The Sweet Peppers are coming !

 I said  I,d show you the Peppers in the greenhouse . Well I grew these from seeds that  I saved from a pack of supermarket Mini Sweet Peppers ...so I had not been too sure of what these seeds would produce . All going well so far , they look like little Sweet Peppers  . Husband very excited as he loves them !

I think we will wait until they colour up to a nice bright red before picking them .

 I dont think they will grow much bigger  now , mainly  because I just couldn't  get any good quality compost back in the Spring due to all the nurseries closing down during "lockdown". What I did manage to get hold of was very poor quality and very expensive .
  Normally I would have them in much bigger and deeper pots .
The tomatoes in the greenhouse are not as fast growing as the ones in the Solar shed which had good quality compost left over from last year and in much bigger pots .

  Our juvenile Buzzard flew over my head as I walked down to the vegetable garden , screaming out to it's mum loudly .

 Here you can see , after the dwarf beans failed I threw down a mixture of veg seeds . Carrots , beetroots, Pak choi ,Rocket , Lettuce , I planted leeks and a few Gardeners Delight Tomato plants that I,d grown  from seed up in the shed .
 It needs a bit of weeding again after the rain we,ve had the last couple of days .
 We have been eating a few things everyday from the vegetable garden . Lovely  to smell and taste such fresh vegetables .
 I would,ve liked more to freeze away , but I am thankful for all this at least .
 The vegetable garden has not quite gone to plan this year . The autumn planted onions were a complete fail and waste of money , effort and likewise the French Beans ...and I have no idea why , other  than to say that we didn't have any April showers at the time I was sowing seeds and beans . Runnerbeans and French beans are usually so easy , but this time they kept being cut down by something despite all the protection  I gave them .
  I sowed another lot of beans a couple of weeks ago , so I am hoping they might give us  some end of season pods , about as late as can be sown .
     Fingers crossed !

                     Carrots are looking good to pull in a few weeks time .

 A few Gardeners Delight Tomatoes , I think my best ones are the ones  I have grown in the shed .

                                         Some beetroot , I love them !

                                 Romaine Lettuces in amongst the Leeks .

 The Leeks are picking up now at last , thanks to the lovely lot of rain we,ve had .

 Under cover Brassicas and Kale and the first lot of Leeks that I planted out are almost at a usable stage now  . I want them to be a whole lot bigger though before  I harvest  them .
 The tomatoes and courgettes are fantastic , we are freezing them and eating them every day .

 Looking through my Runnerbeans to the labyrinth . We had a few Runnerbeans , but something  kept cutting them down at about two or three inches from the bottom and they did not regrow . I have sown more , but it is late now .
 Some you win , some you lose , This is the way it goes with vegetable gardening , so just don't ever give up !
    I,m thinking of pulling them all out and it will soon be time to plant another lot of Autumn  planting  onions . I will give it a good old weeding , take out the Tetrapanax papyrifer rex and all its pups ( let me know if  you want one , if you are local) feed the earth up with something , not sure what yet, chicken pellets maybe or seaweed ...and plant the onion sets to over winter here .
  I,m just thinking out loud , but I think that is what I,ll do .

 The kitchen windowsill at the moment . Mint and Pelargonium cuttings rooting in the hyacinth vases and tomatoes ripening in the sunshine .
  I love early Autumn !

Tomato and Courgette Bumper Harvest !

 First thing this morning I dashed up to the shed and my rickety old greenhouse to check they hadn't been blown away . All is well , but with the wind still raging I left the windows shut today .

 In the solar shed , Beni greeted me " Please pick these tomatoes before anymore of them fall on my head !"

           I filled my bowl with them and a good lot of courgettes too .
Plenty of Onions and Apples , potatoes, lettuces and the carrots are coming along well too out in the vegetable garden .
               We have had a good harvest this year ! Thankful !
Actually , not such a good bean harvest for some unknown reason  ....never mind , try again next year :)

 Over in the greenhouse there is no room to turn around , only just enough space for me to squeeze in and open the windows , I only opened one side window very slightly as it was already surprisingly hot in there . No room for you !  lol !
 A strange mix of plants to be found in there at the moment . Cacti that like it hot on one side , Rain Forest shade loving Epiphyllums on the other side and Tomatoes and Chilli plants down the middle .
  I watered everything with lovely fresh rain water from the water-but , it smells lovely !

