29th Oct 2006
Nice to know that the clouds still can part and smile sunbeams through the autumn. Sunlight on exposed skin is the most exquisite feeling. It’s been a beautiful day with clear views across the Ribble valley into the Lakes. If you have never seen the wonders of the north of England think of hobbit simplicity and imagine the Shire. We don’t have all these counties in the UK ending in shire for nothing…Tolkein was clever. The clocks went back one hour last night and that has made the whole day deliciously elastic and stretched. I feel a little jet lagged now at its close. So enjoy the picture took a little while ago of the ladder against the willow tree. This willow by the way is 20 years old and was the first tree I ever planted.
25th Oct 2006
Sunny spells and wind turns to showers and the chill in the air grows ever more prominent. It’s actually quite mild all things considered but we Brits do like to rabbit (talk) on about the weather. Daylight decreases ever onward and as the autumnal equinox has passed we are into more night than day again. I miss the bright nights and the joy of alfresco living. 20 years ago in this part of the country you could count on one hand the number of times I could come home from work and sit out with a glass of wine and something suitably Mediterranean to eat. This year I lost count and probably easier to count the times I couldn’t enjoy the outdoors. Life in summer is sweet…sweet as the ripest peach. When I am old and grey (not too far away) my recollections for the most part will revolve around the summers I have lived through. For me spring leading to summer is the nearest we get to a glimpse of heaven. For these seasons inspire growth and well being. Winter beckons now and although there are joys in the season they are the greater because we know that summer will come again. Here is a picture of summer in the garden.
Sunny spells and wind turns to showers and the chill in the air grows ever more prominent. It’s actually quite mild all things considered but we Brits do like to rabbit (talk) on about the weather. Daylight decreases ever onward and as the autumnal equinox has passed we are into more night than day again. I miss the bright nights and the joy of alfresco living. 20 years ago in this part of the country you could count on one hand the number of times I could come home from work and sit out with a glass of wine and something suitably Mediterranean to eat. This year I lost count and probably easier to count the times I couldn’t enjoy the outdoors. Life in summer is sweet…sweet as the ripest peach. When I am old and grey (not too far away) my recollections for the most part will revolve around the summers I have lived through. For me spring leading to summer is the nearest we get to a glimpse of heaven. For these seasons inspire growth and well being. Winter beckons now and although there are joys in the season they are the greater because we know that summer will come again. Here is a picture of summer in the garden.
20th Oct 2006
Just come back from the garden. It’s a typical autumn day with light rain and grey skies and the damp seems to permeate everywhere. But it was nice to spend a soggy hour looking around and even weeded my little winter cabbage plot. There has been a bumper crop of fungi this year. Although I am quite sure that none of it is the edible kind sadly. Ask to why there is so much? Maybe the weather, but I like to think it is due to the trees and all the extra leaf-mould that is created as the leaves drop. Or because we leave wood to decay naturally on the ground as it would in the wild. Whatever the reason I take it as a good sign that the garden ecosystem is in good shape. The leaves have dropped their leaves much later this year and even though we are approaching November many are still green. The first frost will arrive soon so I need to get some of the plants wrapped up safe and warm. I neglected to do that last year and though there were no casualties it did impede the spring growth a little. I have already brought the banana plant in to the house. It is becoming quite imposing but we can live with that. Hey think of the old days when the cattle came into the living space and a banana plant doesn’t seem so bad.
Just come back from the garden. It’s a typical autumn day with light rain and grey skies and the damp seems to permeate everywhere. But it was nice to spend a soggy hour looking around and even weeded my little winter cabbage plot. There has been a bumper crop of fungi this year. Although I am quite sure that none of it is the edible kind sadly. Ask to why there is so much? Maybe the weather, but I like to think it is due to the trees and all the extra leaf-mould that is created as the leaves drop. Or because we leave wood to decay naturally on the ground as it would in the wild. Whatever the reason I take it as a good sign that the garden ecosystem is in good shape. The leaves have dropped their leaves much later this year and even though we are approaching November many are still green. The first frost will arrive soon so I need to get some of the plants wrapped up safe and warm. I neglected to do that last year and though there were no casualties it did impede the spring growth a little. I have already brought the banana plant in to the house. It is becoming quite imposing but we can live with that. Hey think of the old days when the cattle came into the living space and a banana plant doesn’t seem so bad.
