How Long Can it Last

We are enjoying the Indian summer as promised.

Today we have been in t.shirts and roasting in glorious sunshine.

I was just about to say that the garden was sooo peaceful, but on second thoughts it wasn`t.

Tim was busy rolling the yards with new roadstone and widening the track round to the garden.

There was a keening buzzard swooping low over the donkey field, where Rosie and Alice let out an occasional braying.

I wonder what the buzzard had spotted. They are usually so much higher.

The garden itself was buzzing with the most amazing number of insects .... bees of all kinds, hoverflies, Peacock butterflies and dragonflies. Most of all they were enjoying the Michaelmus daisies.

 I picked some pears. I`ve been waiting for them to ripen enough.

The three chicks have grown so much and were busy exploring the garden. They got to this dropped pear before me.

 

I also picked six perfumed golden quince which just fell away in my hand. We are thinking of trying quince gin.

Anne is going to try quince jelly.

 

I carried on digging the raised bed and Steve came along behind with barrowloads of manure. We are hoping to cover completely with old carpet to keep the weeds down.

There is a kind of misty haziness over the photos taken today, which makes for an even more magical look.

I am loving the colour palette of the M.daisies.

Fungi continue to thrive. They come and go so quickly.

Moles have been busy. They do not worry me. Some people get quite upset about their lawns being ruined. Not me.

Oh my goodness the dahlias. They are really doing their thing.

On Wednesday I took 7 bunches to the village coffee morning, run by Tim and Anne. They sold like hotcakes I am pleased to say.

 

Poor old Doctor Who fell over and was taken indoors a while ago.

Today the friendly witch went inside.

All the scarecrows come inside for the winter.

There are so many jobs to do I have to keep the blinkers on.

The weeds continue to thrive.

Runner beans are doing well.

The cucumbers are finished.

Caterpillars are munching through the cabbage family.

A beautiful time of the year, during which we make the most of the warm sunny days wondering how long can it last.

 

Eat the Rainbow

A colourful diet leads to good health, so I`ve been told.

At the moment it is hard to do anything other than eat colourful food. Just look at this.

 

The light today has been incredible, especially for photography.

 

I sometimes wonder if this isn`t the most colourful time of the year.

It is just as if the garden is having a last glorious fling before true autumn comes.

Today has been a veritable Indian Summer Day.

There is fruit still ripening.

The purple Michaelmus daisies are crowding out the garden much to our delight.

 

 

Tortoises continue to munch on fresh lettuce.

Bees are still busy on the borage.

I look on these wonderful days as a gift .... days to remember when the autumn sets in.

And as an added bonus, we even had a swim in the sea today.

 

 

Damson Shampoo

Another glorious morning at Freshwinds.

I started by trimming the hornbeam hedge by the entrance .... an easy job with good shears.

Steve trimmed the tomatoes which have now reached the roof.

I had a quick look on the internet to see if was still OK to prune damson trees and yes it was, so we set to and trimmed quite a bit.

The twigs are surprisingly sharp so I took out quite a few from eye level as well as branches that were growing into the other trees.

Then Steve sawed off a very tall one that went up through the middle. It looked much better.

I strimmed underneath and thereby got my damson shampoo as well as a facial. All the fallen fruit was spattered around.

The tree guard needed clearing of nettles, and growth from below the graft point, but it was left for another day as we forgot our garden gloves. 

I gathered armfuls of dahlias, disbudding as I went.

Steve harvested more borlotti beans.

 

The fungi season has begun with these lovely specimens.

Some in the grass from fallen fruit perhaps, and some in the chipped bark which always gives a few surprises.

The myriad seedlings germinating are a continuous treasure trove.

Some we are just leaving where they are, such as these clary and annual poppies, but I may transfer some to other places.

These happy accidents are encouraged in Freshwinds Garden.

We love it when plants do their own thing.

This Himalayan Honeysuckle has grown in the old asparagus bed.

I believe its seeds are dispersed by bird droppings.

It looks very exotic and will form berries later.

I don`t think the nectar is flowing yet on this artichoke.

When it does the bees will be swarming around.

 

In the polytunnel we found a lovely surprise ... a jar of honey from Fairlight .... a gift from people who camped at the weekend.

We had a lovely chat when they came to look round.

Thank you very much. I can`t wait to try it.

 At the weekend we were busy helping my nephew Toby with his new drive.

In the sandy bank are very many mining bees which are a wonderful sight to see.

 They have a very distinctive stripe.

They have a mild sting but they did not trouble us as we worked alongside.

It just remains for me to wish Julie a speedy recovery.

We hope you are reading the blog.

 See you both soon Jan and Julie.