Extra

Walking through our wild garden today, I realise that I’m seeing more daddy long legs than butterflies and moths flying up, as the grass is disturbed. Time moves on. I love our long grass patch and all the bugs it attracts. Often encounter frogs, hopping ahead of me to escape my lumbering feet. There’s not just grass in the mix. Plenty of hawk’s eyes, at the moment, offering swathes of yellow among the green.

Time to get ready for the colder months. I’ve been plotting and planning a longer growing season. I love the taste of fresh food. I’m always spoilt over the summer months, and forget to do any winter planting. Not this year. I have beetroots, leeks, cabbages and tasty salad leaves to plant.

Tomatoes and peppers are turning a lovely, rich red in the greenhouse. We’ve been eating the outside tomatoes. They haven’t quite reached the quantity of more than meal portion yet, but when they do, I’m ready to make pasta sauces and ketchup.

Figs are still going strong on our tree, as you can see in the top photo. I shall miss my fig jam, fresh from the tree, each day.

Two apple trees are finished. Mainly the produce eaten as crumbles. One tree failed. I think the lack of rain hit at the wrong time. The last one fools me each year. I think there are no apples and then hidden among the leaves are enough apples to fill baskets and wheelbarrows a plenty.

I’ve noticed the rabbits (yes, the rabbit family is still with us) munching on the apple windfalls. Must have been too much for one small bunny. Hopefully the joy of eating the apples and nothing else. It was jumping and frisking around, as if invisible firecrackers had been set off underneath it, one morning, that only it could hear.

Two pumpkins so far. Maybe more, but I’ll leave these until the first, cold night wilts the leaves, and we’ll see if there are more. I daren’t venture into the middle of the patch to find out. Not after encountering a noisy, but unseen critter, hiding in there, one evening at dusk when I went out to shut up the henhouse. Either frog, hedgehog or demogorgon. I’ll let your imagination take its pick. Mine did.

As for the pumpkins, they are unharmed. I grow the ones that are perfect for pumpkin pie, because I love pumpkin pie. They can still be carved, although I’ll bet my bottom dollar that the children will persuade me to take them to the pumpkin farm as usual, at half term.

Apart from the garden, the week has been busy. I knitted a dishcloth, as I needed another. Best kind to clean surfaces, I find.

I went to the dentist. Managed to arrive early, by accident, of course.

Me (bursting into the dental reception): “Sorry, I’m cutting it fine.”
Receptionist: “No, you’re an hour early.”

Bliss! An extra hour. I spent a lovely hour pottering around the town. I don’t go there often. Managed to tick of a few bits and pieces I had to do.

Anyway, clean bill of dental health. And only two minutes late for my appointment.

Successful day, as I dropped in to see my parents too. Picked up my two old, hockey sticks, so that Youngest can practise at home and I will inevitably get bruised shins from helping him. What’s that saying? No kind deed goes unpunished. Something tells me I’m not going to be quite so quick on my feet since last I played. I’m hoping I haven’t lost the technique.

We’ve finally settled into routine. This year, I’ve organised a set time, after school, for everyone to do homework or extra study. Makes the house quiet for them all, which is hard with the age gap. It encourages them to put the time in. Boundaries were tested, but I think we’ve made it work for everyone. Also set up a system to reward good marks in tests. Sounds draconian, I know, but we needed to up our game.

I’ve organised our Christmas theatre trip. Way ahead for me (see dental trip). We’re going to see the Christmas Carol in Bristol. Just need to make sure I remember the safe place I’ve stored the tickets, when the time arrives.

That was my week. “Extra” seems to sum it up. Hope you’ve all had a good week and have fun plans for the weekend. I’m joining in with Anne’s Word of the Week linky.

Word of the Week linky

9 comments

  1. demogorgan 😆 I think I’d be the same. Also, ditto the dentist appointment, I have a habit of turning up at the wrong time, going off to potter around and then arriving a little late. (Well, I did when I got out and about anyway.) I hope your pumpkins turn out well, I really like pumpkin pie, but I’m the only one in my family that does. I’ve booked a Christmas trip today too, I’m taking my girls to see ‘The Nutcracker’ and managed to get the front Wheelchair box. I’ve sat there before and it’s really good, the girls will love it. Thnks for linking up with #wotw

    1. Difficult not to find myself wandering around the garden at dusk, without the theme tune creeping up on me. I love pumpkin pie. I find when I make individual pumpkin pies, they disappear in a flash. Nutcracker is going to be such a treat and well done for getting the perfect seats for you all.

  2. I love reading about your garden, Cheryl it all sounds so fresh and delicious I hope your crops continue to produce over the winter too. I’ve never attempted pumpkin pie I usually end up making soup instead as you can’t go wrong with that. It sounds like you are being super organised at the moment which is brilliant, I love the Christmas Carol I’ve seen so many versions you will have a great time x

    1. I make pumpkin soup too. Love it. Very popular in this house, which is a good thing seeing as they insist on buying more and I like growing them. I’m looking forward to taking them all to the theatre. We missed going last year.

  3. I think it’s amazing what you grow and get from your garden. It really is fascinating. There is a farm up the road from us that grow and sell pumpkins. We’ll be certainly going to get some x

  4. Cheryl I love how I I can visualise your garden all out ike as scene from Beatrix Potter, it all sounds so magical. I wish I has the patience to grow veg, and I have been trying to get my hands on fresh figs for a couple off weeks but with no success. I love how you have implemented a study time, I think I need to do that as our house is crazy at tea time ! x

  5. Those figs look just beautiful. I love fresh figs, but the season is so short and we can’t get them out of season at all. Fig jam sounds delicious! You will have to get yourself some shin guards! 🙂

  6. Hi Cheryl, I love the sound of your garden! My ideal garden would be all wild and full of bugs and butterflies and bunnies and birds and hedgehogs and frogs and even demogorgons (whatever they are!) too. I’ve not had one single fig this year! I’ve not seen them in the shops and Mum and Dads crop was totally destroyed by the birds this year. I love black figs and I can’t think of any way better to describe a nice fig as jammy… I love the fact you knit your own dishcloths. Now that could be a project that would get me back into crocheting again and practising tension!

    xx

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