Leafy

A random selection of fallen leaves, early autumn, now there are far more. Hedgehogs might be using them for nests, squirrels have places to hide walnuts, and the daffodil bulbs they have dug up!

It’s been very cold for the last couple of days, bright sunlight today with wispy fog in the morning. The frost has come, and in the north of Scotland it’s been snowing. A milder spell is forecast for next week. I’m a typical Brit, obsessed with weather and the seasons.

I jump!

A loud noise by our gate made me jump as I sat in the living room. For a moment I thought someone had jumped over it. I told hubby and he went out into the garden to check. He walked past the window spade in hand, ready to repel intruders. But I reran the image in my head, what I’d heard and seen, I think, was someone opening one of our wheelie bins in front of the gate, to throw rubbish in it.

I hate this nervy, hypervigilant me. I just want to be quiet and calm. I don’t need my blood pressure going sky high! And I don’t want hubby putting himself at risk!

Mushrooms or fungi?

A plethora of fungi in the garden today, not sure what they are, but we have an old tree stump and I think these are growing on its roots? I need to clear away all the empty flowerpots, give them a good wash so we can pot plants on in the spring. We spent a couple of hours planting pyracantha and roses next to the old hedge, hoping they grow up nice and spiky.

Camera view

Garden

Leaves falling sets the camera off, cats walking past, our reflections in the window. But I don’t care. We can check if someone’s out there. I’m fed up of feeling like a security guard. If I had a camera when our sheds were broken into we might have put them off, or they might have been caught. Now I can check my phone when I get an alert. Just got to figure it out!

Gingko?

Seen on an allotment. This tree with strange leaves. They were changing colour and may be gone next week as we are having a cold, wet and windy spell, it may even be frosty in the morning. I think it might be a Gingko?

Yes it is! Gingko Bilboa. Apparently the tree that time forgot according to Mr Google. Now I know I might order one from t’internet as my Yorkshire friend says.

Gap

The gap is, there like a broken tooth. Whoever got in the garden broke down the old fence and broke down branches. I’m fed up because a builder cut our hedge severely last year so he could get a digger down our alleyway. Then the local shop said they were going to put a gate across the alley for security but it hasn’t happened yet. I’m trying to get a builder in to put in some fencing, but he hasn’t responded…. Oh well. We hope our efforts work. But we won’t be storing things in the garden again.

Gardening

In what ways does hard work make you feel fulfilled?

Gardening makes me feel fulfilled, it’s not always easy for me to do work on the garden at the moment. But when I’m a little better I shall try and get out and do some pruning. The buddlea need cutting back once the flowers have finished. The other shrubs that are shutting out all the light need to be trimmed. If necessary to cut some of the lower branches of trees so that we can let lots more light in.

It’s heavy work, especially the lopping of branches, they are tangled and twisted in and out of the garden, overgrowing the fences. Our neighbours are a bit annoyed with us, but we can’t afford a full renovation and anyway the garden is natural, with frogs and squirrels and possibly hedgehogs.

I’m pleased we have such growth, it’s fun to think we have grown such a lot over the years.

White and red

At Biddulph Grange garden last year. I’m not sure what the stone signifies, but the frothy white blossom flowers of the bush contrast with the larger strong red colour of the flowers below it. I love the combination of colours together with the green of the grass and hedging. I love coming across views like this and my phone is crammed with images that I have taken over the years.

Slow thunder

Hard to see, but the rain is falling in our yard after several days of scorching heat that despite watering have dried out our hanging baskets.

Thunder is constantly rumbling south of us. I’ve checked blitzortung.org and you can see a large concentration of lightening strikes happening now about two miles away. I tried taking a screenshot of the website but this phone is an awkward beast at times. I’m going to post a video online but not here, I haven’t got enough memory anyway there’s some hail mixed in so it must be cold up in the storm.