HOLEHIRD GARDEN, WINTER DRAWS ON

So, after a good lunch out I was off to Holehird with N. It has a splendid view to the Lake District Mountains

This hillside garden is the home of the Lake District Horticultural Society and a must visit for any garden lover coming to Cumbria. It has the National collections of Astilbes, Meconopsis, Daboecia and Polystichum. The Society lease the gardens and all the work is done by volunteers. They have a library and run courses and lectures.

Three pics of birds now - Adam Booth's metal ones by the pond,

the cock pheasant on the banking creating a fuss with his raucous call - the birds may be beginning to sing again but he hardly sings.

And the nuthatch at the feeders on the shed with a goldfinch. The reason there is not much sunflower seed there is because the grey squirrels are eating it. I can hear them when I wake in the morning clattering the shed.

And this morning two delightful? bunnies on the top banking.

Yesterday I took out the little mower and set it on mulch, raised the blades a bit and did the whole garden. As rain is forecast this may be the last big mow.

The butterflies are having a late fling especially the red admirals.

Elsewhere the black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia goldsturm I think) goes on and on flowering imparting a blaze of yellow as the nights close in.

I have some plans afoot for the winter but body and pocket may determine as to whether they get done - and if R agrees. As she says - "It is my garden too!"
(By that she means it is her garden too.)

Non garden bit -

So England are out of the Rugby Union World Cup at the first stage - not surprising after they lost to Wales - and we have some men in armour running about in London - Jets and Dolphins.

Putin has put his oar in and when all is done and Assad is his buddy he will have access to the Syrian Mediterranean coast. He can strut more (is that possible) and say what a big boy am I.
Until Sunni and Shia shake hands and give each other a hug nothing will be settled.

Just seen pic on Facebook showing US has 3.7 murders a year for each 100,000 thousand population - UK has 0.07. Just wondered if gun possession has anything to do with that?

Back to gardening - 
I have decided, no R has decided, that the pink Japanese anemone will have to be moved. If so perhaps I (we) will replace it with some agapanthus and/or hollyhocks.

It is time to sit back and think of (no, not England), to think of changes too be made over the winter. Can I face having the drain men back for the boggy bits of lawn, should we have a large ash tree near the house cut down, will I have my right knee replaced?

Nearly time to put the central heating on.