I saw some of the flooding on television and it truly is awful.  People who have experienced many weather atrocities are seeing yet more floods, and this is only the beginning of the winter.  Last night it didn't rain but it was very windy and there were many fallen branches.  Weather patterns are changing and here in the UK we are experiencing much heavier rainfalls in the spring as well as the winter.  We have already had snow, so winter  jackets have already started to sell well as we await stock replenishments.    The worst parts of the country are Scotland, North Wales and Somerset where water levels are higher than they have been for decades.  Climate change will mean wetter weather for the UK, but it's not good news for farmers and people who live here - so it's no wonder that so many people jet off to the sun!  I' m tempted to do that myself - it may be the answer to my newly developed arthritis in two of my fingers!    As you get older you realise that it's more important to be warm than wealthy - although with the price of energy bills you need money too!

I don't think there will be many more days in the garden....only 5 weeks to Christmas!!!!

I was in the garden this weekend and would you believe it managed to cut the  grass!  It is definitely the last cut of the season and I was lucky to be able to do it.  I stocked up the bird feeders too and just hope that the squirrells don't destroy them!  I also collected a stack of kindling for the fire and did some weeding - it's no wonder I was tired last night.  It has turned mush colder today and I am glad I got everything done.  Today I really need my winter quilted coat as it gets very cold here in Market Overton. 

 If you are sensibly dressed in a winter jacket the weather won't affect you at all and as all 3in1 winter  jackets are waterproof you will be dry as well as warm - most of the time!  Keeping your feet dry is also important and there is anothing better than a good pair of Wellington Boots for the winter gardener - as well as wellie socks!  I have been wearing a little pair of gardening shoes that I can slip on and off easliy but I have noticed that as it gets colder and muckier in the garden I am needing something more substantial that is watertight and warm.

The new range of 3in1 jackets is great because there are so many colour variations of insert  so the jacket can look different each time depending on what you choose.  I have seen the colours and they are great - I especially like cinder and ginger and the styles are fabulous too.  The only trouble will be choosing what to buy!  Whilst everything looks great on the website it's even better if you can look at the 3in1 jackets range in person and try on all the variations - and you will be pleased to know that the range will be in some outlets and garden centres - just call to find out if we are in your area.

I started off with Spring Green in a little blue ceramic pot , followed by Sylvestris several others dotted around the garden.  There are so many different types of tulips  it was difficult to choose - so I did it by colour - whites, deep purple/black Recreado and bright yellows.  I meant to get the orange Stunning Apricot but forgot - so I will be placing another order this week.  They make great presents too, so my mother will be out in the garden soon planting a selection I have chosen for her.   There are so many to chose from - dwarf, early flowering, May flowering, peony like tulips and the colours are glorious. 

I started off wearing  my winter jacket which is a quilted jacket and very warm but I soon had to discard it in favour of a heavy fleece which was just right.  Then as I continued gathering up leaves I discarded the outer fleece for a micro fleece and gilet - thank goodness for layers!  But I do need to get is a new pair of gardening wellies - my little garden boots don't give me enough protection in the mud.

There is so much to do at the minute as we put our gardens to bed for the winter but so rewarding. 

Globalisation is not the answer to everything in spite of what we are told. Even as far as  rainwear and waterproof jackets are concerned -  we mostly import winter jackets  rather than manufacture in the UK - because it is too expensive.  And yet waterproof jackets and winter jackets are required for at least 6 months of the year due to the dismal climate - so when can we even do this without trace of a riot???  We manufacture and import from China, and most of the country's waterproof jackets and winter jackets come from there.  Would it be too expensive to produce winter jackets in the UK?  Or 3in1 jackets? Or fleece jackets?  Or gilets?   

There must be a better way so that people everywhere can eat and have shelter - a fairer distribution of wealth would enable everone to have access to food and water, shelter and  a winter jacket if it's cold!

The warehouse is also very cold, so cold in fact that the mice have stopped coming in!   We continue to send out winter jackets to our concessions, as well as 3in1 jackets and waterproof jackets.  Also selling well are fleece jackets, and gilets that can be worn under or over a jumper as an extra layer.  I can't remember it being this cold this early into the winter but my memory isn't as it was!!!   Lots of articles on skiing are appearing in newspapers and people are already planning their Christmas getaways.  Tony is going to Madeira soon  to soak up some winter sun and he certainly won't need his fleece or his winter jacket - worn in the warehouse with a very fetching (ha ha) purple knitted hat!!!

In spite of the coldness I have been able to get some gardening jobs completed - planted out wallflowers, cut down  asparagus beds and ordered more tulip bulbs for planing out next week.  The tops of the raspberry canes are almost ready for topping and will need to be tied up to prevent the wind tearing them down.  Something is already at the brussels sprouts so I hope there are some left for Christmas Day!   I wear layers of fleece jackets and when it rains I put on an old waterproof jacket.

