Slowly slipping into Winter

 

My job for today was to cut down the tall ornamental grasses .

Half of these I then heaped over the remaining  Dahlias that we'd left in the ground  and the rest I spread around the Tree Fern and Gunneras .

Having completed that task ,we can now enjoy the lovely scarlet stems of the Cornus siberica alba .

The Hydrangea is still looking good , but I cut off some of the stems which were hanging over the back steps  . I will leave the Tree Ferns for now ,but tomorrow see if I can find the old sacks that I have set aside to throw over their crowns .

If I can't find them then I will just fold some of the fern leaves over the tops of them .

 It is forecast to be very cold tonight . There is a clear sky and no wind .

(This also meant that my washing didn't dry on the line and I had to bring it all in and hang it on the clothes horse in the bathroom.) 

I expect the cold will finish this off and the remaining Dahlias into their winter dormancy . 

My more precious Dahlias are now trimmed and  dried off in a fish crate covered in multi-purpose compost in the shed .

This South African Yellow Bush Daisy always puts on a cheerful display over the winter months . I think it's proper name is Euryops ...correct me if I'm wrong  . I took a couple of cuttings from it earlier in the year .I need to go check on them tomorrow  .

Camellias begin flowering around Christmas time here in Cornwall , especially the further south you are . This one is very early though , even for here on the Lizard ! 

While I was sweeping leaves I noticed this little Violet .

I like to leave the beautiful Agapanthus seed pods .

The Acers have their flush of colour then soon drop their leaves .

                                I am so in love with Autumn !

                                       I put cloches over the Agaves .

This old Agave has now outgrown it's cloche and I am trying to think of another way that I can protect it during cold rainy weather . 

For tonight I have thrown a sheet of fleece over it . I lay slates and flat stones around the base of it so the rain will be directed away .

                           I topped up the bird feeders , seeds, peanuts and fat balls .

                                  I love to watch the birds while I do the dishes .

We took our walk across the cliffs . The sea is calm today . Humpback Whales have been spotted just this last week . Husband thought he saw something and I had taken photos last week .We then heard about this on the news . I need to go back and look at my photos again ...and zoom in . 

We regularly see seals and dolphins , but to see a Humpback Whale would be fantastic ! 

We decided to go down onto the beach  . See the difference from just the other day with those huge waves . Today the sea is quite calm and flat  .

He had a coffee and I had a chocolate brownie ice cream ....oh my goodness yummy naughtiness ! 

 They say it's going to be cold tonight . Probably not as cold as further up country .

I checked the wrapping is still on the outside water tap .

I'm making up hot water bottles every night now . 

These stay hot all night long till morning . 

They are nice to snuggle up with in an armchair too during the day .

Sweet Dreams everyone !   🌙⭐✨