A Bumper Harvest of Kale

 Today I very carefully ,with my poorly back , swept the leaves as best as I could from the gravel bed .

Wheeled them up to my vegetable garden . Pulled back the netting to get a better look at my Kale .

It's looking very good . I grew three varieties of Kale this year . Vates Blue , Rossignol Kale and Cavolo Nero Kale . 

They've all done very well and I picked a good bowl full .

They could stand through the Winter months , but I decided to harvest and freeze them away now .

I tipped the leaves over the now empty vegetable bed and covered it all over with some cardboard that I'd been saving .

There's a couple of Sprouts in there too . I doubt they'll amount to anything much , but I left them in , just in case . 

I made sure it is all weighted down . We have some severe weather warnings issued for next week . 

More wind and rain . 

   Kale - not my most favourite vegetable , but very good for us . Nice with a blob of butter !

                                                    🌧️🌧️🌧️    

November Daffodils - Gyllyngvase Beach

 We stopped off to take a closer look at the Daffodils in Queen Mary's Gardens , Falmouth .

Through the gate and you're on Gyllyngvase beach ! .........

 Gyllyngvase -which translated means William's Grave  , named after  William the Conqueror's grandson and heir to the throne ,William Adelin's body is said to have been recovered , brought to and buried here , after his ship The White Ship struck a submerged rock and sank . 

It is said that 300 other passengers also lost their lives in the disaster in 1120 .

It is very strange because the ship is said to have actually gone down in the English Channel  not far from Barfleur Normandy .... a very long way from here .

Why would he have been buried here ? 

No idea how this tale came to be ?   Anyone know ? Feel free to let me know in the comments below .

The Gunneras have all died back during the cold snap last week .

I did a bit more embroidery . 🌿

It drizzled all day 🌧️

The Last of the Tomatoes

 One last handful of cherry tomatoes , from the plants my husband grew in the woodshed !

                        Doing a little more of my medieval embroidery .

From the Luttrell Psalter

           British Library add MS 42130

        (medieval manuscript , 1325-1340)f151v

                                               🌿 🦉 🌿

The Sun Returned ☀️

 

After a slightly frosty morning , the sun came out again . 

We went for our morning walk over at Kynance .

It was just such a beautiful morning !

After the gloomy day we had yesterday . 

                                        Pasties for lunch !

A little more stitching .  

This is a detail from the Luttrell Psalter . ( which I love )  British Library add MS 42130 (medieval manuscript , 1325-1340)f151v

     Nope still not doing any gardening .....oh... I did sow my sweet peas though ! 

                                                         🌿🕊️🌿  

❄️Bitterly Cold Morning ❄️

A bitterly cold morning . 

I sat in the car with my embroidery , warm blanket and hot water bottle . While my husband had his hospital appointment .

It was a very long wait and I wished I'd brought a flask of  coffee .

Pretty much most of the country is having cold and snowy weather .

No snow here yet , just heavy showers of hail ! 

No gardening today .  

                                                    ❄️❄️❄️  

❄️Did you get snow ?❄️

 We didn't get any snow . Just heavy squally rain showers with graupel ....which is not quite hail and not quite snow .

In case you were wondering , I did remember to get this Aeonium into the porch .

It looks like it is wanting to open it's buds very soon .  They have a slight yellowish tinge to them .

                Brrr..it is very cold...we have lit the fire . Hot water bottles and thermal undies !

 ❄️ So ...did you get snow ?  ❄️ Did you get enough to make a snowman ?  ☃️

                                              ❄️❄️❄️

Greenhouse all ready for a cold night ❄️

 

Cold Weather on the Way

 

                      Did you wrap your outside tap ?  I've double wrapped mine .

     Bring in a bit more firewood ?  I bring in a couple of logs every time I go past the woodshed .

      Have you got the hot water bottles out ?  Wrap up warm everyone , hats and gloves !

                                     Cold weather is on the way !

Cold Weather On The Way - Greenhouse Winter Preparations ❄️

 

The weather is turning . The clouds are coming from the East this evening and it's beginning to feel a lot cooler than of late . 

 So I hobbled up to the greenhouse to get some insulation up .
 It's not the most attractive looking , but I fix up windscreen shields along the East side . I slide them in between that white trellis and the window .

 I stand the most tender plants on polystyrene sheets  and some extra bits at the window to block out any draughts .

The windscreen shields are cheap to buy . Sheets of newspaper ready to throw over the plants in the evening .

Newspapers and fleece at the ready .   I fix up windbreak mesh over the door  and fastened back with cup hooks .

Another windscreen shield across the North facing window . Sorry about the blurry pic !

I always save any polystyrene , it's useful to protect tender plants .

                    Insulation rolled out along the rafters .

The candle lantern and supply of candles , in case we get an Arctic Blast warning .

Not sure about the ferns . I might slide another windscreen shield behind them .

    I think I have remembered everything now . I just hope the greenhouse roof doesn't leak too much .

                While I'm about it , I must not forget the outside tap cover !

                             We don't want burst taps !   

I grow lots of Succulents and Cacti that really need protecting . How do you protect your greenhouse over the Winter ? What do you grow ? 

Living here on the Lizard Peninsula , Cornwall , this is what I do every year .

 If you live further up country , then this may not be enough for your plants .

                       🌿🌿🌿❄️ Any tips ?   Always welcome ! 🌿🌿❄️

Storm Claudia - not too bad here

 A miserable morning . We took a flask and enjoyed our coffee sitting in the car park at Kynance .

The rain briefly eased up , but only long enough for me to hobble a little way ( without the walking frame ! ) and take this photo . Then back to the car .

We might have another try for a walk this afternoon . I think it is forecast to drizzle most of the day though  . 

I know other places up and down the country are getting it far worse than us .

Not a lot going on in the garden . I'm doing a little medieval needlework piece .

It is an 11th century illumination from a Lectionary of different feast days of the year . From L'Abbey de Silos .National Library France . 

 No real reason other than it looks a small manageable piece . Cute fish and I love stitching medieval .

Waiting for buds to open 🌹

 

Aeonium update - It's getting taller .  I am keeping an eye on the weather . Mild ,we've had severe gales yesterday and very heavy rain showers . 

They say temperatures are going to drop next week . I may get someone to lift this pot into the front porch for me . L3 spine injury is very slowly healing and I will have a session of physio next week .

                 The Echium monster is still standing despite the wrath of the gales . 

Shlumbergera cuttings on the landing windowsill are putting out buds for the first time . These were the teeny tiny two segment cuttings that I bought from someone on Ebay last year .

Yesterday evening and there was a weather warning , it was blinking cold and I could hardly keep my hat on in the gale .... amazed at how anyone could go in the sea in weather like this !  

I hobbled about looking for pretty stones  , the sound of the waves on the shore easing my anxiety for a little while . 

              The chosen one  . Nothing special about it really . 

                  It looked pretty while it was wet .

I found one that looked a similar shape to the one I picked up the other day . I don't think they are fossils .  

Longing to get back to Charmouth or the Isle of Wight to find some proper fossils .

We've had some real  amazing finds there !

                                                          🌿🦖🦈🦕🌿