It’s been raining; a cross between drizzly and fat heavy drops with bursts of sunshine in between. But it’s not cold, not really. Besides the house is being warmed by the processing of golden quince orbs into jars of deep red clear jelly and jars of left over pulpy jam! So delicious! I just checked out the local online supermarket and they didn’t have any … Continue reading Autumn is doing what autumn does.
No matter how deluded I try to be, there is too much going on for me to believe myself any more. What the heck am I going on about? Well basically, despite the last week of gorgeous blue sky sunny days, there are too many signs that prevent me from pretending we are still in the middle of January, still in the middle of summer! … Continue reading The only wool to be pulled over my eyes from now on is mostly likely to be a warm beanie!
I’m still in bed, the sun has come up, but it is cold. It’s the first morning where I have actually noticed the cold, even before getting out of bed! The kids are moaning about the cold and Hubby the Un-Gardener is frantically searching for his beanie! Apparently the overnight low was only 7°C so we will have to get used to things getting a … Continue reading I forgot autumn gets cold!
There is nothing like having the imminent arrival of an important guest to shake away apathy and cause a frenzy of activity. Lately I have been a bit slack on the gardening front. I seem to have wholeheartedly embraced the wind down towards winter and wound right down. I figured that as it cools down then the weeds will slow down and I’ll be able … Continue reading Nothing like shame avoidance to bring on frenzied weeding
At the beginning of summer I promised myself I would make two dishes before the end of summer. A Nicoise Salad with fresh beans from the garden. I had always wanted to make this dish but summer always slipped by so fast that it never happened. This year I finally managed it, although it was a close call – in the latter days of February. … Continue reading Come back summer – I haven’t finished with you yet!
More often than not when I wake up in the mornings it is dark. It couldn’t possibly be because I’ve been waking up earlier because I’m just not that kind of girl, which can be verified by the fact I have no idea if it’s getting colder outside on these darker mornings as I like to stay tucked up in bed until the last possible … Continue reading Gradually the last vestiges of summer begin to slip away.
This was the worst summer ever! I’m surprized I managed to get any crops at all. I also feel all I did all summer was moan about the weather. But I feel vindicated now. All the news reports are coming in with exactly just how awful it really was. A quick Google search reveals headings such as: “Sunless: A summer in name only” “Who stuffed … Continue reading So much for my hopes of an Indian summer – we’re having a weather bomb instead!
When talking about gardening, thoughts of digging, nurturing tiny seedlings, weeding and getting dirt under the nails, watering and harvesting the fruits of your labours spring to mind. But there is one step on from this one that is just as labour intensive, but equally as rewarding. That is processing the produce. The other day I went to check on the orchard only to find … Continue reading When gardening isn’t gardening at all
