AUTUMN?

The conversation with myself goes something like this -

"There is something missing in the garden."

"What?"

"A week ago we were in a whirl of swallow and martin wings."

"They have gone!"

"It is still August, last year they stayed until late September!"

"The leaves are starting to fall from the ash trees."

"It is still August!"

"In more ancient times August was a harvest time and the first month of autumn."

"Summer seems to get shorter and shorter - is it that I am getting older or is that, with earlier springs, everything is tired out by August?"

"Global what?! is upon us."

Now I know that having conversations with myself might be worrying but the thought of a prolonged winter is depressing.

Oh! I love the crisp sunny frosty days when the world sparkles but that dark month from December to January and not wearing short sleeves. . . . .

Mind you the lawn will not need mowing.

This image shows some of the

produce from the garden - the seven pounds of Victoria Plums, some broad beans (we eat them with the skins on) and some scrotty little potatoes - the ones the slugs did not get. (They tasted all right.)

So to the garden and RAIN! like stair rods (now people have grippers don't they?) so like ?? ? umbrella spokes - that will do.

This last picture is of the

bottom corner by the Wendy House Decking and shows part of the stream clearance I am doing.

Two outlets from the pond meet at the top and disappear down a ten foot drop into the field below. You can see the scaffolding plank edging on the left hand one. In the island bed on the right are candelabra primulas and irises. On the left are alchemilla (alchemilla, alchemilla the empty space filla) and other flowering plants including white valerian.

Before work the streams were choked with watercress and brooklime (lovely latin name - Veronica beccabunga - which it does).

Doing the stream is back breaking (beckbreaking) work and I am very stiff this morning.

Perhaps I should rename the stream (cannot rename it - does not have a name) Old Man's River?