Torrential rain

We haven`t been able to get to the plot today due to torrential rain. I must say that our little bungalow needed some TLC. So its been good to get all those niggling little jobs done ...labels on pickled cucumbers, relish, more fairy crowns made and fabrics chosen for some tiny hedgehogs. We`ve also frozen a lot of 

beans and tomatoes. And a little bit of housework!!

On our last visit, we did two mixings of cob for our shed. I had forgotten what hard work it is. The worst thing was wearing wellies. I am not as brave as Anne with her bare feet. I had to clear a lot of growth from around the walls....brambles, grass and docks. When you are walking round with about an extra kg of mud on your boots, its easy to trip up.

Steve cleared the rest of the pea rows. Much as I love fresh peas, I`m not sure the harvest is worth the space. I pulled up some finished sunflowers but saved the seed for the birds for winter. The outdoor tomatoes are so badly affected by blight that we have pulled them out.

William`s pumpkin plant is going great guns and I am looking forward to seeing what the fruit will be like, seeing as the stems are striated.....(several stems have fused together.) 

Does this mean the pumpkins will be larger?

Everywhere I look there are jobs to do, but I try not to get over-whelmed by it all. The new hedge needs clearing of brambles and nettles, the strawberry patch needs clearing and runners rooted, the edges of the garden need clearing of nettles again, the herb garden needs weeding, the sedum plants need to be spread out a bit more. Oh well....they will all get done in the end.

Another thing I am researching is willow husbandry, with the idea of producing our own climber and plant supports. I`d also like to have another go at basketry using our own willow.

Hopefully we make a visit tomorrow as the weather should be better. I hope so since it is a bank holiday.

Only 3 apples left on our Katy tree. They are precious!

Hollie is keeping a watch on the dahlias and she is almost completely surrounded by pumpkin growth.

The cosmos are looking very pretty.