There's something deeply satisfying about being a little old-fashioned. I don't mean wearing a tweed jacket in July or insisting everything was better in 'the good old days' (though let's face it, it just was), I mean the simple, timeless joy of making useful things with your own hands, straight from your garden.

As another year draws to a chilly close, it's safe to say the garden isn't top of anyone's to-do list. December is about friends, family, and food, not flowers and fertiliser.

Well, it's that time of year yet again where we scratch our heads at where the last year has gone and ponder all our life choices.

This is the season when the garden undergoes its annual costume change, The last dahlias can't hold their heads up, the perennials collapse into graceful heaps, and the borders have taken their last bow after the final curtain call. Before the frost sets in, it's time to restore a little order...but not too much.