Making the best of the dark evenings!

All the hard work splitting, lugging, stacking and seasoning logs is just beginning to pay off. 

November 14th and we lit the log burner for the first time this autumn. This year, we're much later than usual as it's been so unusually mild. Actually the logs we are burning now are the result of summer work in 2014 as we season them for 12 months to ensure they have dried out and burn more efficiently.  

Even though it's been a bad year for chestnuts in the U.K., we found some at the local farm shop yesterday so, no prizes for guessing what we'll be roasting! I'd say that we gardeners are very aware of the changing seasons and, as much as I love the freshness of spring and the long summer evenings, there's absolutely nothing cosier than a log fire, flickering candles, the scent of wood smoke with roasting chestnuts.

 Did I forget to mention a G&T???

Mutinous Moulting Marigold & Rebellious Roosting

A more sensible Marigold.

Who wouldn't want to roost here???

Marigold is moulting and is suddenly rebelling against social roosting and sleeping solo!  Instead of roosting in her elevated penthouse (or should that be henthouse) with the rest of our mini flock, she is roosting alone and out in the open on the roof of their day shelter exposed to the elements.  With many fewer feathers than would be considered ideal for normal November temperatures, we have been sneaking down after dark and putting her up to roost with the others in the House for Hens.  This is met with much ingratitude, squawking and pecking! Now - why in the world would a moulting hen give up the safety, warmth and comfort and decide to start roosting out in the open??

Naturally, in these darker shorter days, egg production is down and with the loss of Henny Penny, we're down to about 1-2 per day.

Stars in the Shade.

The old seat down in the Woodland Border caught my eye with all the brightly coloured Acer leaves. A bit different from the photo above!!  Although the sun was shining, being the Woodland Border, the seat looks a tad forlorn as it's always in the shade.  These colours definitely brighten it up!

Traps of Silk

One of the many lovely things about this time of year is the way that the cobwebs come to life on damp and foggy days.  Miles and miles of silk festooned with mini diamonds - brings a whole new meaning to WWW!

Fields of Fire and Flocks of Feasting Fieldfares

Over the garden hedge, we are so lucky to be surrounded by Rob's cider apple orchards and right now, when the sun shines, they are just on fire! The apple harvest in these orchards has been finished for some few weeks now but, the fieldfares and redwings have begun to arrive and will feast on the remaining fallen fruit. It's lovely to see them and to listen to their twitterings and chatterings!  Very much a member of the thrush family, they also resemble their cousins the redwings who also overwinter here from Scandinavia. Unlike our song thrush, they congregate in large numbers. They are our winter thrushes!

Cyclical Cyclamens.

Gardening is such a cyclical occupation and, as such, we gardeners are ruled by the seasons. Now that the summer greenhouse shades are off and it's all cleaned ready for the dark winter days, how could I resist a little winter colour?  These little Cyclamens are wonderfully perfumed and they sit beneath the upper staging shelves so that, should we enjoy any winter sunlight, the won't suffer too much.  The thing about Cyclamens is not just colourful and fragrant flowers but look at those leaves!!  Out in the garden, the hardy Cyclamen Hederifolium are flowering along the Fernery path but, these little beauties are far from hardy.  I couldn't resist a few violas with their little cross faces and maybe a few Primulas later??? 

Fully Automatic Edible Greenhouse Shading

Automatic greenhouse shading - now you see it...

..now you don't!!

Not to be left out, the greenhouse vine has also dropped all its leaves now.  It's all so very convenient as, the days are becoming shorter and darker and as much light as possible is needed in the greenhouse. Later in spring, it will grow more leaves which can be pruned according to need!  It behaves exactly like automatic shading and is about the most convenient and prettiest way to shade plants from the scorching summer sun.  I know I go on about this idea but, it has been one of my better ideas!! Besides the greenhouse looks so very different at this time of year as the vine goes from its green luxuriance of summer to a stark skeletal appearance in winter.  Oh - should I also mention; we get delicious sweet white grapes too??  That has to be a bonus!