Slug and snail mansion.

It's has been very quiet. Just gloom, rain and fog, quite thick fog.
A friend was moaning about an owl in the trees near her,calling to its mate, told her to send them over to me, I have them anytime.
If my house had a name I'd call it it the slug and snails mansion. Yep they are back, but to be honest I don't mind. The other day a slug was having an argument with one of my cats,don't worry the cat wasn't hurting it,just sitting quietly looking  at it.
At the moment it's sunny.

Not sure.

Not sure about the clocks going back an hour, the afternoons getting dark early and the mornings lighter, still not sure.
The street lamps where I live  are not working and it is so dark, we have only got the lights from the houses shining but that's all the light we have got, a call to the council will be needed. You need a torch at the moment. A plus though you can see the stars twinkling.
Was going to dig up the mums up but they are budding again. Was going to put the spring bulbs in , but haven't got round to do it. That's a job for the next week.

Allotment & container growing.

Dull start , then the sun came out.
Friend's cacti have put on an excellent show again, they have got cacti fingers.
Their allotment has now been dugged over  ready for the next lot of planting, not sure what they are going to grow this time, but I do know runner beans are going to be grown again.
I have decided that I am going to to do container growing next year, so I am going to get myself all the things I need now and be ready to start. Not sure what to grow, but will start small and easy.

Winter won't be long.

Went on my regular train journey but at a different time, late afternoon,dusk time. The countryside looks so different , brooding at this time of year. Saw loads of rabbits amongst the sheep, saw a large herd of white cattle, they stuck out like a sore thumb against the dusk.
Today went on an other train trip and saw partridges in the fields.
The hills were covered in a mist and there was a slight drizzle, no wind everything was still, a lot of the red berries have gone. The wild blackberries seemed to of shrivelled up and are going into their winter sleep. The apples trees seem to be doing the same.
It won't be long and winter will be here and the clocks are going back this weekend. Then we know winter won't be long.

After the winds.

After the high winds, there was not much damage. The beech tree lost some branches, but apart from that nothing else happened.its still windy but not as bad as it has been.
Just piles of leaves here there and everywhere . You cannot crunch through them as they are damp, shame.
The slugs and snails seemed to gone into hiding not seen them the past couple of nights. The ants nest is still there .

Very windy.

Very windy,no rain at all at the moment. Was told that the bad weather is coming down our way later this afternoon.
The beech and sweet chestnut leaves have been blown into the front garden, I live on a very windy corner. So at the moment it's crunch crunch time walking up the path.
Sun keeps popping out and then hiding behind the clouds. It's playing peek a boo.

Magpie and moon.

Found a dead bird on the pavement so I put it on the grass out of people's ways , as there was no where else to put it. I normally cannot handle dead animals but had to for this poor bird.We then was driving along when a magpie decided to fly under the car from the bonnet to the boot. We heard a thud so, so we stopped as soon as we could safely could and the other half looked under the car and saw nothing no bird anywhere, I thought he was seeing things at first, but I heard the thud. So we assumed it flew right under the car as we looked back to where it happened and saw no magpie.
This morning I woke up in the early hours and saw it was pitch black, then all of a sudden the moon came out and shone a soft pale glow. ,to be honest I didn't realise what light comes from the moon as it lit up quite a bit, it's something I took for granted.

Rain and wind.

Rain and wind. Weathermen say that will get the end of the the storm which is in the Atlantic at the moment soon. Some to look forward not!
But my geraniums are still flowering bravely , so proud of them.
Sunshine and wind at the moment the clouds are blowing across the sky very quickly. A mixture of grey and white clouds and a bit of  blue sky.

Hedgehogs.

The sweet chestnuts empty cases look like baby hedgehogs . It is now dropping it's leaves. The beech tree has less leaves now ,soon it will be bare.
Hedgehogs do not come round this way but badgers do. My sister as she lives near a wood has all sorts of wild life come into her garden.
I think I am the capital city of slug and snails, spiders coming in a close second.
It's been a warm sunny day so far with a slight drizzle. But it has turned windy.
I was reminded that 27 years ago about the big storm that didn't happen according to some people never happened. Well it did I was awake through it all with my eldest in bed with me. Next day we had to pick my dad up from hospital after having a bypass done. He was so,worried that we couldn't make it but we did. He was a charge nurse by profession and he made a very bad patient. His words not mine.

