WET WEEK

Not doing a lot in the garden.

It is evening, not yet dark, and the earlier rain has stopped. The sky is still leaden with ash branches reaching up like pleading arms to the sky - please some sunshine.

A cock pheasant croaks out a challenge from by the pond. There is a winding down even if no one has told the nasturtiums. I have placed the video camera opposite to where I think the rabbits have their burrow - now we wait and see.

R has been making scones and tonight is toad-in-the-hole from M&S, something to warm us. I am nearly at the end of Dara McNulty's book and wonder how a fifteen year old can generate such wonderful prose.

In the end I stop thinking about it and plod out my usual stuff.

Saturday and RAIN!! 

Sunday a bit of sun and a walk by Broughton Beck.

Monday wild and wet, rainbows - the chives are looking very bedraggled - not long now before they have had it I think. Then, just for a moment the sun shines through on the wet garden.

Tuesday and rained all day till 4 pm then the light went an hour later. Garden waterlogged but moorhen are back on the pond for the winter.

Now, the gales have played havoc with the autumn colours but - there are still some leaves on the lilac and cherry  but not, I think for much longer.

Usually I have a moan about the colours of sycamore leaves but this year for some reason they are better.

The last of the azalea by the wood still has its reds.

The lily leaves are almost all submerged into the pond and have gone their dark hue.

Last time the gardener was here I asked him to strim the sides of the stream where it falls from the upper wood and, with all the rain, it is looking good. The colourful fern on the left of the pic on the right is Osmunda regalis, The Royal Fern. The water will disappear in the summer as it is essentially a drain from the back field but, at present it looks good. There are also some cantankerous shrubs, I mean here we are almost winter and the Fatsia always decided is is time to flower. 

And the alstroemerias just go on and on.

Elsewhere the erigeron never stops and we still have roses, mostly red roses but also this white one.

S the gardener has also strimmed at the back sparing the feeble fig, still it does look tidier. 

I have cleared under the magnolia, trimmed some lavender that should have been done a long time ago and begun the autumn tidy.

Surprise, surprise, the sweet peas have not germinated 😞.

Just had a torrential weekend so stay off the lawns! 40mm rain yesterday! Wild and windy weather. I know - sentences with no verbs!