Bedding down and gathering the final harvest

Saturday 13th December

Rising late to the sound of high winds blowing from the south.
Our flag..................

......is at full stretch.
I'm going to clear out the plots and bed them down for the winter so I wont be posting every weekend as usual but will be updating from time to time.
I'm saying this because I don't want either of the two people who read this blog to worry about me when I don't put a new post up :-)

I ask Alvin and Wilson if they'd care to accompany me in my gardening efforts.................

........but they politely decline.
Tommy Ticklemouse, Man of Mystery (or Mousetery)...............

.........is always up for a spell outside.
On the way we pass the selected rhubarb patch for 2009........................

.........which I never got prepared.
I pull up the only cauliflower that I have managed to grow...........

and take it in to the kitchen.
Then all the plots get a thorough mulching.

Plots 3 and 4

Plot 5 gets an extra deep cover as I know that there are at least 2 toads wintering it out in there. I must be careful next season when I come to dig it over.

Plot 6 has been the home of my most successful tomato crop yet but next year I will be growing something different in here. What that will be is yet to be decided on.

I've left the Brussel Sprouts growing in Plot 2.................

......but I doubt that anything will come of them as they were severly attacked by catapillers and grasshoppers from the start.

The onions in Plot 1.........................

.......should hopefully survive the winter.

The garlic may be another matter but it's all a learning curve.

Temperatures are due to fall dramatically on Sunday and Monday, highs of 20F (-6C) are being mentioned. Not good for the happy gardener but all I can do is make sure that the few remaining plants I have are protected to the best of my ability.

Late afternoon skies of beauty and wonder.

Time to go indoors and decide what to do................

..............................with my poor lonesome Cauliflower.
If anyone out there has any recipes.................................

Thanksgiving weekend

Sunday 30th November


Thanksgiving brought a welcome long weekend break.
On Thursday we had our meal of ..........


Roast Lamb......................

Roast Potatoes and........................

Yorkshire Puddings, along with Cabbage and lashings of gravy.

This was followed by dozing on the sofa.

The garden is quiet......................

This tree is, as usual, one of the last to lose it's leaves.

It's pretty cold, the temperature never getting higher than the low 40's during the day and below freezing at night. I disconnect the hosepipes for the winter.

A brisk walk around shows that even the dense weeds in the copse..............

.....are rapidly dying back, and the 'mums................

....are done for this year.

I checked the veggie plots and cover up everything thats left growning.

Tommy Ticklemouse...............

.......keeps watch as I work.

The skyline has signs of impending bad weather.....

I have the feeling that snow is coming. Not many birds flying around unless.....................

.....you count this type.

Sure enough not long after I enter the house...............................

....the first light flakes begin to fall. Time to get ...........

....some of this in.

And enjoy!!

Tidying up

Sunday 23rd November

Rising at 8-30am.
A pleasant sunny start with temperatures in the mid 40's.
Today will be a day of tidying up with general house chores to be faced and completed in the run up to the Thanksgiving break.
I am assigned bathroom and window cleaning duties after which I take out the kitchen waste for the compost heap.
Amongst it I notice these...........................

.....sprouting red potatoes. I have nothing to lose so I plant them in Plot 5.
Although we've had some very low nighttime temperatures and heavy frosts..........

...the Garlic in Plot 1 is still standing.
Here's something that's not been standing since last year.................

....a large tree limb, brought down by the last ice storm. It's unsafe, untidy and annoys me.
I call in.............................

.......the heavy gang!!

..........and transform it into something more useful.
Then add it.................

.....to the pile.
On the way back to the house the sky is filled.........................

......with thousands of migrating Starlings or "Shebbies" as we used to call them back in England.
When they land at the bottom of our property the ground becomes a mass of movement.
I've never seen so many on the move before.
As I enter the house I'm greeted by a delightful aroma wafting from the kitchen.
My wife has also been busy. Baking...................

Cranberry and Walnut Bars and writing.......................


......Christmas cards for mailing to friends and family back in England.

Evening skies.
Enough!!

Oh Deer!

Monday 10th November. 6-30am

On the way to work I hit a deer

Damage to me........... zero

Damage to car...........

.....pretty light (pardon the pun)

I had no chance of avoiding the collision, the deer ran straight out in front of the car and stopped.
We met at 50mph.

Damage to deer.........terminal.

Insurance assessor has been and "assessed"

We await further developments.

Not a good start to the week.
Saturday 15th November

Evening skies of beauty and wonder.
Low temperatures are forecast for Saturday night.

Plot 2.................

........and Plot 5 get covered. Hey, I don't want the caterpillars getting cold, do I?
As the evening draws on it becomes pretty chilly. We think..................................

.....that it's cold enough!
A toasty evening by the fire watching telly is decided upon and enjoyed.

Sunday 16th November
Rising at 8-00am

It's a sunny...................

.........but cool morning.
I suspect that temperatures did not fall as low as was feared.

Wilson enjoys a brisk walk around the house then returns to the warmth.
Tommy takes a stroll down to the creek..................

....and returns with this. One very unamused looking Mr Frog
In this case it's "Catch and Release" and froggie is returned safely to his abode.
I uncover the veggies for the day. My Brussels Sprouts...................

........have been mauled.
The Cauliflower..................

..........aren't much better.
At least the Kohlrabi have survived.

So I pull one. This will be added to tonight's dinner of Beef Stew.
Composting.......................

.........continues.
I must point out that no infected plants are placed on the heap.
That would be asking for trouble.