Here we are at the equinox, and while there are so many things I love about autumn, this year I am just not ready to let go of the summer. We've had a run of sunshine this week, and while my days are spent inside in front of a screen, each evening I've managed an hour of raking and hauling not-dry-enough grass out of the meadow. It's hard but satisfying work, and lovely to be out in the field as the sun sets, but there's also a sense of despair. I so very much want to cut this whole field by hand, and I will (eventually) - but I've had to accept that the realities of the weather mean I won't make any more hay. Instead, I'm going to be creating an awful lot of mulch, and I'll still be cutting at Christmas by the looks of things. Like many people I'm not thrilled at the idea of having more restrictions on visiting in the colder weather. Our garden shelter has been brilliant over the summer, and is slowly being modified to deal with more breeze, but at some point it's just not going to be pleasant to sit out there. Anyway, this is all very gloomy, and while I confess I'm not at my most cheerful right now, things aren't all bad. The garden has been producing some colourful displays. And I've squirrelled damsons and blackberries away into the freezer, ready for gin. There's not much more cheerful than damson gin, and this will be the first time I've ever made it with my own damsons.
So maybe instead of looking backwards, bemoaning the loss of summer, I need to look forwards and count down the weeks until I can drink damson gin. I'm told it'll be ready by Christmas (assuming I've got round to making it by then, of course), but I can't quite bring myself to count down the weeks until then. I might try to do something cheerfully autumnal each week for the next few weeks to remind me how much I do like this season. We'll see.
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We've had a bit of a sunny spell recently, and it's been nice to talk advantage and do a bit of walking. First of all, a wander through the woods with a friend in Sheffield. I don't get chance to wander through woods much around here, and very rarely by running water, so having both together was a proper treat. The next day, we finally made it up the big hill near our house with some other friends. We look at this hill every day, and while visitors have walked over it, we never have ourselves. From up at the top you can really see why this ridge is often called the dragon's back. It was a lovely day (although rather breezy) and we weren't the only ones up there, but we did find a quiet spot for some lunch near the top. I don't do much hill walking, and clearly I'm missing out on some epic views. The route off the hill was rather convoluted, but we did end up on this rather jolly path, and found another nice sheltered spot for a cup of tea. We didn't have to drive anywhere for this walk, just straight out of the gate and down the footpath across our fields. We didn't measure it exactly, but probably walked no more than six miles. I'll definitely be tempted to do it again - maybe I'll even try to get up there early one morning to see the mist swirling in the valley below.
Anyway, all this walking is good practice, as it seems my sister and I have signed up for the virtual London marathon at the start of October. Not running, I hasten to add, and as it's a virtual event, we have a full 24 hours to do the distance, but even so, 26 miles is a long way. I'm probably not going to get any more training walks in before the event, which means my longest walk this year is currently, er, six miles. But we've done the distance more than once before, and given that we'll be walking in loops near her house, really, how hard can it be? I suppose we'll find out. The equinox is approaching, and there's a definite autumnal nip in the air. The leaves are falling from the elm tree, and I wish I'd taken a video as they rattled down through the branches the other day. I like autumn, but I have to confess it's a strange one this year. The changing of the seasons is hitting me hard, and I'm already missing the summer. I'm not ready to be cold yet, but it seems I don't have much choice. Normally I enjoy the 'back to school' feeling, but this year things are so uncertain. My job is stable (for the time being, at least), but so many things are up in the air that I feel like I'm turning round and round and nothing is getting finished. Maybe I need to buy some new stationery to add an element of normality. Still, some cheerful things have been happening. We've had a few days where it's been warm enough to sit outside without being under a blanket, and there are still plenty of flowers around. I think I need to sit still a bit more often. The more I do, the more I feel like I'm stuck in a whirlwind, and the more the time whizzes by. Maybe if I linger more, then time will slow down? Who knows. I'm enjoying a bit more enforced outdoor time though. A friend and I had lunch in a relatively new cafe this week, with tables outside on the pavement, and it was nice to be still eating outside near the end of September. Today the sun is shining, but there's a stiff breeze and quite a nip in the air. Not exactly a day for lingering on a blanket with a book, but perhaps a day for a woolly jumper and wheelbarrowing a bit more hay? Maybe after another cup of tea...
Needless to say, I did not get done as much as I optimistically planned at the end of my July post. Is the kitchen ceiling finished? No. Is the French drain dug? No. Did I scythe the entire hay field? No. Did I plant out the hazel tree? Also no. Still, the wheel of the year turns, and things happen sometimes with or without my involvement. Let's have a look through some photos, shall we? The veg patch I've largely ignored the veg patch this month except for a little light weeding, and yet we've still had a few harvests. It's not all been success, mind you. Caterpillars have set up home in the kale, the sweetcorn hasn't pollinated, the entire cucumber plant is smaller than my hand, and now the pea frame has blown over in the wind. Our one apple and one plum were lost to the high winds as well, so now the only remaining tree fruit is the damsons, which seem to be doing rather well (so far). Still, the veg garden overall still looks pretty good, even after I (unwisely) let the chickens in for a bit of a treat. I've harvested and dried some of that calendula, but haven't decided what to do with it yet. There are masses of seeds, so if you'd like some please do let me know and I'll send them out. While I had the dehydrator out, I also dried some oregano, which I always forget about because I didn't plant it, and it's half hidden under a bush. I must crawl under and get some more, and think about what else I can dry. Lavender maybe, although I spotted three jars of lavender I'd dried in our old house so I really should get on the case making lavender bags or something if I'm going to dry any more. Hay (or not) I had great plans for scything the entire meadow and making a giant pile of hay in August. Sadly, those plans were foiled, mostly by the weather, and partly by them being rather unrealistic in the first place. Still, some hay was made, and a lot of soggy, damp grass cuttings were made too. I've come to terms wit h the fact that the rest of what I've cut just isn't going to dry out, as the weather is too unstable. If I had a team of 15 able to rush out at the slightest hint of sunshine and turn it all over instantly, then it might, but I don't. So I've decided that the rest will be cut and used for mulch - my priority is removing it from the field as I'm trying to restore a more wildlife-friendly habitat (which is my priority, more so than making hay). The edible windbreak is benefiting from the first round of mulch. Not ideal, but then this little adventure of ours is all about trying out what's practical, not what's ideal, so here we are. And I'm certainly getting better with my scythe in the meantime. DIY Clearly I didn't finish the whole of the kitchen ceiling. I did make some progress though - I've started fitting battens to the joists and have put up one whole piece of insulation and plasterboard (which I now can't find a photograph of). We decided last week that it would be easier to paint the joists before we put up the plasterboard, so everything was put on hold while we made decisions about that. I'm pleased to say our chosen wood oil has now turned up, and I'm hoping to at the very least get that painted on in September.
So there we are. Harvesting, hay, and the teensiest bit of DIY. I'm not making any great plans for September - it's the busiest time of my work year and it's quite likely I won't get much done at all. When I do get chance though, I'll be out scything the field, or inside painting the kitchen ceiling. I'm not planning anything more dramatic than that... |
Hello!Sit down and make yourself comfortable. I'm Jenni, and I write here about our new foray into country living, which includes growing food, knitting, baking, wandering around the fields, and seeing which local cafe serves the best cake. Categories
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