Baubles, Teds and Stockings

Anyone who crafts, knows that for Christmas projects we have to start early. It only seems a short while ago that I didn`t want to even think about Christmas, but now here we are in the midst of these early preparations.

On Thursday this week we are doing the Five Villages Xmas Fair. So I am looking forward to this as my friend lives there and I know other people who live there too. It is a nice cosy, friendly venue with a good Xmas vibe. 

I have been busy with my Xmas makes. I started pretty early with some clay stars. This is self-drying clay. It was grey and I had to give it several coats of white paint. I had no idea how I would finish them and to be honest I found them a bit boring until I wound the glittery thread around the points. Then I was happy.

 

I am always keen to use up my tiny scraps of Xmas fabric and so I made some patchwork lavender bags. Something I like to do every year.

 

These baubles have been made in two halves with a plastic ball in the centre. I debated whether to add any glittery  thread  .... in the end I decided they worked well without.

These tiny teds were inspired by the lovely wool. Such a joy to use in crochet. An arm tube of 5 stitches is just about on the limit of what I can tackle.

For the school Xmas fair, I have made stockings which we usually fill with all kinds of bits and pieces.
 

And I experimented with Grinch stockings.

And Grinch decorations.

The worry worms always go down well.

 

And some gnomes made from recycled childrens` pyjamas.

And finally some mini-wreaths made from a climbing shrub in our garden called akebia or chocolate vine, because of the  amazing smell of the flowers. Steve pruned it and suggested I could use them for the wreaths. They are not flexible enough to make the points of stars but are perfect for rings. 

After coming in early from the garden, lighting the fire and plonking myself right in front, I spent a happy hour with that last project.

We had the first frost today. The remaining dahlias were black. They are now all cut down and covered over.

Fiery Spires and Christmas Trees

The garden has changed. Its decidedly wintry. Its wet and its muddy.

 It was so quiet that we could hear the footballers in the next village of Icklesham.

But the biggest surprise awaited us.

What triggers a corm to decide to flower now. Amazing.

There is some colder weather coming so with that in mind I wanted to get the dahlias prepared.

They were looking very sorry for themselves.

 

But I did pick what I think, has to be the very last bunch.

The flowers are very pale in comparison to earlier in the season ... running out of steam .

I only managed one bed. There was an incredible amount of top growth. I was glad that we had empty compost heaps.

For those of you who follow this blog, you might remember that for the past few years we have left the tubers in the ground.  They were getting so big that I couldn`t lift them without assistance. And then one year after storing them in the polytunnel, we lifted the covers to reveal ..... well absolutely nothing left. Who knows what ate them all!

After cutting them down and clearing the surrounding surfaces, we covered them in carpet, held down by fence pieces and bricks. This has always worked in the past.
 

I still have the bed behind to do. And a few patches elsewhere in the garden. The frost will be here this week.

Steve harvested the very last peppers. The crops have been fantastic.

 

My last job was to clear half of this path, matted with Michaelnus daisies.

Paula also joined us and cleared quite a few dahlias herself.

Elsewhere round the garden there is some very interesting fungi appearing.

 

I`m not very good at identifying them.

My brother`s little potted Christmas tree has been well looked after by Steve who has watered it all summer. We have decided it needs to be repotted before it goes indoors.

 

And may I just leave you with this .... such a special sight in mid-November.

 

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Flaming Barrels and Flapjack

Well, as promised, here is my blog entry about 

Battel Bonfire Boyes 

and the fantastic show on Saturday evening.

The town of Battle is built around the abbey which was built by William after the Battle of Hastings. It is said to be on the site of the battle but the latest thinking is that the actual fighting took place on the area near the roundabout as you enter Battle.

In fact my brother-in-law, Stuart`s house, is actually in that vicinity. We were invited there for the celebrations with a brilliant ringside seat in his front garden. This is in a slightly elevated position so we got a great view and an opportunity for good pictures.

.  After great food and drinks courtesy of Stuart, the excitement inside was beginning to build up with glowsticks being activated and outside, with the crowds. When we peeped through the curtains there were literally hordes of people walking up to the main town from the train station.

Some of our party ventured up to the abbey square where the crowds were so thick, they soon turned round and came back. (The bonfire was in the square later.)

A great cannon was set off and it wasn`t long before the long procession of bonfire societies were making their way down the hill. Ninfield got a big cheer from all of us.

Tremendous excitement, noise, atmospheric torchlight and drumming bands as well as smoke.

Costumed participants .... clowns, Vikings, pirates, all sorts of outfits.

 

I personally love the drumming bands and would have loved to add video here but its not always a good idea.

