Into October

October already and days are still drifting by.  October the month of 'mists and mellow fruitfulness',  the month when mornings get cooler and evenings darker.  Lamps are switched on earlier in the evening and the heating kicks in occasionally. It's the month of crisp, brown falling leaves, pumpkins and squashes,  warming bowls of soup after long walks through fields and woodlands.  Scents of damp earth and woodsmoke in the air.

This time last year we had our 'flu jabs but nothing so far this year from our surgery, other than a note on their website saying do not call, you will be contacted.

There has been lots of rainfall the last few days.  Walking has been sporadic and the car has stayed in the garage as we hold on to the petrol we have in case we need to drive for 'flu jabs or opticians appointments which we both have at this time of year.

Life has revolved around the kitchen and garden the last few days.  The larder cupboard has been emptied and checked for things nearing, on, or sometimes past their sell by date.  Nut roasts have been made and frozen, almond slices with some just out of date ground almonds and hummus made with an old carton of chick peas.

We also had a nearly out of date packet of Falafel mix which went well with the hummus and pitta bread with salad leaves and the last few tomatoes from the greenhouse.

Things are changing around the garden.  The seat has been moved to where the old shed used to be and an arch placed over a new brick path which will lead, hopefully, to the wild flower meadow we hope to create in the top corner of the garden.  The arch will have honeysuckle growing over it eventually.

The paler area to the right is where the grass was kept long all through the summer. With all the rain it has begun to recover.

The foxes and badgers are visiting the garden earlier now it is darker. We've caught them on the 'fox cam' as early as eight thirty in the evening, badgers slightly later around ten. The foxes all have lovely bushy tails at the moment. 

 

As do the Squirrels.

 

No wonder with all the bird food they eat!

All for now.  Take care.

November Days

What does November hold?  Wet breezy days,  falling leaves, darker evenings, misty mornings, frosty cobwebs and the first fogs,  occasionally the first snow too.  
Wet gardens covered in fallen leaves from the now skeletal trees. The bang of fireworks on most nights but especially on the fifth brings back memories of childhood bonfires, of warmth from the fire, hats scarves and gloves, sparklers and baked potatoes from the fire.  Making the Christmas pudding on Stir-up Sunday and in between that and Bonfire Night the solemnity of Remembrance. 

 Towards the end of the month festive  lights will be switched on across cities, towns and villages and households vie to see who will have their Christmas lights up first.

I love the curlews on the November page of the calendar.  It's time to turn to

Warming soups with homemade bread.  Above cauliflower, cheddar and kale soup.

and good books to read.  The latest novel in the Simon Serrailer series by Susan Hill and the latest Mephisto and Stephens novel from Elly Griffiths one of them starts with a funeral the other ends with one. Also on the small pile is 'Hidden Lives' by Cathryn Walton.  It's about the women members of Leek Embroiderers Society which was founded in 1872.

The Tulip Tree in the garden has gradually taken on a different hue over the last week.

in the last few days it has turned  from the gentle colour above to the more vibrant colour below.

 It's the colour of orange marmalade and

it has looked wonderful in the different light of both the early mornings and at dusk.   The colours of Autumn have been outstanding this year.

Fallen leaves have been raked into piles and within minutes have been replaced by others swirling in the breeze and drifting across the gardens like falling snowflakes.

The Squirrels have been busy burying, bustling and chasing each other across the garden.

They look very plump and healthy 

The garden is covered in fallen leaves

We've also had feline visitors to the garden

Pip lives across the road.

This is a new cat who chases those chasing squirrels high up into the Tulip Tree.

Peanut who visits our garden every day lives across the road with Pip and a tortoiseshell cat called Pumpkin.

It must be getting colder as the town pigeons (rock doves) visited in a gang to pinch the breadcrumbs we had put down for the wood pigeons and collard doves.  They seemed to enjoy the homemade bread.

Monday Miscellany

Just a short post as I haven't written a 'Monday miscellany' one so far this year.

We had such grey and damp weather over the weekend. Friday night's snowfall seemed like just a dream.

 When we called at the supermarket on Friday morning I bought a couple of bunches of daffodils to bring some colour into the house.

The daffodil bulbs we planted in the Autumn are doing well in the garden.  Usually when we plant bulbs the squirrels dig them up, they seem to be partial to crocus and dwarf iris but they aren't interested in daffodil bulbs.

Perhaps they are as poisonous to them as they are to us.

The bulbs in the little planters we received as a Christmas gift have started to grow.  Narcissi to the left muscari to the right.

I took the first photo on Sunday morning and the one above this morning - the muscari have advanced in size over night.

Today is less grey and damp, there has even been a little sunshine.  It was too grey and overcast to see the beautiful moon early this morning so the daffodils will have to compensate with their vibrant colour.

I'll hopefully be back later this week with my photos for the Scavenger Photo Hunt - I still have some to find - and also our results for the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch.

Autumn in the Garden

The Tulip Tree (Liriodendron) at the top of the garden is looking wonderful at the moment.

It's changed from bright green to soft yellow in a matter of days.

I thought I woud take some photos of it today before the leaves get blown away in the gales that are forecast for early next week.

It was quite breezy today and as I took the photos the branches were swaying in the wind and the leaves were dancing along to the blustery music.

Leaves have started to fall and soon it will be time to go out and collect them up.  Falling leaves and woodsmoke in the air are two of the things I love about this time of year.

Leaves had drifted onto the cleared vegetable beds.

Into the pond, across the lawn

And into the bird bath

The Hydrangeas are still clinging on to some colour, they were such a deep, bright pink earlier this year.

The flowers on the Hydrangeas above were bright blue turning to soft mauve in the late summer.

The Heucheras we planted are still looking colourful.

We don't see the foxes now the nights are getting darker.  They usually visit the garden anytime from eight o'clock onwards.  Although a couple of lunchtimes over the last few days we've been visited by this year's female cub.   She trots onto the lawn and stares at us through the kitchen window then she runs off. Mum and Dad have moved on now and left their three cubs to fend for themselves which they seem to do very well.

It is certainly squirrel time in the garden.  They run, they chase, they play.  They tease the local cats and pinch the bird food.  They are also still pinching stones from our paths and burying them in the lawn.

Meanwhile in the conservatory Max looks on over his garden from his favourite chair, never wanting to go out now, content to stay where it is warm and cosy.

Watching Autumn spread across the garden as he has done for 21 years now.

All we can do is keep him warm and safe.

Lesson Learnt

On Saturday morning we came back from a trip to a local garden centre with some compost for potting up tomato seeds ready for the greenhouse and also some small spring plants.  Blue crocus to go with the white ones already growing in the garden and some of those small iris plants.  On Sunday morning they were planted and I was looking forward to seeing their brilliant blue next to the white.

This morning whilst we were drinking coffee at the table near the window of the conservatory watching the birds, in particular two robins who appear to be starting to build a nest in one of the shrubs, the plants were still there.  When we went back to the table for lunch we saw that the blue crocus plants had been completely destroyed and the blue iris plants dug out of the ground but left untouched.

 All the bulbs had been chopped off or should I say chomped off!

 Obviously the iris bulbs aren't as tasty as the crocus bulbs.

 

What a mess.  It looked as it the culprit had placed the bulbs on the bricks, eaten them and thrown the stems back on the garden.

 You can just see those little teeth marks at the end of the stems.

Of course we suspect this little fellow or one of his friends.  I've just been looking at a few gardening forums and it appears that squirrels love both crocus and tulip bulbs.  So I've learnt something new today.  He left the white crocus though perhaps he didn't recognise their colour?