Lovely Surprise ! 💚

 

My friend had left a pair of wellies for me by the back door !

Thankyou ever so much Jessica 💚

I think I had mentioned in a previous post about my leaking wellington boots and while clearing out her shed had found these which she thought might be my size and would I like them ?

Well , they are perfect ! And just as the wild Autumn weather is a coming in and I can put away my sandals .

                                            What is that ?

I can go explore the hedgerows and walk across the meadow without getting my feet wet . 

Oh ! No ! 

     "It's the Moon !" cried Chicken Licken . "The Moon has fallen down !" 🐔

 What an extraordinary monster size mushroom/toadstool . Almost the size of a football ! 

I love this time of the year so much . Toadstools will be popping up everywhere , blackberries and apples , the fragrance of falling leaves .

We have had some  quite violent lightening storms here , which I'm not keen on but they didn't come with destructive winds this time .Heavy rain showers and more forecast  for this afternoon .

  Feeling sorry for those who are having to deal with flooding .

Also not keen on the spiders coming in . 

In the shed , my Winter Density Lettuces are doing amazingly well !

Very happy indeedy and will be picking a few leaves from each . Enough for the two of us !

I have sown some more , to keep them coming . Parris Island and er..what ever it says on the Franchi seed packet here .

They are germinating quickly now that it is cooler . I'll put some out side into the veg trug . The ones outside are coming along slowly .  🐌🐌🐌

I jumped to it and dug out the Musa ensete maurelli  - red banana plants . They are now in their polystryene lined corner of the woodshed . There is time for them to get their roots down into the nice fresh compost before going almost dormant for the winter months .

Musa basjoo is the more hardy one , but mine are just babies and so I've brought them in too . I am surprised at the big powerful roots that are coming through the bottom of the pot .....I may re-pot them , depends if I can find some cheapo compost .

Leaking greenhouse update - the Greenhouse builder big boss came round to look at it .

Can see the sky where the top window isn't fitted properly and where the rain is coming in the whole length of the window .

I can't move my cactus collection back in until it is fixed as they really need the greenhouse to be dry .

I will also have to move out all the plants that are in there presently ....all my Epiphyllums and oh my goodness the big dangerous Opuntias ...I'll have to move them out again . Sigh and we are going into the more serious Autumnal weather period now . 🌵🌵🌵

He said he'd give me plenty of warning.  "You give me time , I'll give you time " he said .

 He says that they are going to replace to whole of one side of the greenhouse roof together with the window . We just have to wait for one of his men to return from his holiday .

So I am really relieved about that . At least I know it's going to be sorted .

                        ...and ....I am in love with Autumn 🍁🍃🍂🧡

The Swallows have gone 🍁🍃🍂

 

     Good morning to you all ! Another heavy dew on the meadow . I have wet toes ! I am still wearing my summer sandals . Need a new pair of wellies .

The "African Key Hole Bed "  -   in which I mainly grow our Butternut Squash , but in which I also planted about twelve Sweetcorn , peas , courgettes and all my left over leeks .

The Sweetcorn was wonderful . My husband was so happy and a sight to see him munching into his cob with melted butter oozing down his chin ! 

But they were giants ! I think they took all the goodness out of the earth and the Butternuts this year are tiny . I have picked apples bigger than this sorry lot !

The Leeks too are looking really good....better than the ones in the main vegetable garden , with a nicer flavour and more reliable for me than onions .

Look at those pathetic Butternuts !  I am so disappointed  😞....sigh ... 

If you are growing Squash , they still have until the end of October to get bigger . Mine will not get any bigger because the main plants have withered .

We will still use them though .

With the cost of living crisis , I just tried my best to grow as much as I could and crammed in too much.

A lesson learned and we shall do it better next year .

                   The last courgette !  Courgette "Green Bush" did well  this year . 

      Time for me to climb in and clear out this bed .

So the weather - it's forecast to get warmer again for a couple of days and this photo shows what happens here when they say this . 

It is very beautiful though and we enjoy our walks along the cliffs .

But the sun has just come out as I write . I can see blue sky again . . . the Swallows have gone .

                                                             ☁️🌤️☁️    

Meanwhile in the Greenhouse - Velthemia bracteata

 

                                                         Oh ! No !

🌿 Shallow bowl planter - Alpines 🌿

 

I love my shallow bowl planter pot . It really does give me so much joy .

A bowl of little sweeties ! 

 I'm not sure if my plants are all actual Alpine plants , but they are all small and very well behaved .

Placed as they are up on an old sundial pedestal , I don't have to bend down very far to look at them . 

Sempervivums , Artemisia  treasured stones and sea shells .

Saxifraga and Irish Moss 

                 

   ........which has the most delicate teeny tiny fairy flowers .

Gentiana "Kingfisher " I can't wait to see this in flower again .

                 .................and lots of Sempervivums of many pretty colours .

Not forgetting that little Rose cutting ! I will take this out and re-pot it probably next month . It has two rosie red new shoots coming on it , so I know it has taken root .

I need to find something else to slip in there . I wonder if there is anything flowering right now . 

 That would be nice and another handful of horticultural grit .

              Any ideas ?     It has to be small 🌸🪻🌹🌻

                                    🌿 🌤️🌿

🌿Made a start !🌿

 

 I took all the bamboo canes down . The Hazel poles at each end have been up and held strong for two years and will now be broken up for kindling .

 I'll cut fresh hazel rods for next year . 

I have bundled them up 10 for the main Runner-bean frame and other bundles for teepees .

Tied up with the same shoe laces that I used to tie them onto the bean frame....in a simple bow..easy to pull undone and use again . 

These bundles make it easier for me to pull out again next year .

 These bundles will be hung up from ceiling of the shed .

Stopped for lunch . Came in with a last bundle of French beans and a few apples for Apple Cake .

This afternoon , I will carry on taking down the French bean X-Frame  . It is nice to be doing this job in the warm sunshine .

 If I left it another week or two , it could be a miserable job in the wind and the rain !

                                                       🌿☀️🌿