Sunday 13 October 2013

Some Very Good News

Gentle Reader~I have been absent for a while, three weeks, and I am sorry. You must think I have forgotten you.  I have not, but I have been keeping up with bits and bobs over on Facebook, on A Garden In The Shire page, but have neglected my blog ~~ I think the reason is that, as things slow down there is not much to write about.  I have been distracted by family matters, and I am also not wanting to do too much in the way of heavy work until I am certain my back is up to it. Also, my computer is struggling to cope, and I fear it will now be a while before I can replace it. Anyway, this will bring you a little update.

As the blog title suggests, there is some very good news, but I am going to hold that back until the very last moment! Oh! I am such a tease, but there we are! On with other news first~~~

There have been bags and bags of leaves to sweep up!  Oh, my have there been leaves.  These are all swept up into big bin liners, holes poked in the bottom for drainage and left in a corner where in a year or so they will have metamorphosed into beautiful, rich, crumbly leaf mould for the garden.  At the moment though, there is a slight problem.  We have a badger who is tearing the bags apart, presumably in a search for worms.  Not only that, but he, or she, is digging big holes in the lawn!  I shall have to work out what to do, but no harm will come to the badgers, I would rather put up with the holes in the lawn than hurt those lovely creatures.

I have started taking pictures of the sky again, from time to time, especially when something catches my eye, like this big, squiggly shaped cloud ~~


Or, yesterday evening, when after the greyest of grey days the rays of the setting sun set fire to the sky above and we were treated to one of nature's brilliant, bright displays~~


But I also like to see the paler skies too~~


Earlier in the week, I played a little magic trick on my Facebook page with these two photographs~~now you see it, now you don't~~for these were the two views from the bottom of my muddy lane looking out across The Shire~~isn't nature wonderful, perfectly hiding the rocky outcrop in mist, as if erased by some giant hand from above, only to put it back a short while later~~



There have been quite a few sunny days, and surprisingly the butterflies, which have been absent most of the summer, arrived in force.  Here are some lovely Red Admirals sunning themselves, making the most of the last warm days of the year before they hibernate until Spring~~


Here is a close up of this quite beautiful British butterfly~~

 
 The days have been sprinkled with dew, making chains of gossamer beads across the webs that scatter across the garden, and this one is a pretty backdrop to a spray of rose hips.  The Frances E Lester rambler has now set it's seed, and the hips are swelling and ripening well.  I hope the entire bush will soon be covered in such clusters, for that will make a very pretty picture.  Here, for now, is one such cluster~~

Late last year, I discovered, growing in between some paving stones, what looked like a small rose seedling.  Now, I have never seen a rose growing from a seed, but sure enough, earlier this year I found it again, only this time much bigger.  I resolved to move it, for it cannot be left to grow where it is, partly because I do not know how big it would grow, and partly because it is on the path. Before I had the chance to move it I hurt my back and could not bend, so the rose has grown much bigger. 

 
Last week, I managed, with much struggling, to get it out from its comfortable nook and I potted it up in some fresh compost with lots of rooting gel and other root~growth compounds and so far it looks quite happy in its new home.  This is about a week after the transplanting work was done ~~~
 
 
The courgettes have continued to harvest and give up their bounty long after I would have expected this year, and after a late start they have given plenty~~here are the last ones, sizzling in my cast iron griddle pan, in oil.  I later enjoyed them tossed in a delicate sage butter~~
 
 
The big, rosy red hips on the rosa rugosa give a glorious splash of colour, and later in the year they will help to feed the birds too~~ 

 
During the days I have not been clearing and tidying, I took a little walk around the cathedral and wandered into the Secret Garden, the healing garden around the back of the building, half hidden from view, and only known to those that stumble across it, taking the time to turn a corner and look.  There I found this mysterious doorway, half hidden by the planting around the edges and growing across~~
 
 
I love it, the mystery, the magic, the wondering if my grandfather ever stepped through this door during his time as caretaker of the magnificent and ancient building and grounds~~
 
Well, Gentle Reader, I promised some very good news, and here you shall have it!  Do you remember the dreadful state of affairs when my well meaning neighbour cut down my hedge, in particular the Elder trees?  Well, just the other day I found some tiny green shoots, miraculously shooting and regenerating from the stubby remains!  Here they are~~
 


I hope you are as thrilled as I am to see this!  Isn't nature wonderful?  I will monitor their progress carefully now, and make sure no one gets close to them with a machete again!


~~~A Gardener's Work Is Never Done~~~
 

 

9 comments:

  1. I have missed you here! I am not on Facebook,so I look forward to hearing about you and your garden on here. Remember this,any old mundane "doings" are fun to hear about.

    The photos are great! I'd love to see one of the badger...if it cooperates! LOL! The leaves are falling like crazy here,too. We mow over the pile of them and put the shredded leaves on the garden beds. I still have a few more beds to cover,but there are more than enough leaves falling!! LOL!

    I am so happy to see the elder coming back! How wonderful! I hope it fills out better than before. I look forward to seeing more posts as your garden winds down for the year. All I have left in mine is the herbs. I will dry some more and then be done for this year. Take care! Darlene

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    1. I don't know if you will be able to see this, but I hope all is well with you, and I will try to write soonest, my dear, and much missed friend! Deb xoxo

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  2. Oh Deb, I have missed you!... I have not been able to see your blog posts for some reason, even tried to connect with your comment on Susan Branches blog but it would not let me... so I went back in my own blog until I found a comment from you some time ago and tracked you here, to your new blog!... so happy I found you!... signing on to follow this one... I love your gorgeous British Butterfly!... hope all is well with you, much love, xoxo Julie Marie

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    1. When I clicked on something on Google, I did something that caused lots of problems and I'm only just now starting to get back on top of them! I'm delighted you have found me, Julie Marie, for I have missed all your lovely, gentle posts. Hoping your post here will show me the path back to your blog! Thank goodness for Susan Branch! I will try to pop over later today, but as the day has dawned with a promise of good gardening and walking weather, it might be tomorrow!
      Deb xoxo

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  3. Hi Deborah, i just found you via susan branch s blog and noticed it said greetings from Wales, I m living in Cardiff, love your blog and being at one with nature. Looking forward to visiting more . Happy saturday,love julie xxx

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    1. Hello Julie from Cardiff! Croeso! Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment. Have you found your way across to my other blog? I hope this link works: http://mycelticheart.blogspot.co.uk/ for if you love nature there is more over there!
      Susan Branch has a wonderful way of bringing people together, and I am eager to get to know more of her followers in the UK!
      Have a great weekend, Debs xo

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    2. Hi Debs, sorry,i missed your reply. I found you via blog hopping from a comment left by yourself on susanbranchs blog as it said from Wales. I love nature and. Will be popping overto your old blog :) happy Tuesday xxx

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    3. As you might have read, I'm struggling with my technology at the moment, but hope to update this blog soon!

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  4. Absolutely lovely and so you! You've got me hooked!

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