Damage Limitation & Planning for Spring

The poor old pear tree took such a beating in the gales, it was very sad to see a major bough down on the ground and others looking very unsafe. Chris started his chainsaw and got to work.  The brash was dragged down to the bonfire and, on the plus side, (together with a couple of small dead elms,) we ended up with 3 barrowfuls of logs - small consolation!

Despite the failing light, there was time to plant bulbs (late in the year, I know) and wallflowers This job was all done in complete darkness beneath the light of the trellis lanterns.  This raised border is absolutely the perfect border to plant wallflowers as it means they are at nose height at the height of their fragrance.  Clever planning eh!

Fern Frolics!

Now you see him....

...now you don't

After all the unseasonably mild weather, the temperature plummeted and gales raged throughout the night.  The garden looked like a battle scene with leaves, twigs and small branches all over the lawns and a major limb from the the oldest pear tree had crashed down across the Fernery path.  

Safely stowed

Strong and bitterly cold north winds and glacial temperatures made the clear up memorable!!  Our first job was to remove the tree fern from the terrace and settle it safely in the greenhouse for winter.  It's grown so much; getting to the greenhouse wasn't easy - in fact Chris couldn't be seen at all as he towed it along on a sack truck!  Having arrived in the greenhouse, it was a very tight squeeze and next year, I think it will have to come out of its container and be planted in the woodland border.  Yes, I know that would mean lots of winter protection would be needed but I reckon we should be able to manage it.

Man down!

Before & after!

I have to confess to a bit of an oversight!  Having been on light duties for a short while, A couple of weeks ago, Chris was not only left to power wash all the flagstones and clear all the fallen leaves on his own, but was also to take photographs!  Having done all of these jobs, he was rather expecting to see his photos posted on the blog - not unreasonable.  Well, here they are - somewhat belatedly. The flag stones look immaculate and their natural colours really stand out!  More importantly, they are now safe to walk on when wet.  Prior to his miserable wet work, they were lethal. All the algae meant that it was like walking on an ice rink. We actually prefer the appearance of the algae and lichens but err on the side of safety in this case. Chris's photos

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!