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| It's harvest time! Walnuts are dropping and we have quite a few apples this year, so we've already picked a load of them and they are a million times better than the rubbish apples sold in the shops! |
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| Thanks to the rain we had some peaches this year - they are wild and only small with quite tough skin, but I like these tart white fleshed ones. Yet they only stay good for about a week, even in the fridge. |
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| The bare earth is where the potatoes were growing but even that is being rapidly colonised by self seeding flowers - and since I took this photo a few weeks back it is even more colourful. |
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| Coriander lawn emerging, with a Phacelia lawn by the fence! I have weeded out dozens of self seeded Borage. |
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| Again the weather has been kind to my spinach which was about to bolt but cooler damp weather has meant there is absolutely tons of it to harvest. |
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| A Small Heath butterfly on my Sedum - it's rare that I see these butterflies nectaring. |
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| Plenty of butterflies this month with a Brimstone at the top, Red Admiral left and Comma right. |
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| I love the wings on these huge Violet Carpenter Bees (Xylocopa violacea). |
I'm being kind again - here's another Cross Orb Weaver, this time with some dinner. Just click on the link here.
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| Smokebush 'Grace' is flowering again thanks to the rain in August and Sept! |
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| I want to get more Sedums like this 'Autumn Joy' in my thyme bank next year, along with some more Stipa grasses as they are all drought proof. |
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| Out of focus, but does anyone know what this is? It was in a packet of mixed seeds for pollinators, and keeps self seeding. |
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| Greenfinch enjoying the sunflower seeds. |
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| A load of huge fungi seen in a nearby orchard - one was as big as a dinner plate! |
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| A walk we did a while back up high looking down over the Couesnon valley - not sure what is what down there as there's a river, a mill race and a trout pond. |
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| The viewpoint was the shrine at the top and I'm amazed I managed to get up there at all! :-) |
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| To finish, Bertie in some silly and cute poses. |
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| A tummy tickle would be nice..... |
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| .....or maybe I'll just smell the |
Hope everyone in Europe is enjoying the sun!
Gotta Love that Bertie.I am so very happy to see you out and about my sweet friend
ReplyDeleteThanks Virgil, at least there is plenty in my garden to keep me occupied if I can't get out out, if you see what I mean. :-) And the cats always keep me amused!
DeleteI am really enjoying the flush of fresh flowers the rain has brought out too.
ReplyDeleteLovely photos, sometimes you don't need a lot of words. The plant looks like some sort of dead nettle by the flowers and stalks but the leaves are different to how you would expect. Probably way off the mark, but someone is bound to know. Your flowers are lovely
Thanks D-woman - sometimes I can't be bothered with writing anything much anyway! You're right about the flowers looking like dead nettle flowers, but I wouldn't know where to begin googling so I hope someone recognises it. The seed packet didn't say what any of the plants were which is a bit annoying.
DeleteBeautiful photos and blog Mandy. I love seeing your work, your garden and the journey you are on.
ReplyDeleteLove you Brit ♥
April ~
Thank you my Southern Belle (even if you are now a Pacific North-Wester!) :-) xx
DeleteWonderful photos - just adore the picture of the Violet Carpenter Bee :) Your garden looks so very lovely.
ReplyDeleteLove all the sedums - I bought a darker pink one last weekend as all ours have pale pink flowers and they don't seem to attract insects as much as I had hoped.
Not sure about the plant. At first glance it looked a bit like Hedge Woundwort but the flowers aren't right and the leaves are different. Do hope you find out what it is.
Thanks RR! Another reason for wanting more sedums cos normally these bees whizz around too fast and are hard to get photos of, but they seem to stay put on the sedums. The veggie patch is very colourful albeit a mess, but who cares! I have Hedge WW here so it's not that, although the flowers are similar. I guess I'll try googling...... :-) Oh and also my dark pink sedums look brilliant all through the winter, whereas the pale pink ones don't, so I hope your new one will do the same.
