New Fences and Birthdays

What a lovely day we`ve had.

After many autumn days of rain, waiting to begin this job, a good one came along and linked up to the fact that we could all be there.

HOORAY.

And what`s more it was Rachel`s birthday.

The fencing was a freebie from my nephew Toby but all the extras cost quite a bit!!!

When we brought the fencing over on the huge trailer, it was the end of a very busy day for us.

What`s more the fencing was wet and therefore extremely heavy.

We were very pleased that William, Rachel and Anne joined us.

William was very good at digging holes, thank goodness because I hate it, especially at 2 feet deep. 

The first piece of fence seemed to take ages to get in.

After the hole was dug out, a water-proof sleeve was shrunken into place, with the aid of a blowtorch.

This will help to preserve the wood for longer.

The post is placed in the hole, then the hole is filled with water followed by quick-drying dry cement.

It is off in 10 minutes.

 We had a teabreak and shared Rachel`s birthday cake, made by Hollie, with green and pink Harry Potter style icing. 

It really set us up for the next session.

The sun shone but there was a bit of a cold wind.

Rachel was feeling it, as she is from Australia. 

Two more pieces went in. 

We were very pleased.

It looks brilliant.

I have saved several climbing plants to put in alongside.

Hopefully they will scramble over and clothe the fence in the future, adding a new dimension.

There is still quite a bit to go but we should get another morning at it tomorrow.

I hope the sun shines.

And many thanks to William, Rachel and Anne. 

A good morning`s work.

A Sunny Bunny

Southern England has had 165% of its usual October rainfall which is probably why we squelched round the garden last Friday.

And also the reason why our autumn jobs are taking so long.

We had a very short visit between showers.

The sun shone. 

The turkeys gobbled. 

A wren dive bombed my head as I took photos.

The rabbit was sunning itself.

 

The dahlias were waiting to be picked. 

We collected a small trugful of tomatoes and peppers that had ripened off.

Amazing for mid-October.

The cob shed basked in the sunshine.

So far this autumn there has not been a chance to renew any of the cob that`s needed.

 The tiny fairy yurt has been packed away for another year.

The compost heaps continue to wait for our undivided attention!!!

Our outdoor seating area is smothered with self-seeded forgetmenots. I will be leaving them to do their own thing.

This area is set for great changes but hopefully the plants will survive.

Lots of clearing still to do.

Perhaps we will get some unbroken days at the garden before October is out.

 

 

 

 

 

Purple Cousins and Minty Runners

And so, here is October.

It is not really cold but we have started our fires at home.

Our autumn jobs are well under way.

The preparation for the fencing has involved a lot of cutting back .... trees, shrubs etc.

 

Just a bit to go.

It was great to have help from William and Rachel.

I have tidied all the moveable fairy things from the little garden.

They are stored safely in the cob shed.

 

The Michaelmus daisies continue to flower. How I love them.

And so do the bees. As I pass, they fly off in clouds.

The bright pink one at top right, needs to be split, to propagate, unlike its purple cousins.

Dahlias still coming thick and fast but some beginning to fade slightly. It will soon be time to lift them.

There are many opportunities to make new plants.

Here are some apple mint shoots, ready for the taking.

They have spilled out onto the path.

This is a new plant to me.

They are called alonsoa (Sarah Raven seeds)

They are very unusual and flowering profusely still.

I think they are half hardy but we`ll see.

The turkeys are gobbling round their run during the day.

What a strange noise they make.

There are still some crabapples on the tree.

This might be the next corner to get some attention. 

After the fence goes up. 

How did it get so wild?

And colour continues in our own garden with unexpected beauty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crabapple Harvest

The crabapples have been good this year.

Here is the tree back in early September.

 I decided to try crabapple jelly.

I had to wait for the fruit to ripen. It is difficult to know from the outside whether the apples are ripe.

The test is to cut one in half. If the pips are brown they are ready.

I filled a small basket and had a trial run.

The first batch turned out well so I tried a larger one.

The first job is to take off all the stalks. I started by pulling them off but soon had sore fingers. I ended up cutting them off with a small pair of scissors. 

Seeing as the whole lot would be strained, we wondered if it was necessary to remove them at all but surmised they might change the flavour.

Next I had to cut them all in half.

Thank goodness for my trusty kitchen knife, 

seeing as there were 300.

 Once in the pan, they were covered with water and boiled down to a pulp. It took about 30 minutes.

I used a potato masher to help break them down even more.

The mixture was cooled slightly and then spooned into a jelly bag where I left it overnight.

I refrained from squeezing it which is quite tempting but I wanted clear jelly.

The next day found me up at 7 a.m measuring out two pints of juice. I heated it up and added one and a half times sugar.

The crabapples are full of pectin and before long the jelly was setting in the saucepan as it cooked. This did not take very long.

In the meantime, my jars were being sterilised with boiling water.

I had to scoop scum from the top before I poured it into the hot jars.

I sealed the top with wax discs and put on the lids.

The colour was beautiful.

When the jars were cool enough to touch I cleaned them and added the labels.

 

Later in the day we sat in the garden room for a welcome cuppa and scones with, of course, crabapple jelly.

The flavour is mild and somewhat delicate but definitely apple.

Because of this, and the pectin content, crabapples can be used to help some jams set, such as strawberry. I have never tried this and I am not sure in what format they are added 

but it might be worth a try. 

I love the flavour and I can`t wait to use it, warmed up on sponge cake with custard.