The procession doubled back on itself which was an incredible sight. Two metre long bangers were lit all along the way. The noise was deafening and I noticed some marchers handing out ear plugs for young people.

Torches fell to the ground to be stamped on by followers. Smoke billowed around everyone, lending an added dimension to the proceedings.

When the flaming half barrels rolled up the hill with fireworks exploding and making an indescribable noise, we knew it was coming to an end .... people followed on to the square.

We all went inside for a welcome cuppa.  It wasn`t a cold evening but it was lovely to sit by Stuart`s inglenook wood burner. And partake of even more of his delicious flapjack.

Not long after that we were able to see the firework display from the back garden. And that was quite a sight.

A brilliant evening and a strange thought to think of the Norman soldiers marching into battle in possibly the very same footsteps of the evenings revellers, with maybe a different set of objectives in their minds.

Flaming Torches and Hotdogs

Here we are in November, and with it comes the local tradition of the bonfire societies` torchlit marches followed by bonfires and fireworks. These societies are not completely unique to Sussex but certainly I think I am right in saying, they originated in Lewes. 

Many years ago Steve and I went to the Lewes bonfire celebrations. He was a student at Brighton Uni. My memories are ..... hundreds of people, lots of walking from one bonfire to the next and bangers being thrown at random on the streets. It was exciting but I never wanted to go again. 

The one we went to on Saturday, at Ninfield was much more organised. We went with quite a few family members. My nephew Toby provided us with hotdogs before we set off.

The parade consisted of several bonfire societies, each with their own banners and outfits .... tricorn hats, striped tops, garish face paint and lots of flaming torches.

The parade went right through the village and back then all participants gathered around the bonfire. The chant went up and the flaming torches were used to light the huge bonfire. It was soon well ablaze.

 

This was followed by a spectacular firework display. Some of the first single fireworks were dedicated to different people by villagers.

The rain held off for the duration of the celebrations having dropped all day and as soon as we stepped indoors afterwards. It is just as well because the money raised goes to charity and also funds the following years display.

All in all a great evening.

 

Next Saturday we have been invited to Battle Bonfire with a great view from my brother-in-law`s front garden.

Maybe next time, I will post some photos from that.

 

Hallowe`en Surprises

 Well here we are nearly at the end of October. The pumpkins are harvested and there are half term plans to make pumpkin lanterns tomorrow with my nephews.

This year, these are too precious for lanterns.

The clocks have gone back, so evenings are darker by 5. Gardening days are shorter. There is still so much to do.

The sunshine was glorious today. We had our teabreak sitting outside with a butterfly flitting round.

 (Sorry its not quite in focus.)

The Red Admiral was enjoying the late-flowering bidens.

Paula and I took a flower bed each and cut back as much as we could. Mainly Michaelmus daisy. This is not the end of the story as we will have to dig them over and thin things out as well. Three more beds to go.

Amongst the growth were all the fallen apples. I managed to save a few decent drops for a crumble tomorrow.

 

Steve emptied the third compost heap. One still to go. 

The polytunnel is nearly ready for winter with broad beans planted and all the fairy things in one place. We still need to sort through all the canes and stakes.

 

I pulled up the last sunflowers, the tithonia and cut back some helianthus. Everything went into the new dead hedge.

(more about this another time) 

Here are the surprises. 

(Sorry my focus has not been good today.)

Cornflowers.

Statice

Helichrysum

Mallow

Calendula at full bloom.

I even had to strim all the edges as the grass is still growing.

And the guinea pigs loved the sunshine. They have been enjoying the fallen apples as well.

 

 

 

Dahlia Days

 

Oh how quickly October is passing by. Leaves falling. Geese flying over. Toadstools bursting forth. 

No frosts so far so the dahlias are still at fullblown glory. 

 

 Yesterday morning I had to push aside all the vases to have enough room to sit and eat breakfast.

I had to pick this double head of Penhill Watermelon as the stems were not strong enough to hold the heads.

The main jobs yesterday were digging out the third compost heap (Steve) and beginning the clearing of the barn path (me). I had a bit of help from Poppy and Alfie (Anne and Tim`s grandchildren) and we had lots of conversation about the different weeds and plants we were finding.

Anne`s dahlias have really taken their time with flowering this year. Its very strange because we have done nothing different,
 

 

The gnomes are drying off in the polytunnel.

 

And so are the scarecrows.

 

Nicotiania sylvestris is still flowering profusely.

 

I think this is a mushroom, also in the polytunnel, not that I would take a chance. It is almost perfect.

 

And here is the days harvest .... all quite yummy and all now consumed