 I forgot to take pictures from the inside , so here is a picture looking in from the outside . You can see the spiky plants along the window and the Tomato plants which are on the floor along the middle .
 Show you more tomorrow !

Severe Gales and Dangerous Sea Conditions

          Very stormy skies on our walk along the cliffs on Wednesday .

                      This is up by the Marconi Monument , Mullion .

                               The wind was really beginning to picking up .

 The Starlings going to roost on the antennas by the Marconi Centre / museum hut .

 We have had severe gales and there were very dangerous sea conditions overnight and yesterday .
  The Lifeboat and two air ambulances had to come to rescue two people who had got into difficulty in the sea .
  I have not heard how they are , I do hope and pray that they are o.k .
The crew of the Lifeboat are so brave to go out into such wild weather as this and I am surprised that the Air Ambulance helicopters could even fly in such severe winds !

Cornish Choughs at Mullion again !

Whilst out on our walk along the cliffs of Mullion , I saw two Cornish Choughs fly up and over the Cornish Hedge  . Camera at the ready ! I ran and crept up behind the hedge and was delighted to see that they had landed right on the footpath just on the other side !

                         So happy to have got so close up to them again !

 We are seeing them almost everyday now . Seven is the most we,ve counted , but very often just this pair . They have rings on both legs .
I watched them for quite a long while , as they were pecking about in the grass .
 Then they suddenly flew off angrily over the cliffs and sea , squawking and chasing a crow out of their territory .
  You can click on my picture to enlarge them slightly .
  We didn't walk so far today as it is so hot !
The storms that were forecast haven't  happened here yet and it is feeling so  uncomfortable  . I would like some rain for my vegetable garden and to refill my water-butts and a little thunder and lightening to help clear the air and help banish  my headache .  . . . but it's made my day to see the Cornish  Coughs again and so close up !  :)

Meanwhile in the Garden

                                                Potato harvest joy !

                           .......and still more to come ....very happy me !

Cornish Choughs - at Mullion

 We have been enjoying our walks along the cliffs of Mullion .
Apart from one morning ,when there was some very heavy drifting sea mist , it  has been beautiful and sunny and the views from the cliffs just breath-taking .

We walk from Polurrian to Poldhu , and meeting not too many people along the way. 

                              I was absolutely thrilled to see this Chough !
I have since heard that someone else has seen a group of five of them . Wonderful news indeed !  It will be wonderful if they come and settle , to breed on our cliffs at Mullion .

 This morning we set off on  our walk again , along to the Marconi Monument . I saw what I thought was a flock of crows . Once again from the footpath by the Marconi Monument .

But I could hear the familiar higher pitched call of a chough...or maybe , I thought to myself , two choughs !

 I ran after them to take some pictures !  I could only see one Chough  and thought the rest must be crows .
 It wasn't  until we came home and put the photos onto the computer that we  could see that we had a flock of seven Choughs  .
 You can click on the picture to zoom in !
 They flew off towards the cliffs the other side of Poldhu and Gunwalloe .

 This one seemed a bit bothered by the rings on it's legs .

  Anyway , if you are down at Poldhu on the beach , have your camera at the ready !

                              Poldhu before all our happy visitors arrive !

                                         Looking toward Gunwalloe .
      I just noticed that person on a paddling board . Heck ! He's a very long way out ! Mind those rip tides mate !Very strong currants here , take you out to sea !

                          Looking  towards  Gunwalloe and Dollar Cove .
                                        Then home for brekkers !

                               Typical silhouette of Choughs in  flight .

Baby Buzzard - more !

                                      He came back to see me !
                        He knows I am here and looks straight at me .
    Here I am standing just a few feet away from this beautiful  creature .
 

          We had another little chat . He is calling out to his mother , who is about somewhere .
  I have seen them together in our neighbours tree , but not yet caught them together on camera .

 He spread out his wings , above my head , too close to get him all in the picture , and away he flew .