Another busy month at Gardening Leave! 

The glaziers have now removed all the glass from the Stovehouse and we await the scaffolders who will put up the frame so we can get the cover on to let the timbers dry out  and enable us to start stripping and replacing them  in readiness for their news coats of linseed oil-based paint. 

I went to the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood for the launch of the Veterans Champions Initiative which will see every local authority in Scotland appoint a Veterans Champion who will make sure that issues such as housing, healthcare and employment in their locality get a fair shout - a great idea and one I am keen that Gardening Leave should support. 

The Friday before Remembrance Sunday found the annual Hollybush Concert of Remembrance in Kilmarnock Grand Hall.  It was a stirring evening and great news that Provost Young has adopted Combat Stress as her charity for the year - awareness of veterans’ issues has never been more important. 

One of our veterans suggested that next year we should mark Armistice Day with a service at Auchincruive by which time the restoration of the Poppy Collection will be complete - it’s a great goal.

November also saw the birth of The Bullet, our newsletter for the Friends of Gardening Leave which I hope will keep people in touch with what we do, who we help and how they can get involved - money and awareness are just as important as each other!

Big, big thanks to Merlin Currie and Stevie Gibb who between them pulled The Bullet together, Ritchie (UK) for printing it and Evelyn for doing such a great job with the database so we can mail it to as many Friends and supporters as possible.  If you would like to receive a copy, either by post or better still by e-mail (we save the postage!) just contact Evelyn admin@gardeningleave.org or  01292 521444.

One of our veterans generously offered to give us his greenhouse, if we could take it away..!!!  This duly came to pass and we are in the process of erecting the greenhouse within the walled garden.  Unfortunately the weather has been against us however we have managed to construct the base so far and weather permitting, we should have it finished soon.

All our winter vegetables have now been transplanted under the ever increasing number of cloches!  Spring bulbs are all in pots and our paper whites and hyacinths are in bloom.

 Until next month, keep going!

 As ever, 

Anna.