           Teaching at the Primary School is much more difficult. English is meant to be the national language of Ghana and as such children are meant to be taught in English, but in reality much of the teaching that is done at the Lolobi Ashiambi Primary School is done in Ewe and the children’s English is very basic. When we arrived Emily and I felt that our time would be much better spent teaching English, but we are here for the community and the Assemblyman wanted us to teach Science and ICT. Teaching ICT without any computers (or even electricity in the school) is a challenge! (This is also the case in the JHS where I have had kids acting out putting a floppy disc into a computer using their heads). This is especially the case when the first chapter of the textbook focuses of the rules of the computer laboratory and the responsibilities of the pupils and the computer instructor! I have been able to think of some fun ways to teach however and even is the children aren’t learning about computers their English is definitely improving through having an English-speaking teacher. Their spelling is also improving as I being scrupulous with marking their books and making sure that any words that are spelt incorrectly are copied out 5 times!

            Teaching Science at the Primary School is much more successful and getting the children to act out the processes of pollination and fertilization (in plants, not in humans!!) has really helped them to understand what it is all about. Learning to write on the chalk board has been a struggle, the noise still makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and the chalk still always snaps, (maybe that’s why I always get the children to come up and write on the board haha!)

Danielle is clearly enjoying her time in Ghana so far, and I will continue to update you all accordingly...I am really impressed by her newsletter, and the fact that she has kept in touch.  We receive lots of requests for  waterproof jackets and generally never hear from people again so it is wonderful to be kept updated!

It is still very cold and I was wearing my snuggly quilted jacket and I even had my gloves on!  Unusually this year I am feeling the cold and I have been glad of my winter jackets.  I have a wax jacket for the garden, and various waterproof jackets of different weights to see me through any changes in temperature.  We have had lots of orders this weekend for winter jackets and the 3in1 jackets continue to be a best seller.  In fact all our winter jackets are selling well because of the change in weather and no matter where you go you see people snuggled up warmly in a winter jacket.

I'm glad we are not in America right as it awaits the approaching hurricane.  All the lovely autumnal colour in New England will be swept away as the wind will be in a frenzy whipping the leaves from the trees.  I have always wanted to see New England in the fall as there is such amazing colour but there are many more places I would like to go nearer to the UK.  I imagine that everyone is wrapped up warmly in a winter jacket.

Interesting fact - chestnuts keep the spiders at bay. 

I was amused to see autumn menus on display in the English owned retaurants and cafes in southern Spain- pumpkin soup in particular! To my horror Hallowe'en is very much in evidence there and I was shocked to see some of the outfits for children-  monk's hooded robes with eerily white face masks. The old traditional Guy Fawkes bonfire night has been ambushed and 'americanized'  in that it has become all about trick or treating, dressing up and goulish themed accessories often involving witches, ghosts and fake blood as well as elaborately decorated cakes and sweets in similar themes.  Where did it all go wrong?

On the other hand, our visit to Ronda in the Sierra Nevada was an autumnal delight.  The drive became chillier as we ascended higher and higher into the mountains, and at times we were driving through the cloud.  The views were amazing.  Upon reaching Ronda we needed to wear our gilets and fleeces even though the sun came out and I was once more completely enchanted by this town perched high up on the edge of a gorge.  As we wandered along the alleyways and avenues we came across a beautiful park in three sections, shaded by trees starting to lose their autumnal leaves.  The Spanish were already wearing an assortment of winter jackets and there were lots of quilted jackets in evidence.  We ended up staying at a wonderful little hotel, San Gabriel, where there was a very small cinema with 5 plush seats!!!

The next day was warm and our winter jackets were discarded for the return journey to San Pedro however we needed our bodywarmers again that nigt when we went to the local fiesta.  It was hot and sunny until we came home, but it rained all day on Wednesday, so if we had stayed we would have needed our waterproof jackets.

People are now wearing bodywarmers and fleeces,as well as some (like me) who are feeling the cold and have dug out their their winter jackets.  My quilted jacket is a bit tight, so I'll be relieved when the new stock arrives soon.  With the recent rain we have also been selling lots of wax jackets , but any sort of waterproof jacket is a must for this country at any time!   I' m having a few days break  next week in Spain - it;s hot and sunny and I won't need a waterproof jacket, unless it's a lightweight packable jacket for an odd shower.  I'm looking forward to the break as I have been off with flu (  very kindly brought into the office by Stephen and Tony).  I went for my flu jab and the doctor wouldn't give it to me as I was in the middle of a bout...  So much for me wanting to avoid other people's germs on a plane...now I am the one with the germs!!!  When I was off it was warm and perfect gardening weather, so I was very frustrated not to have been able to get out and do all the jobs that are so important at this time of year.