November blues, and still those nasturtiums keep on going

My least favourite month of the year is November. It's dark early and usually grey, drizzly and gloomy enough to give me the blues, but I usually think of it and December as a welcome break from working hard in the garden. I tend to feel much happier once January comes around and I know the days are starting to get longer, the dreaded C word has passed and there is lots to look forward to in the early spring garden. I usually feel rejuvenated by then.

I don't know if any of my nature blogging friends are feeling the blues but I've noticed a marked absence of blog posts!

However, there have been a number of days with blue sky (blues - geddit?!) so I have welcomed these opportunities to get outside with my camera. As I'm still suffering the post chemo blues, at least this is one thing which gives me some pleasure. If it wasn't for that (and having to look after animals), I'd probably barely get out of bed.

Lake looking blue, shame about the leaves and stuff floating on the surface!

Here you can see how low the lake level is. The autumn rains have been late coming this year, and the stream has only just started to flow, so in the last few days since taking these photos, the level has gone up by about 18". If we were to get a number of days with very heavy rainfall, then the trickling stream would become more of a raging torrent and the lake could fill in a couple of days, or even in one day as has happened before during the summer! I usually go out and play at diverting the stream channels, just like we used to do on the beach as kids. Little things, eh? :-)

This is all lake bed in the foreground!

Zooming in a bit towards the ducks.

The forecasted two frosts came but the temps weren't lower than 2c, so the nasturtiums and other flowers are still clinging on to life! When the sun shines there are still some honey bees and hoverflies about nectaring. And it's great to see a few butterflies, although it's only Red Admirals and Speckled Woods about now.

Nasturtiums creeping over the lawn and late honey bees still finding nectar.

I was pleased to see some Marmalade Hoverflies (Episyrphus balteatus) still about this week.

Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) seen on 13th November.

Speckled Wood again on an Abelia.

The last few leaves of Smokebush 'Grace', and a few Bidens flowers.

A few days apart - the rose is Zephirine Drouhin although the perfume
is not very apparent now like it was in the spring.

Calendula aka Pot Marigold.

The following photos are in the veg patch which is now a complete jungle. Well it already was, but add to that a smothering carpet of chickweed which grows happily all through winter and is the bane of any gardener's life, due to its swamping nature and tenacious roots which have to be dug out and cannot be pulled.

These photos were taken before the two days of frost, but the flowers are still going strong, albeit rather soggy now after a week of on and off rain and drizzle.

Note the large brassica in the foreground,
that is SELF SEEDED PSB!!! There are five of them although 
I hardly need any more. Anyone else ever had a self seeded one?

Cosmos.

Borage again with a honey bee.

Just a riot of colour.

And more - this is the plot where we grew potatoes!

Below is a mystery plant - yet another that came from a mixed seed packet 'for butterflies'. It's now on about its 5th cycle of self seeded growth this season. The flower stems are about 12" tall and if anyone recognises it, please tell me.

Do you know what this is?

Round the front by the front door is another mini riot of colour - we planted a couple of ivy leaf Geraniums here, but the Black Eyed Susan still self seeds and twines itself around whatever it can grab hold of. I only grew B-E Susan once here! But I spy Borage in the background, and that gets everywhere and only needs to be sown in a garden once ever. Ditto Feverfew, and Bronze Fennel - the list is endless!

I have brought inside all the Geraniums that are in pots now.

Another thing that can't be beaten at this time of year are certain photogenic seedheads and fading flowers. Hydrangeas carry on being wonderful photography subjects all through the winter as their flowers skeletonise. I know I will curse not having dead headed the garlic chives as those seeds mean new plants which will need weeding out, but for now, close up, they are beautiful.

Garlic Chives.

Mophead Hydrangea.

Mophead Hydrangea showing skeletonised petals.

I have a ton more photos to share of trees and leaves, so will try to get them posted soon. Plus autumn moths, and cats. My problem is the typing with this neuropathy as it takes so long - I can't add too much text using my kindle as it doesn't allow me to make captions, for example, so I need to do the vast majority on my desktop. 

There are definitely weird errors going on with Blogger as the html code is screwed up, the white margins outside my photos are odd shapes, and I've lost 4 followers overnight! Now that can't possibly be a coincidence. I also know from experience that once you follow a blog via google friend connect you cannot unfollow and get your avatar taken off their list.

Anyone else noticed any problems?