Today was the last day that my under gardeners are needed, they have in just a week done a wonderful job of pruning the shrubs, denuding the apple trees of their lower branches & fruit and ... kept the grass down, with all that as a menu, it is easy to see why they were not particularly interested in the vegetable garden weeds. But hey, at some stage that at least can be rotivated and the chill of winter may kill off many of the roots.
They ate almost everything that wasn't poisonous including trimming the Virginia Creeper rambling over the old barn
<<< what little is left at sheep head height, is already turning into that brilliant vermillion, autumnal red.
The main orchard area is looking just wonderful. The low, heavily fruit laden branches have been "ewe pruned" to the height that either of them could reach ... leaving ample space to get the mower under once the ovine munched grass grows back to mowable height! The back fence is clear of ivy and the Japonica buddleia and ... nettles have all been munched back to human controllable levels. A mere weeks work for my two cloven footed friends. They finish their sabbatical tomorrow and I shall be sad to see them go, but ... they have become wise to the weak areas of this house & garden and have quickly realised that the greenhouse door does not shut properly ... and have also sussed out that my wombled trellis is passable.
As indeed is the small wrought iron gate between the patio area and the second orchard area. One of them this evening lifted the whole gate off its hinges and next thing I knew they were exploring the main garden and were loathe to be herded back in away from possible poisonous plants!
<<< one could almost imagine them hatching the next cunning plan. Perhaps I should have temporarily named one of them Baldrick! But there was a give away as to which heaved the gate off its hinges and to my surprise it was the more docile of the two that had a tell-tale cut, just below one eye. Some antiseptic powder applied and she was just fine.
If folk tell you that sheep are brainless creatures, let me assure you that they can be as cunning as goats!
Meanwhile in the garden today there were so many small signs to indicate that a change in the seasons from summer heading towards autumn are happening one just has to watch out for them.
Meanwhile in the garden today there were so many small signs to indicate that a change in the seasons from summer heading towards autumn are happening one just has to watch out for them.
Like the morning dew drops on the conifer branches and that early morning coolness, but as the sun heats up the blossoms bees & butterflies gather their last nectar.
And, the dew laden apples are almost ready to be harvested from the tree here.
And ... talking of harvest time, to my delight I saw the round type of bales I see at home.
Now ... can you see one of my walking sticks propped against the centre of the bale?
Well, there are larger bales than that around this area, here is a stack ...
Can you see my walking stick in the middle of the lower of three bales? Well O.K in a round bale my stick reaches the middle but ... just look at the length and you can even imagine the width ... let me tell you, these bales are supersize! The transporters that carry them take up a lot of the road but the combine harvesters around here need a lead vehicle with flashing lights as they move from one farm to another along fairly narrow Fen roads.
Compared with the above, my harvesting worries account for very little and I know that farmers back home in Wales do not have the acreage that many of these Fen farmers do but there again, the overheads of these flatland farmers must be quite prohibitive.
Soon it will be the poor mans hedgerow harvest and I am really looking forward to it.
Just today I have espied nearly ripe blackberries, and masses of sloes. Autumnal delights!
No comments:
Post a Comment