Easing into Autumn

Hi there everyone 😀

I have one more final post to come from our week in Bude but thought I’d get this post in first, whilst it still feels current. 

There has been a serious shift into Autumn over here … in more ways than one. There has still been plenty of sunshine but the temperatures have definitely taken a big dip …

The shorts and cut offs have been packed away and the cosy fleeces and long trousers have been brought back into play. So far we have managed to avoid putting the heating on but I don’t think it will be long … though I must confess we have had a bit of a test run … just to check it’s all working as it should 😜

We came back from Bude with a big bag of cooking apples from Mark and Sarah’s tree … and it’s safe to say there are plenty more where these came from …

So far we’ve had crumbles and apple cake and there is a strudel on the cards next …

In the garden things aren’t looking too bad and the ‘tree man’ is booked in for some serious tree and conifer pruning ready for Winter.

The quince is heavy with fruit … the most laden it’s been for years. We shall make some quince jelly but, as our friends that always used to have a huge bagful have moved away, I think a lot will go to waste. I will try a Facebook post for local friends to see if I can shift any … but they aren’t an easy fruit to deal with …

The rowan is laden with berries too, which look beautiful but are pretty annoying. The birds only eat them as a very last resort and generally not until January. By then the majority have dropped and been trodden into the grass …

Whilst there has been plenty of cutting back it is good to see there is still a fair bit of colour in the garden …

We are trying to get a few more garden jobs done before the weather gets more wintry and Martin is in the process of painting a new front gate. The old one is dropping to bits and now held together with tie wraps … and is looking very tatty.

We are trying to ensure we give the new one as long as possible life as we can and it’s had three coats of wood preserver and two coats of paint on both sides so far. Just one more top coat and then we can start on the posts and hopefully get it hung before too long.

We have managed to repaint the front canopy and brackets and that is looking very smart …

In much more relaxing news we managed a day out with Jackie and Phil, which involved a garden centre visit, a bit of a garden and an Autumn afternoon tea …

And, as you can see, the boots have come out of hibernation.

Autumn is always busy for us … this year especially … as mum is due to have a replacement hip operation very soon. Hopefully all will go well and she will be up and about and back to normal soon. 

We are then hoping for a sneaky week or two back at the lodge as it feels like ages since we last visited. 

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