February 2026 Video Diary
06 February 2026
Hazelling – coppicing our hazel and harvesting leeks
Sunday finally gave us a half-decent day, so I took the chance to coppice one of our hazel trees. It’s been about three years since this one was last cut, and we’re still using some of the old poles as bean supports.
The cutting itself doesn’t take long. It’s moving and sorting the branches that takes the time.
Sue helped split everything into bean poles and pea sticks, and while I finished tidying up, she cut back another buddleia bush. Only one left to do now.
After that, we lifted a few leeks from the far side of the allotment. The ground is very wet after all the recent rain, and we’ll need a good dry spell before any spring planting can begin.
The leeks suffered last summer and are quite thin, but still perfectly usable. We picked the best row, took them home untrimmed, and cleaned them up there.
Sue also found a Brussels sprout stalk that looked promising, but it was full of tiny aphids, so it went straight on the compost heap.
Not perfect, but a productive session—hazel coppiced, stakes sorted, and a few leeks lifted.
11 February 2026
Flooding – An afternoon’s walk at Nostell Priory
Lately the weather’s been wet and miserable, but Monday was unexpectedly mild, so we decided to take Ruby out for a long walk at Nostell Priory. We knew from previous visits it would probably be muddy — especially after all the rain. And with Ruby due for a shower before her grooming appointment, we thought… why not? Right from the start, the signs were there. Water was pouring over the waterfalls, and the winter lakes were bigger than I can ever remember seeing them. Still, we went for the full walk — including a path we’d been avoiding because we knew it would be muddy. What I didn’t expect… was for it to be partially flooded as well. So enjoy the rest of the video as we dodge puddles, tackle the mud, and try to keep our footing — with Ruby leading the way. I’m honestly not sure who ended up with the muddiest feet.”
15 February 2026
Raining – Ruby gets wet paws at Rothwell Park & Temple Newsam
Well… we’ve had even more rain. At this point, it’s becoming a challenge to find anywhere that isn’t one giant puddle. So today we headed over to Temple Newsam because at least the paths are surfaced. That said, there were actual streams of water running across them — not quite the dry stroll we had in mind! Still, wet paws are better than muddy paws… especially when you’re trying to keep a certain someone clean before grooming. And if we can keep Ruby off the grassy bits, we’re winning. Earlier in the week, we were at Springhead Park in Rothwell — which was lovely — but let’s just say it’s not exactly flip-flop weather. The allotment? I dread to think. It’ll need weeks to dry out at this rate. And now the forecast is hinting at snow. Possibly tomorrow. Maybe more next week. Ruby will be absolutely chuffed. Mud, rain, snow… she’s happy whatever the weather.
20 February 2026
Sowing – very early for me – will I regret it?
It’s the middle of February… and I’ve started sowing seeds. Now, that’s not something I normally do. I’m usually more of a mid-March — even early April — kind of sower. But recently I’ve noticed more and more videos appearing on my timeline titled “What I’m sowing in February.” I haven’t actually watched any of them… but one greenhouse thumbnail caught my eye. It looked like mine might look in early May — not mid-February.
And it got me thinking. There’s no doubt I can sow seeds now, place them under the indoor grow light, and they’ll germinate quickly enough. The real challenge is what happens once those seedlings outgrow the light. I certainly can’t move them into the greenhouse yet — we’re almost guaranteed to see temperatures drop below zero again before the end of March.
So, after a bit of thought, I decided to start cautiously. I’ve sown a couple of chilli varieties — Buena Mulata and Midas. Chillies are usually quite slow growing, so they should be happy staying under the grow light for a good while. I’ve only sown a few seeds of each, keeping the rest back for later in the season — just in case. But having the grow light running for just one tray seemed a bit of a waste… so I decided to sow a few more things.
This year I’m trying a couple of new red onion varieties — Mammoth Red and North Holland Blood Red. I’m fairly confident they’ll cope with the cooler greenhouse temperatures once they’re established. I’ve also sown some early cauliflower — the variety Snowball — and just a couple of tomato varieties, Crimson Crush and Alicante. With the tomatoes, I’ll only keep one or two plants if they all germinate. And if they do go into the greenhouse, I may well find myself carrying them back into the warmth of the house each night. That’s the plan, anyway… whether I stick to it is another matter.
Over the weekend, we had a call to say another delivery of horse manure had arrived. So we headed down to the allotment to move it into a stockpile. I’m quite tempted to grow a squash directly in the heap this summer. If I add a layer of soil on top and plant into that, I’m hoping a couple of squash plants might find it very much to their liking.
While I was shifting manure, Sue was busy pruning the rose bushes. And before we called it a day, we tidied up the old stalks from one of our cardoon plants. It was just good to get back down to the allotment.
With all the recent rain, it’s going to take a lot of drying out before any proper work can begin. The grass paths are really wet — you can hear the squelch of my boots as I walk along. Still, we managed a couple of hours at the plot without getting wet. And these days… that feels like quite an achievement.
27 February 2026
All this for one last stamp! Visit to Lyme Park & Dunham Massey
As you may know, if you follow my channel, back in October we started taking part in the National Trust Pooch Passport scheme. The idea was simple – visit six different National Trust properties before the end of February and you’d receive a little bag of dog treats. Visit twelve… and you’d earn a special tag for your dog’s collar. Well, with just one week left before the deadline, we’d collected ten stamps. Just two more to go to earn Ruby her tag. After carefully studying the weather forecast – and making sure there was no snow predicted over the hills – we decided to go for broke and attempt two properties in one day: Lyme Park and Dunham Massey. That meant crossing the Pennines, including the infamous Woodhead Pass – one of the first roads to close at the slightest hint of snow. Sunday turned out bright, sunny, and surprisingly mild for late February. As we climbed up over the tops, the only real problem was the sunshine streaming straight into the camera lens. We don’t usually visit at weekends – we prefer quieter midweek trips – but I wasn’t quite prepared for just how busy it would be. Turning into Lyme Park, there was a queue of traffic, and once inside, parking spaces were few and far between. We didn’t stop long. First job – stamp number eleven in the passport. Then a quick leg stretch for Ruby before heading back to the car. Next stop: Dunham Massey. This was somewhere we’d particularly wanted to visit in winter because of its beautiful winter garden. Part of the journey took us close to Manchester Airport, and as we arrived, it was clear we weren’t the only ones with the same idea. Cars were queuing just to get in. Just look at the number of cars in that car park as I drove round searching for a space. I was hoping to find somewhere quieter so we could enjoy our packed lunch before tackling the final stamp. After lunch, it was time for the all-important twelfth stamp… and Ruby’s collar tag. But as you’ll hear, things didn’t quite go according to plan. After all that effort, we’ll have to wait and see whether Ruby actually gets her tag. A little disappointing, to say the least. Still, not to be put off, we headed into the winter garden for a walk – and here are a few of the highlights for you to enjoy. For the journey home to West Yorkshire, we chose the M62 rather than heading back over Woodhead Pass. The M62 has a reputation for heavy traffic during the week, but thankfully, on a Sunday afternoon, it was much quieter. All in all, a long day, a lot of miles… and a determined effort to go for broke.