Perfect Day!

On the most perfect autumn day, there was time to wander around the garden with the camera before getting down to some more serious work this Saturday!  Yes, I know the 'Season of mists & mellow fruitfulness' is almost over quoted but it IS that season with a divine misty start and a perfect light all day.  Because of the heavy morning dews, mowing has to wait until later in the day - an even better excuse for a somewhat slower start to a usually full on day!  Apple harvesting is in full swing in the surrounding orchard and it was nice to stop and have a word with the man of the moment who was busy shaking the apples of each tree ready for collection & lugging to Ledbury for pressing..  The Sedums & Michaelmas Daisies are all at their best and are just covered in tens of thousands of bees and butterflies.

Website/Blog Being Updated!

It's time for a change and the blog is undergoing some updates.  We have new backgrounds and templates and hope to achieve a refreshing new look!  In time I hope to look more in tune with the seasons but, for now, we are beginning with the spring backdrop of a pear blossom shot I took earlier this year.

PTC Garden in the news again.

Cathy Ansty has written a piece about our fund raising this year  Check out the link and note the dates for next year! 

Little country garden attracts visitors with big hearts

Avian Tragedy

Look who flew into the greenhouse door! What a sad thing to find.  Only the top half is glass so how come he didn't realise?

Found outside the greenhouse door - sniff.

Spring 2014

I've now stuck a bird silhouette on the glass half of the door.  Maybe he had been used to going in and out with the door open. As the nights are cooling off again, we've been closing the door last thing and opening it in the mornings.  He was found this morning at the bottom of the door with what we presume to be a boken neck.  Of all the birds for this to happen to - sigh.  The song of the thrush are so long and vary more than any of our other song birds except possibly the Nightingale and they are too rare. This spring, more than ever, we delighted in listening to a thrush singing every morning and evening.  Hopefully, he will be succeeded by other family members.  

Trug of War over Apples!

Chris still trying to separate 2 trugs

Chris trying to separate 2 trugs!

Apple harvest completed!

A sunny Saturday meant time to pick the apples and load them up ready for juicing. We borrowed Yvonne's stupendously amazing ladder!  Am seriously coveting this set of Japanese steps. They were as light as a feather and steady as a rock.  From just the one tree, we picked 3 trugs full and we're now taking bets as to how many bottles of juice will result.  We did have a spot of bother trying to separate 2 of the new trugs!!  Neither of us could do it on our own so it was a trug of war!  Guess who ended up on the grass! Now guess - how many bottles of apple juice??

Separation success!

Rainy Day Garden Pictures

The Herb Garden

The Old Fence Chair

Guess what!  It's rained and rained and rained and I've been playing around with photos taken in the garden. Here's a couple of interesting results.  I rather like the muted/smudgy/washy shades of the Herb Garden and the contrasts of the Old Fence Chair. Here are some more: Rainy Day Pictures

Totally Ruined!

I know I'm a bit late with this post but, on the rainy afternoon of our open garden evening, Chris arrived with these three fab stone columns bound for the Aspen Grove.  He slaved away all alone in the pouring rain determined to have them them upright and perfectly placed in time.  They weighed an absolute ton and as they were so wet, they must have made pretty slippery handling.  Despite all the odds, he placed them all and, as usual, not a footprint to be seen.  Furthermore, they're covered in lichens and look as if they've been there for 100's of years.  Our very own ruin!