Thpooky October

Pumpkin soup

Spooky Cathedral Close at night

My toady friend trying to get away from my over zealous speedy weeding

The ritual carving of the pumpkin 

In October I mostly:

- was bitten by midges on the head whilst gardening

- started wearing my attractive boiler suit to work

- did lots of charity shopping

- listened to Radio 4, especially like Desert Island Discs and Woman's Hour

- started knitting a scarf

- raked leaves, planted bulbs, cut back shrubs and acquired rock hard biceps

- spotted a cattle egret next to the cows in the field behind the bungalow!

- made curried carrot soup and pumpkin soup

I loved the Helianthus in our front garden

Lots of colour still around

Sunny dog walks,

admiring nature

and trying to find Eddie's ball in the leaves

I made coffee muffins with Esme.  

I even dragged her on a walk!

Frank has been good

and bad!

A new venture for us was a trip to the Bournemouth 'Arts by the Sea Festival'.  

The 'Cockatoo Art Bar' 

- a 1965 Morris ambulance with a revolving birdcage on top for spontaneous shows

A solar powered cinema!

The 'Umbrella Tree'.  A moving installation set to slightly eerie music.

'Kitsch & Sync' were a quirky dance, theatre and performance company

They were hilarious

A member of the audience got roped in to the show!

This installation was made out of drinking straws

and the 8 metre long 'Message in a bottle' by Lulu Quinn was made from recycled bottles that had been washed up on the beach

After having a dance to one of the live bands and a go on the fruit machines we strolled down to the beach to watch the sun set

Such fun!

Lots of people were admiring the extra gorgeous sunset caused by sand from the Sahara in the atmosphere 

Bit overcast but still love the view of Gold Hill in Shaftesbury

where we had great fun with our friend Basil snurging around the charity shops

Ooh, sun has come out!

This was a charity shop haul from Wilton - I adore my new tartan waistcoat and don't care if it makes me look like someone from 'Monarch of the Glen'

We have had the usual autumn fog - Eddie?

But on the whole it was very mild

I'm off in to the sunset for a blog break now to knit my scarf, read my many books, light the fire and batten down the hatches for winter.......

Ta ra for now!

'Soon there will be three souls in the house: himself, his dog, his hawk.  The thought thrills him.  He loves this house.  He calls it his workman's cottage, his badger's sett, his refuge.  Outside, light and leaf shadows move on the high grey gables.....'

                                                                                  - 'H is for Hawk' by Helen Macdonald

June - burstin out all over

Last month I was mostly tired, bitten by red ants and sweaty.... nice.

Gazania in the garden

Spotted an unusual library whilst drinking coffee in a lay-by

Home grown strawberries - Eddie's favourite

Thinking of making lettuce soup - not really

In June I saw:-

- a grey poplar on the farm covered in honey bees.  The leaves had a fungus on them which I later found the bees are attracted to.

- a muntjac deer on a drive home.

- a sparrowhawk on a dog walk.

- a great spotted woodpecker on our fence.

- a couple of dead moles at the bar of my local pub - don't ask.  They weren't drinking.

- a surprise fly past by the Red Arrows over my parents' garden on Father's Day!

- Eddie drink some of my home brew.  He is still alive.

- a play in a (very hot) caravan.  The audience numbered 8.

- Sarah fall down a hole outside the Cathedral (and this was before going to the pub).

- bats, toads, moths and snails whilst sitting in the garden at 11pm with a glass of squash - ha ha.

- an empty tap when we had no water on the hottest day of the year. 

- my Spanish hat float off down the river after a gust of wind took it off my bouffont of a hair do (hate humidity).

- and best of all - the European Space Station!  Yahoo!  All the times I have looked out for it and just when I stop looking there it goes.

June has been full of surprises.

This bearded iris appeared out of nowhere.  It looked a bit weird sticking up out of a pot but I didn't have the heart to pull it out.

Sarah's Mum Beryl having a proud moment with her prize dahlia

Esme turned 18.  Baby chick is now peeping over the edge of the nest, whilst I.....

try not to have too many of these.

It has been so hot trying to do gardening for customers.  When it is 32 degrees in the shade and you are sat in a car with a petrol mower, hair like Leo Sayer, no make up, sweaty and covered in dirt it is not funny.  Some days we have had to finish early but I try to make the most of it by cooking instead. What a wally.

I made celeriac remoulade for the first time.  It reminds me of France, sigh.....

Can't beat rock buns.

or chocolate chip cookies.

There is so much to discover at this time of year.  What on earth do I do in the winter?

A frog in a customer's pond

I found this whilst weeding a customer's border

and this in our greenhouse.  Agh!  It was huge.  Not good with flappy things.  Sarah had to go over the road and borrow a neighbour's fishing net to catch it.

Here is our woodpecker.  Pic taken from bedroom window but you can see what it is can't you?

I spent a lovely morning mooching around Wilton and the charity shops - me time.

St Mary & St Nicholas, Wilton.  I love this church so much.  

With that sky you could think you are in Italy(ish).

Charity shopping.

I bought this green jug for £2.

We have had some lovely flowers in the garden.  No long shots though - too many weeds.

Pick and mix from the garden

Astrantia near the log store

Gorgeous smelling peonies in the front garden

Poppy

Another peony

But these South African gazanias really float my boat

See what I mean

We visited Longford Castle for the first time for an open afternoon in aid of the Horatio's Garden charity. 

The Elizabethan house is stunning - so wanted to go inside.

The gardens weren't too bad either!

Sarah blending in with the purple border

The produce is coming on.

Radishes

Strawberries under the anti bird (and dog) netting

Trying lollo rosso this year

The cows have enjoyed eating the red hot pokers

and staring at me as I try and read my book at the end of the garden

I love being able to go for a dog walk later in the evening,

see blue sky rather than the usual grey blanket we live under.

But I don't like being woken at 5am every morning by the cows!  Grrrr....

We loved the few gardens we saw at Seend Open Gardens.  It was such a shame that it was too hot to see all of them.

The Manor House was beautiful

Eddie came with us but it was too hot for him too.

Eddie having a cool evening walk

Frank doing what he does best

Even the Cathedral was hot inside when we sang in a concert there.  That must be a first.  Usually you need your fur coat on, even in the summer.

 

Sculpture in the Cathedral close

Walking Woman (bronze) by Lynn Chadwick 1914 - 2003

I'd like to see the bunch of keys for the Cathedral!

The Walking Madonna by Elizabeth Frink

The countryside looks more August than July at the moment because of the hot weather.  Will Autumn come early?

Looks like an Angie Lewin linocut

Eddie and I want to hold on to these longer days as long as possible

But the baling has started already

I shall try and live in the moment like Eddie

Off for an ice cream and sit down with my feet up.