Curled up spider.

Woke up to a nice sunny autumn morning , nice and warm as well. But as the day progressed it got duller and greyer, then a quick but heavy rain shower came and went.
It's Ben very quiet round here not much in the animal department, as the building is going on behind me. But got the slugs and snails they are still with me!
I have got a big spider by my front door and it looked that it was dead as it seemed to be in the same position for ages I gently touched its web and boy did it moved. It's a good job that I like spiders . But the way it just sat there curled up you would of thought it dead.

Mist & repaired.

While waiting for my bus, I was looking at the mist over the fields, it looked rather spooky.
The workmen have repaired the fence they broke, so if the fox comes back it won't be able to come through that way.
Just a day of drizzle, after yesterday's downpours.

Torrential rain.

Been told by my daughter our area is supposed to have torrential rain from tonight. So where ever you are I do hope that the weather is ok with you, and if not please keep safe.
My Virginia Creeper has finally begun to change colour from green to the reddish colour. Mine seems to behind the others I have seen. The wall near me is covered by orange and red berries against the Virginia Creeper in its autumn colours. Very beautiful.

A jay.

Left the house this morning and walked round the corner and had a lovely suprise a jay was in the sweet chestnut tree. And it was quite close, so I could see its beautiful colours .
Watching the rain drops rippling the pond and all the water fowl was undercover as we had yet an other downpour and a thunderstorm .

Contrast of weather.

The contrast of the weather always amazes me. Yesterday it was tipping down , then it was a nice sunny afternoon. Today it started of as nice morning, now it has come all over grey and had a quick rain shower. The weather knows that I have to go out later and it's trying to catch me to get me wet, as I have avoided getting wet so far.
Had to rescue an other slug again, from indoors.
The beech tree has lost most of its leaves now and most of the nuts have fallen.
The fox is nowhere to been seen, as they are building behind the back garden now and as you can gather very very noisy. Hopefully I will see it again, do hope so.
And the sweet chestnut tree is still clinging on to its leaves.

1 dry cat, 2 wet cats

The cats stayed out last night in all that rain, still raining now, but anyway back to the cats 1 comes in all dry the other 2 soaking wet. So where the cat who is dry goes I do not know, mind you he does not like the rain at all that one. One of the wet cats came in plonked herself by me and shook her herself over me sending a miniature shower over me. Thank you very much I said to her, she just looked at me as to say ha ha.
It's going to be a wet day today grey and dismal so nothing is going to get done in the garden, thank goodness most of it was done in the good weather. Just a few loose ends to clear up now.

Windy month.

You know it's October now, the winds and rain. March used to be the windy month but I think October is going to take over March's title as the windy month.
My apple blossom geraniums  are still giving a very brave show and so is my cyclamen.

Red sky.

A beautiful red sky this morning words cannot describe it. The autumn colours against the red background beautiful.

Lovely afternoon.

Watching 4 swans glide across the pond so elegantly. Seagulls swimming in the same pond having a good time.
Walked past some late conkers on the ground and big ones at that.
The cactus I thought that would never flower, has 2 white flowers , it done that quietly. So pleased.
Now the sun has popped out and it's a lovely late autumn afternoon.

Spider and rats.

Went out to hang washing out and walked smack bang into a huge spider web. The spider was not happy with me!
While talking on the phone to a friend , they said that they just saw a huge rat walk across their garden from their neighbours . They wondered if  the rats are living under the decking they recently put up.
I used to keep fancy rats and they were as lovely as could be, but brown rats, sewer rats not for me I give them a wide berth.
Next door has cut their holly tree down shame, but it's their garden.

Autumn is here.

The roses that surrounds the river are in full bloom, putting on a lovely show. The Virginia Creeper what is growing on the church wall opposite the river is now in its autumn colour and tome butterfly bushes are in bloom, making a lovely picture, never thought to take photos!
Now autumn is really here in this neck of the woods. 1st October  already but it has been nice to have this late warm weather, but at the moment it is grey and windy out there, but as we know it can all change.
The sweet chestnut tree didn't do to well this year, but the beech tree did. Still crunch,crunch underfoot.
Time for the very last grass cutting front and back I think, that can be done tomorrow.