My top 10 posts of 2025

Each year I like to take a look at which posts from the previous year have been the most popular and while I’m at it I also take a look at the posts that have been around for a while and still get looked at, and I like to share that each year. Yes, it’s nerdy, but I love it. I’m not sure why but there’s often surprises along the way, in both lists - so let’s get on with it, shall we.

Starting with my most popular posts from 2025, I loved the Unearthed exhibition so it was great to see that post topping the list:

1 Previewing Unearthed: The Power of Gardening at the British Library (Ad)

An exhibition about gardening, and at the British Library - which despite living in London for a very long time I’d never been to! It was great to be invited along to the preview and help share the word about this fabulous exhibition, which a cut down version of later toured the country. I’d love to know your views on it if you managed to get along to it.

2 Traditional Quilts by Hopkin Rees at the Newark Quilt Show

It’s great to see one of my posts from the Newark Quilt Show on this list, and the quilts by Hopkin Rees are amazing. It’s my local quilt show - just ten minutes or so down the road from home, and a bright spot in any January!

3 The Chef's Table by Adam Frost (Ad)

If I’m honest, this would be my perfect garden - and you can see why my love for succulents everywhere has come from! Actually, when I can I move into this garden? I know I can’t, but if I could, I would!

4 Gardeners' World Live 2025: Win a pair of tickets for Sunday 15 June (Ad)

Thankfully I’m not the only one that’s a fan of Gardeners’ World Live, and once again my competition post makes this list, so that’s good to know. I’m proud to partner with the Gardeners’ World Live team on this, and hope this partnership will continue.

5 The Biba Story: The outfits

This post is quite a different genre to my other posts, but I’m glad it’s here - and I was pleased to get along to see The Biba Story for myself, again in a museum I’d never been to while I actually lived in London. I guess somehow museums weren’t always on my radar in my busy working life!

6 Inside the fabric and haberdashery departments at Liberty

It seems I’m not the only one to enjoy a look around these departments in Liberty, and it’s easy to see why. I did leave with a couple of pieces of material, which I haven’t used yet, so I was quite restrained as I could have left with so much more quite easily!

7 Make a Metre Matter with Gardeners' World (Ad)

Another Gardeners’ World post on this year’s list, this one is a pre-show post that encourages us all to Make a Metre Matter - and that’s all it takes to make a meaningful difference.

8 Gardeners' World Live: What a show! (Ad)

We’re not done with the love for Gardeners’ World Live just yet - you loved this post almost as much as I loved the show. Choosing one photo to represent the show was tricky, but I’ve gone for Nick Bailey’s Make a Metre Matter garden and his rows of cabbages - I still want to grow any kind of vegetables in straight lines, maybe one day!!

9 Revisiting the Orangery at Belton

This is one of my favourite places, and one I’ve realised as I’m writing this post that I don’t get to visit as much as I could, or should. Belton is our nearest National Trust garden, so there’s really no reason not to get myself along there more often, is there?

10 Floral Art at the Devon County Show

There’s some truly amazing floral displays in this post, and who wouldn’t want to wear a hat such as this?

So that’s quite a list, and it’s great to see some of my favourite posts and places appear again.

So onto the second list

This list is posts created at any time by viewed in 2025, the year in brackets is the year it was originally posted - and this list is often very similar to the previous year, although often the order changes somewhat - and it has this year too, though not number one slot!

1. Filling our gabion baskets (2017)

2. A walk from Kinoulton to Hickling and back again (2024)

3. Previewing Unearthed: The Power of Gardening at the British Library (Ad) (2025)

4. My IKEA hack: HOL storage table to laundry basket (2015)

5. Our first visit to the Newark Garden Show (2024) new

6. Storing logs in our gabion baskets (2017)

7. Bagels, cream cheese & jam (2023)

8. In the Orangery at Belton House (2022)

9. Planting a strawberry border (2016)

10. Sean Murray's Great Chelsea Garden Challenge (2017)

There’s two new entries this year, but only one of those posts - Previewing Unearthed (at number 3) is from this year. The other new entry is at number 5, a post from last year which shares more from our first visit to the Newark Garden Show, which is another great local show.

Thanks for being here again over the past year, and bearing with me with this post which you know appeals to my inner nerd. I already can’t wait to see what this year brings!

I’ve added the *AD tag to some of the post links above as they contains links to posts which were declared as ads when they were published on my blog.

