If only dogs could climb trees!

This is Cassie on guard duty, she has taken to sitting here for several hours a day. So what is she guarding, the answer is the tree or more accurately the Walnuts. It is actually a two part exercise, part one is to try and deter the squirrels, of course squirrels being squirrels they work 30 feet up and take no notice of her. The second part of her duties come when a nut falls, that is rapidly collected, taken into the living room and broken open, the nut is eaten and the fragments of shell left all over the floor, (not good if you step on them in bare feet). What she doesn't realise is that the season hasn't really started yet, in a week or two there will be more walnuts on the floor than she can imagine, it will be fun to see how she manages and more importantly if she lets me eat any!

Autumn

I am always amazed at how fast things change in the fields around here. A couple of weeks ago this field was covered in wheat, now it is all prepared ready for next year.

Last winter was pretty hard and one of the benefits of that usually means bumper crops of hedgerow fruit. The blackberries this year are fantastic and I have been enjoying blackberry and apple crumbles and will be making some jam in the next week.

The haws are doing really well too, which is good news for the birds, the Fieldfare and Redwings will be arriving in the next few weeks and will take full advantage of them.

I am hoping to get back to work in the garden in the next week or so. I want to get the veg patch and herb garden dug over as soon as possible. The problem is finding the time, at the moment I am feeling really trapped by work, you would think that being a homeworker would make it easy to down tools and get outside, in fact the opposite is true. over the last few weeks I have been on conference calls 4-5 hours a day. Much of the time I come away from them feeling totally drained, stressed and trying to catch up with the rest of my work, by the time I finish I am far to tired to do any digging.

Dawn Walk.

I took the dogs out for a walk just after sunrise this morning. The light at this time of year is just amazing for a photographer. I think it is summed up beautifully summed up by the poet John Clare in the opening lines of his poem Rural Morning.

Rural Morning by John Clare

Soon as the twilight through the distant mist
In silver hemmings skirts the purple east,
Ere yet the sun unveils his smiles to view
And dries the morning's chilly robes of dew,

John Clare was a native of this part of the world and also shared my birthday 13th July.

I love walking the fields around here early in the morning, it clears your mind for the day ahead.

A misty morning walk

This morning was the first really misty morning of the autumn. It was really magical walking the fields with the dogs at about 6:30. There is no one around at that time so I can enjoy the walk without worrying about running into other dogs.



At this time of year everything seems to be covered by spider silk, as autumn approaches the young spiders spin long threads into the air which act as parachutes catching the air currents and carrying them aloft and spreading them over great distances. The result is these threads get caught on the vegetation and look fantastic when covered in dew.


The Sloes or the fruit of the Blackthorns are looking really good this year. I will be harvesting some in the next few days to make this years Sloe Gin.

As I return home for breakfast the mist has begun to clear as the sun burns it off, today should be a lovely autumn day.