Dahlias to Bed and November Newts

 A wet grey chilly morning has turned into a glorious sunny day. And oh how welcome the sunshine is. 

Our main task was to get the dahlias under cover. Here they all are.

Yes I know, it is getting out of hand but time enough to think of that next spring.

They've been covered with carpet and porous tarpaulin, held down on all sides by bricks.

Paula cut back more Michaelmus daisy, Steve found veggies and sawed old wood and I am trying to eradicate red creeping sorrel which is becoming a nuisance. I also weeded some of this path. Sometimes it feels like a losing battle.

The chipped bark has rotted down to a very fertile soil. I am almost tempted to scrape it up and throw it on the flower beds.

We think the cobshed roof growth is improving now the shading trees are cut. Just a few gaps to fill in spring.

Paula saw a newt in the pond. Unheard of in November. Amazing. Pond weed and even blanket weed are still thriving.

Some great fungi around.

Inkcaps I believe, used to make ink in the past.

We came home for lunch to find our load of logs delivered so we know the first job for the afternoon.

Blue Skies and Straw Flowers

What a beautiful morning at the garden, slightly colder but stunning views to Paul McCartney's windmill.

I completed the 1st flowerbed, begun last time.

The other day Paula made a start on the 2nd flowerbed cutting back Michaelmus daisy. Today I began thinning them out. They have virtually taken over the bed.

              I got halfway.

Here is what still needs doing.

And after that three more beds. My work is cut out for the rest of November.

Steve began digging a veg bed and found stray potatoes. 

He also made a start on the raised bed.

Who can believe that I am still picking straw flowers in mid-November!

The pond is full, covering the mini-beach.

Dahlias and roses continue to flower.

The donkeys and goats grazed in the sunshine and we enjoyed the warmth in the polytunnel, where things keep growing.

All in all a perfect morning.

November News

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It was a beautiful sunny November day. I started off in 4 layers but was soon down to two. We had our 2nd frost. Interestingly none of the dahlias had blackened.

My plans changed as soon as we got there.

There is now guttering all along the barn to catch run-off water for the huge tank.

As well as that, a road was being dug out leading to the yurts. Heaped up at the sides were lovely piles of topsoil which is available for the garden ..... hooray.

The michaelmus daisies blocking our way to the polytunnel, needed to be sorted so I got going on those, thinning them out as well. Then I dug over the smaller bed, spread some topsoil and covered with carpet.

We sat in the sun toasting, for our teabreak.

When Paula came she picked the helichrysum heads which need a good drying out and she dead-headed

dahlias. Still going strong.

The quince had all but disappeared with only a couple of tell-tale signs. Looks like they fell because they were ripe and they've been chewed.

The self-seeded clary  is flowering away.

The sedum troughs went indoors.

The polytunnel is surprisingly colourful.

We went home with the very last pumpkin, a couple of leeks and tomatoes.

All in all, a lovely visit, but only serving to tell us how much there is, still to do.