DeleteLove the Violet Bee, never seen one before. Yes to more sedums - same here :o) Bertie is looking very happy xx
ReplyDeleteHi CT - hope you get to see one of these bees - seems like they are being spotted around England occasionally (I hadn't realised that they weren't native to Britain as well as mainland Europe). Bertie is always happy and is spoilt rotten. It's a cat's life round here! :-) xx
DeleteHi Mandy I love Walnuts, so envy your horde, and also envy the fact that your spinach is not full of slug holes like mine. Love the Violet Carpenter Bee wings, and Greenfinch, and Bertie picking the perfect camouflage..... clever cat. At Couesnon valley, you mention a Mill race, is that a man made river running parallel to the stream to increase the height of the water for a drop wheel at a Mill? If it is its what we call a Goit in Yorkshire.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ian, I'm enjoying the walnuts already! I'm giving some away to neighbours too as I always pick too many and never get through them all because of having to take the time to shell them.
DeleteAs for the mill race (which is what I've always called them), yes that is exactly what it is. There is a mill here and the side of the rock face was a site for mineral and ore mining up until the 1950s and the mill used to pump water up to the mine workings. Now they have a trout pond where they charge exorbitant fees to come and fish for trout! :-) Goit is a strange word - sounds like something medical (like goiter, haha). :-) And sorry I have such perfect spinach..... :-)
Lovely photos Mandy, as always. :-) I haven't seen a Violet Carpenter Bee before, I must look out for them.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're feeling better.xx
Thanks again, Deb - and happy you are able to get on the net! About time you blogged or have you not been 'jaunting' around Ireland much this summer? :-)
DeleteI'm not sure if this bee is in Ireland as they are only seen in a few places in England, although I think they have started breeding there in recent years. They are huge so you'd know one if you saw one anyway! I've really enjoyed this week and have been feeling brilliant mentally and not too bad physically either! xx
I wish I could blog Mandy, but I've not been able to upload photos with this poxy internet. I have been able to leave four comments since yesterday though, so I could be on a roll! :-)
DeleteI looked up the Violet Carpenter Bee and apparently one was last seen over here in Waterford in 2007! If I see one I'll try and get a photo of it...and blog about it. :-))
Damn... yes forgot, if you can't get on easily to read or comment you aren't going to be able to do your own blog either! What a pain. :-( Hope you get to see one of these bees one day!
DeleteYour garden looks very cheerful for autumn. Such beautiful butterflies you have too ... amazing colours on the bee! I had grand plans for my garden this summer, but most fell by the wayside. I've been admiring flowers in other's gardens that are late blooming in autumn and plan to get sedum and a few others next spring. Love the shots of your little cat :)
ReplyDeleteWendy
Hi and thanks Wendy. I've way too many plans for my garden - would be enough even if I was 100% able bodied! So I'm just working on one small bed for now and having a total revamp - better to do one thing properly than lots half-heartedly I reckon. Some sedums stay looking good all through the winter, although I appreciate they would be covered with snow chez toi! :-)
DeleteThe violet carpenter bee is stunning, lovely photos of everything else too.
ReplyDeleteI don't think we've got many walnuts this year, we are over the week after next and any that have fallen will have been scrumped by the neighbours anyway.
Philippa xx
Hi Philippa and thank you. Yes I bet your walnuts will have gone by the time you get there, but if I remember right you are not too keen on them? I shelled a load the other day so am trying to eat a good handful every day as they are very good for you. I'm waiting for the forecast rain so I can make an apple crumble as I always put chopped walnuts in the crumble mix.
DeleteThe good thing about not having done much cooking this year is that I am thoroughly enjoying it again so plenty to keep me occupied when the weather is not nice, plus it doesn't put strain on my butt area like gardening does! I made a great curried spinach a while back so planning to do more and get some in the freezer. xx
No we aren't that keen on walnuts so it isn't a great loss.
ReplyDeleteHave picked loads of blackberries though and friends who have a smallholding gave us loads of cooking apples so I've made some pies for the freezer.
Glad you are enjoying cooking again, I find it very relaxing and Alan is doing lots of gardening so we are both happy. xx
The pies sound nice! Glad you are happy doing what you are doing. xx
DeleteAwe...that Carpenter Bee is to die for Mandy!
ReplyDeleteThanks JJ - they are so cool and still around at the moment. :-)
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