STORM AND SNOW

The storm clouds were gathering for a few days then gusts of over 80 mph and bye bye to two of our mature trees.

Before the storm we were trundling along liking the colour of autumn ferns, planning the new veg beds where we still have parsley and kale, the odd carrot (mostly very odd), parsnip and broccoli.

The pond has been strimmed and I noticed hips on the climbing rose above the shed. Plans were going ahead to revitalise part of the bed by the back wall and the weather forecasts were for some windy weather to affect north east Britain.

Then we had a night of noise, wind roaring through the trees, benches turned over and pots capsized.  The trellis over covered area to the left of the big shed has collapsed, the barrow blown over. Well, things could be worse I thought - and it was.

We have two mature ash trees down, one over the far wall and one bringing a mature limb off another tree.

This has left a gap at the top of the wood and decisions to be made. Do we remove all the timber or, perhaps leave some of the fallen trees as a wild life habitat (or is that just plain lazy?) 

So there we were on Sunday, still windy and cold, trees blocking roads - both bigger ways out of our village were blocked and yesterday we had to scrape our way down a narrow lane to escape.

Now it has started to snow after a hard frost last night and a frozen pond, a few hardy euphorbias are trying to lend some cold colour to the garden. The cosmos and nasturtiums, petunias and nicotianas are dead.

So November is almost no more and winter has come, clearing up to be done.

Woodburner lit, a burst of sun, the bird feeders filled so out with the camera. It is interesting to watch the different ways birds feed. Pheasants, dunnock, some chaffinches on the ground hoping for falling seed, then the tits and some finches dash in, grab a seed then fly to a safe bush to eat. The goldfinches just sit there stuffing themselves. Have not seen the bully boys today - green and bullfinches.

Two cock pheasants face off on the banking and suddenly there are a pair of stoats running across the far lawn.

And there is evidence in the snow of other visitors, left rabbit, right pheasant.

There were also some deer tracks up the back field.

FIRST FROST

We still have some flowers in the garden but not many, it means I have to search a bit.

Of course the fatsia is now heading for full bloom as it is nearly December - cannot quite work that out.

And there is leaf colour but mainly on the ground and the paths. The cherry colours are glorious but the sycamore the usual drab brownish grey.

 We are plagued by ivy as a ground weed - yes up trees but under them too, in flower beds and tangled in the plants there. 

Just noticed the viburnum in flower by the veg beds and also discovered some strange fruit like clustered rabbit droppings. And we have fungi like this pale yellow one, I think it is a wax cap.

Elsewhere azalea, hazel and beech still coloured, so is the royal fern.

Outside my study window is pot corner - bulbs and lilies waiting for the spring.

Four weeks to the shortest day and we have had some sunshine. The view from the kitchen doors is special in the late afternoon as light begins to fade.

LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION.

Oh, forgot to tell you the small black fruit are, of course, privet.

Sun is setting on a cold dry day.

NOVEMBER

There are still flowers in the garden and autumn colour and sparrows in the rain.

The third week in October used to be the peak of autumn tree colour - but no longer, now we are heading into the third week in November and there are still leaves on some of the trees. 

And there are evergreen plants - especially the fatsia with flowers! Even its fallen leaves are scupltural.

Cherries may be full of blossom in spring but they also have wonderful autumn colour so here we go before the leaves all fall off - 

 

Sam the gardener has been tidying the small streamlet that drains from the back field. In fact our stream through the garden is a composite of several.

There are also fungi in the garden. Something has had a nibble at the shaggy ink caps.

And the cherries are not the only tree colour - cercidiphyllum.

Then when the sun goes again the mist insinuates its fingers into the trees and a steady drizzle falls.

There are a few scattered flowers still with us and in the corner by a shed the lemon balm is thriving. When we get our first real frost, now overdue, it will suffer. The fuchsia, planted by the gate to remind us of the glorious shrubs at Glencolumbkille in Ireland, yet flowers.

Then as quickly as the sun came the rain returns followed by mist and fog.

Despite winter's delay and autumn's persistence some things penetrate the dreariness. The Euonymus that was moved has not given us quite the deep red we had before but stands out beneath the big sycamore.

NOVEMBER

No warmth,

days are cycling down;

no light,

nights are drawing in;

no song

but a storytelling of rooks;

no leaves

on the old skeletal ash;

no flowers

on sweet peas long dug out;

no mow

of the lank rain-sodden lawn;

no sun

but a shroud of stratus cloud;

no wonder

the prevalence of S.A.D.;

no time,

another year near done;

now,

no more,

November.

So, lest we forget, here is one more photograph of the great white willow in full autumn splendour (and R if you can spot her?)