Ya Lyin' Toad!

Last night I lost The Fluffster (our woolly dog, for those not in the know...) for two whole hours after dark. Hoover (other dog) and I were beside ourselves the whole time, racing between the front and back doors checking to see whether he was back, listening outside in the dark, having a fit every time a vehicle drove past...

...you get the picture?


10.10pm we hear the Hub driving in, and cheerful barking, so we rush out:

The Fluffster is sitting on the step welcoming home his lord and master...

...who turns to me and asks:

'Why did you shut him out, poor thing?'

GRRRRRRR........................


I reckon the dog was down at the barn, visiting, heard the car go past and raced home across the fields so the Hub wouldn't know he'd been gone...not the first time, probably not the last, that'll larn me to worry!

Sharpen Yer Hockey Sticks!!

So there I was on Sunday afternoon, spending a nice quiet time with my blogamigos, when I hear a loud mooing.

It gets louder, and louder...and louder...until next thing a big hairy head looks in the window at me!

Hells bells and buckets o' blood! Did I spend all summer working on my garden, and all autumn nurturing winter veg seedlings to have the whole bloomin' lot munchagobbled up in ten minutes flat- roots and all- by a bothersome bunch o' bovines?

Did I heck!

I don't keep a hockey stick in the front hall for nothing you know, and its not just hockey balls I hit with them either!

I tell you Queen Maeve and Granouille had nothing on the virago who belted out to protect her precious garden! Them cows never stood a whisker of a chance! I may have been the strongest hockey player with the worst aim in the history of the Grammar but the players in Connaught knew to run when they saw me coming...cows included!

Whew!

I hope those cows don't know that motto about 'he who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day' because I'll be waiting! I'm tellin' ya!

And then there was....Gaudi...

Gaudi...you remember Gaudi? He of the fancy architecture in Barcelona, broken tiles stuck on stuff, colour, design and all that inspiring jazz?

I got a book out of the Library on 'The Complete Works of Gaudi' and set it on the dining table ready for a spare moment's reading.

Along comes the Hub, glances at it and remarks- 'Gaudi! Another bloomin' quilter I suppose...'

Huh?

Last Hurrah?

Remember I said that Lord Muck had fetched in some Farmer's Gold? Well my grateful rose decided to flower again before the winter- isn't she lovely?
Actually there is a huge earwig hiding in the top right of the flower but he was too shy to have his photo taken!
And then this carnation, which has sulked for years decided to follow suit! Its just so pretty and has a lovely scent too. Actually it was grown from a cutting off some flowers the Hub gave me several years ago on our wedding anniversary!

Have any of you come across this new magazine? I found it in Eason's this week and thought I'd give it a look. With the currency exchange rate its expensive but I thought the teachers at school might get some craft projects out of it too.
Here's a funny for yous: Many years ago I started a game with the girls on our long car journeys in East Africa- someone provided a quote and everyone had to guess where it was from. Everything was allowed, books, films, memorable and silly things people said, plays, songs, Bible, and any language too, as Kiswahili and English were interchangeable at that time.

Well it is still played by us, and sometimes I play it with my Music classes too as I find it is good to make them think and amuse them. THIS Wednesday when I walked into 6th Class they had two quotes ready for ME!

'Salutations!' and 'Live Long and Prosper!'

I was well amused, and they were delighted with themselves!

It always entertains me how children find themselves so endlessly amusing!!

So, do you recognise their quotes?

Last Few Preparations for Winter

I saw this sign at a Garden Center! The Hub has been going round after Marey Horse in the field next door and shoveling muck for my veg and rose...so should I call him Lord Muck?

The old kennel is being slowly filled with firewood as we have the time and inclination to collect windfall and chop pallets:

The Hub is by way of installing a water butt for my vegebubbles- at present the lid is the old Company sign from his workplace, held down by a rosemary pot and some carnations!

Re-cycling and ingenuity howarya!! And the tank isn't exactly new either...yup! been skip-trawling...again!!

One last thing to do: scrape down and re-paint my orchestral froggie by the front door- isn't he fun? I collect things with a double bass so buying this was a temptation I didn't even try to resist- but, surviving several years in our salt- windy climate is taking its toll, poor thing...
I think there is one more batch of blackberries to pick along our lane, and I can use the windfall apples to make jam, some sloes to pick but I need to find a recipe to know how to preserve them, and Do Your Worst, Ye Gales!

Neglect...very sorry

I have sore neglected yez this month past, and back across the summer too. I'm sorry- it was not intentional. The summer was difficult with comings, goings, and health problems between several of us. And this month continues to be difficult as my on-going battle with Bipolar and Depression has got quite out of hand, even the Professionals are having trouble regulating it now. The medication does all sorts of odd things to me, as if I wasn't already odd enough!!

Anyhow, apart from that, I've managed to achieve a certain amount of Autumn work:

I discovered a group of neglected lavender bushes at the Hub's workplace so I very kindly (in my opinion!) pruned them all...and removed the prunings for my own use!

This is my own single plant, but I'm going to try growing more from seed to see how it goes. Lavender is one of those cure-alls which I just can not be without. And the hearts' ease? It turned up in the veg patch so I transplanted it!!
The end of the season for my French Beans- can you see how wind -burned they are? We have had early gales this Autumn and I am so not looking forward to this winter. I have to say that the crop was only moderate this year.

Tomorrow I will dig over this section of the Veg bed and plant out some of the Perpetual Spinach from the cold frame, which is coming along very healthily.

And this is a stunningly exciting photo, I know, can you contain yourselves?? Actually this week I planted 75 onion sets, and about 25 garlic sets in here and am now anxiously waiting for them to proclaim their willingness to arise and multiply!

There is one patch left in the middle where I am going to plant winter turnip seed this week.

The Swiss Chard continues to be cut for dinner and grow back again- it really is amazing stuff and I know from experience that even frost and snow don't keep it down.

I would recommend it for ready winter greens, and spring, summer and autumn too! Its good raw in salad, and its good wilted or cooked and whizzed in hot dishes, even the stalks aren't tough.

And here's my bursting cold frame- still minus its door! I'll tell you about that another time. Spinach, broad beans, black kale, purslane, hollyhocks and calendula. And a late crop of radishes with a bit of luck...
So, I have kept occupied, and with any luck we won't go hungry this winter, even if we are cut off by snow for three weeks like we were last year: THAT was a hard-learned lesson!

You Know That...

Summer is nearly over when...

...you begin to collect and break up old pallets for the woodpile...
...you need to rust-proof the trailer before another winter's use...

...the raspberries are finished, the Summer veg becoming sparse, and the second bed is being prepared for sowing winter veg...

...the salad bed is full to bursting and you just can't eat enough to keep it in check!

...the montbretia are flowering...

(And how did that one get into the salad bed anyhow, I'd like to know? Cheeky!)

Then there's the return to School, naming new uniform, turning up school skirts, finding mouldy PE kit from last term...

Ah well!

We've had some beautiful weather this year, better than we have had in many years, so I'm not complaining really. Its just a little melancholy to smell Autumn on the wind and see the leaves beginning to turn...