My garden in December

Like last month there’s very little actual gardening going on in my garden, but I’ve still been surprised by it, especially with the Mottisfont rose which has produced a massive flower which meant it got pride of place when I moved the pots into their more sheltered winter positions.

We’ve been able to watch this develop from the house, although it didn’t really change much throughout the month. This was as open as it got, before the weather got to it - but even so isn’t it a beauty?

Elsewhere in the garden other plants in the main border have been starting to, or hinting at flowering - and it’s been great to watch the smaller birds hop in and around the bushes.

It seems the new olive tree in the large pot has snagged itself one of the sunny spots on the patio, which really is no bad thing.

It’s coping pretty well with the windy weather, and a lot better than my Christmas wreath which I decided would be better off taking shelter in the heat pump enclosure until the worst of the winds died down. I didn’t much fancy collecting parts of it from around the garden, but I may have done it a dis-service as since it’s been on our back door it’s been fine.

And it’s still on our door looking as great as when we collected it - I’m not ready to let this one go just yet. It’s another one that’s turned from a Christmas wreath into a Winter wreath!

I’ve also gained some new plants this month, both from dad - this one, which I’m not exactly sure what it is yet and one of his rhubarb crowns. The rhubarb is in the garage ready to be planted when the weather (and ground) allows, and I hope this one picks up following the frosts we’ve had this past week or so.

It’s a quiet few months in the garden but if I’m lucky there’ll be some brighter, crisper and slightly warmer days which will give me a chance to catch up on some of those outside winter jobs, and to weed the gravel drive before the weeds there really take hold!

Overnight in Bruton

In December we kickstarted our Christmas with a few as it turned out Christmassy days in Devon stopping overnight along the way, this time choosing Bruton in Somerset. While it actually didn’t reduce the driving any, it did avoid a long and dull drive along the M5 at least in one direction. We didn’t know much about Bruton beforehand, as it turned out to be a last minute booking when the hotel we’d chosen originally was unable to open, but it turned out more than well.

We arrived shortly after sunset and the view from our top floor bedroom at Number One Bruton was almost magical. Completely by chance we’d chosen to stay here on the town’s Christmas night with the shops opening later, a street market and an abseiling Santa, like you do. It was throning, and very nice of them to put on such a show for us!

The view inside our room was equally as good - I even managed to dress to match the gorgeously tiled shower.

After snaffling the in room goodies, which included some local Westcombe Cheddar cheese and handmade shortbread we took a walk around the Christmas stalls and shops. We didn’t get far before MOH spotted a promising looking sofa in one window. We went in to investigate and fell for a vintage paisley patterned quite pink velvet sofa - which despite being in the shop’s window we were encouraged to try out. MOH has since said he pointed it out partly in jest, but after further quizzing he too likes it enough to have in our lounge, I’m not sure I’d say he’s fallen for it but he can see how it would work and be the making of the room.

Further along the street we stumbled across these ceramics, I couldn’t stop looking at the ribbed candlestick on the right and so it was got down for us to look at further. There’s something about it, I’m not sure if it’s the texture, the wonkiness, the colour or a bit of all three, but it came home with us anyway. It is also for the lounge and has the tones of the sofa we’d just seen, so it was probably meant to be.

After signing up for more info on the sofa, buying the candlestick and claiming the can of local craft beer that the candlestick selling lady insisted we have, we thought we’d better head back. Somehow along the way I took the photo above of the Christmas lights, and below which is I’m sure the same thing. I think I quite like the one below though!

The hotel itself had plenty of charm, from the original drawer unit now acting as a reception desk right through to the room key labels hanging on the back wall, and plenty more besides.

It’s been a while since we’ve been up and down circular stairs, though of course those in our previous house didn’t have an enticing view of the garden part-way up.

The courtyard garden looks a great space for warmer evenings, and I’m sure we could be back again returning on a future stop off at some point. It’s well positioned, has gorgeous decor plus the most delicious restaurant - and there’s a bar next door too, which is all part of the Number One Bruton experience. And on top of this, if that wasn’t enough, as hotel guests we were able to spend some time the next day looking around the gardens at The Newt in Somerset which was about ten minutes up the road. I’ve so much more from there to share!

So sometimes when plans change at the last minute, they do for the best. Though I was probably questioning that when we encountered ‘all the rain’ on our onward journey, but that too was an experience - just one I hope we don’t have again!