

MRTGY 2026 01 January

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 12:47 — 11.7MB)

January  –  MrT’s Gardening Year 2026 – Episode 01

January, the first month of the year when many retreat to the fireside and look at seed catalogues or binge watch Gardener’s World. Although it is a month with less garden activity than many others there is still a great deal to do.

Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with the podcast:

A cold start to the month:

Some cold weather in the first couple of weeks of the month. The fountain in the pond stops it from freezing over which is good for the fish.

The fountain not only oxygenates the water but, by stopping the pond freezing over, stops a build up of any harmful gases coming off the decaying vegetation.

This part of west Surrey is lucky to escape three storms during the month – Goretti, Ingrid and Chandra.

A few sunny days but mostly rain. The South-east is washed with 192% of the Long term Average rainfall during the month.

In bloom:

The pale blue, white and yellow flowers of the Iris unguicularis brighten the bed by the pond. Then there are the pale blue flowers on the Rosemary and the pink flowers of our large camellia. The hellebores are in bud and will be in full flower in a few weeks.

Vegetables:

Carrots go mushy if they freeze through so they went into the greenhouse during the cold weather. The perpetual spinach/leaf beet froze and will take a few weeks to recover before we can crop it again. The garlic, planted in November, is making good progress. A cold spell always persuades the garlic cloves to start growing.

Listen to the podcast to hear all about my gardening month.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music,  Apple Podcasts,  Castbox, Podchaser, Spotify, YouTube and others.

Music:

AKM Music licenses Horticulture for use in this podcast.

UKRJ S2 Ep13 On to Carlisle

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 18:10 — 16.6MB)

On to Carlisle  –  UK Rail Journeys Series 2 – Episode 13

In ‘On to Carlisle‘ I complete my journey from Leeds to Carlisle along the Settle and Carlisle line. On reaching Carlisle I say goodbye to Northern Trains who I have been travelling with since Sheffield.

Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with the podcast:

Kirkby Stephen Station and the Eden Valley:

We are now in the Eden Valley in Cumbria. The station is 1 ½ miles south-west of Kirkby Stephen and also serves other nearby villages.  We are now 41 miles 35 chains south of Carlisle.

The station is leased by the Settle and Carlisle Railway Trust. They restored it in 2009. The main buildings now incorporate a caretaker’s flat, offices, holiday accommodation and the Midland Room. In 2022/23 the station hosts 29,888 passengers.

There are no more rugged mountains as we are in the Eden Valley. Its an area of gentle green hills and red sandstone farmhouses.

There is the occasional Peel Tower, a fortified farmstead, reminding us of the Border Reivers. This is the once lawless borderland between England and Scotland. Find out the whole story by listening to David Simpson’s talk.

Appleby:

Appleby station is 30 miles 60 chains south-east of Carlisle. Along with Settle, one of only two stations on the Settle-Carlisle line to remain open after the withdrawal of local stopping trains in May 1970.

There is a pre-nationalisation milepost on the southbound platform. 2771⁄4 miles from St Pancras on the Midland Railway route via Leicester, Sheffield and Leeds.

The Grade II listed, brick-built station building, dates from 1876. The platforms are linked by a Grade II listed wrought iron lattice footbridge. The working signal box was repaired and refurbished in the autumn of 2019.

Bishop Eric Treacy, a well-known railway photographer and enthusiast, died at Appleby on 13 May 1978 from a heart attack whilst waiting to photograph Evening Star. There is a plaque on the down platform.

There is a working, traditional water tank and water crane on the southbound platform for use by steam charter trains.

Langwathby, Lazonby & Kirkoswald and Armathwaite:

These are the last three small stations on our way into Carlisle where I get off the train and go to my hotel for the night.

Listen to the podcast to hear all about my journey through the Eden Valley and on into Carlisle.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music,  Apple Podcasts,  Castbox, Podchaser, Spotify, YouTube and others.

Music:

AKM Music licenses Steam Railway and Fun in the Kitchen for use in this podcast.