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In the beginning there were plants


Today it seems as good a time as any to start a-blogging. So after a restorative weekend making Apple crumble and inventing a rather good chutney (courgette and sour apple with lime and ginger, if you are interested), here goes.

It has been a week since the Garden Media Guild Awards 09, and I am still blinking in the bright morning light. Congratulations to all the winners and runners up. Honourable mentions to:

- Alys Fowler for bringing her bike – impressive greenness!
- James Alexander Sinclair and Chris Collins for services to baby patting
- Ambra Edwards for winning Journalist Of The Year for the second time
- James Wong for general air of surprise and talking about sailing in Singapore
- Andy McIndoe for kissing the Queen … or something
- Peter Beales for a short, sweet and to the point Lifetime Achievement Award acceptance speech
- And me for making the final of the Columnist of the Year category, ‘Ray!

Missed soundtrack opportunity: ‘Bad Medicine’ by Bon Jovi for Grow Your Own Drugs .

Currently listening to: Disco. It is a Thursday afternoon in December, something has to give.

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