Our Autumn Garden - 2023

Peter has been doing a lot of work in the garden with laying a new patio and ordering and replacing all the gravel around the house. The lawn has been levelled and re seeded and I've been helping out with tip runs and potting up plants, seeds and generally tidying up around him. There is still lots to do, but it'll be waiting now for the warmer weather.

Garden tools cleaned and put away in our new shed, we bought at the Three Counties Show in September.

New shed and side of house tidied.

Fig and Rhubarb covered for winter.

Bay tree covered for winter.

Gravel added around shed and weeded behind and now storing most of the bricks left over from the building work to build a raised bed with.

Herbs and new plants.

Autumn reef up. I'm off to a Christmas Reef making evening soon.

Peas, beans, cauliflower and sweet peas sown for spring.

Herbs brought inside for winter and basil planted.

Surprise strawberries.

Bobs memorial garden pot planted.

Table and chairs rearranged to make more room for the washing to dry.

Bougainvillea brought inside to protect for winter.

The two sheds on the left waiting to be dismantled.

The neighbours garden is higher than ours, level with the top of the concrete slab at the base of the fence. Drainage problems are an issue since we had building work done, but we can rectify with proper drainage and levelling off the ground to the right.

New gravel down and some tidying and soil shifting needs to be done.

Compost bin full.

Raspberry crop seems to be going on forever.

We're planning to remove the two sheds over winter when we get drier days. It's much easier to work in the garden now the patio and gravel is sorted and we have full access round both sides of the house.

I'm pleased with how my egg pod fits under the new canopy, I love being outside and can now enjoy winter mornings with a cuppa without getting wet.

Family, friends and a fun fortnight.

We see our eldest grandchild and their parents on a regular basis and our grandchild in Northern Ireland as often as we can, but it is rare these days to get any of them together in groups, let alone all 5 kids with their families/partners. The last time we managed all 7 of us together was in 2017 in a car park in Cheltenham for this photo.

This week however we've had child 3 and his girlfriend staying with us from Australia and child 2, his wife and their child have joined in where they can, as well as visits to see parents, grandparents and friends popping in to say hi.

It's been hectic, full on, I've had a migraine, the house is a mess, but I've loved every minute of it and can't wait till we can get together again in small groups. Incidentally that will be next weekend in Northern Ireland for our 2nd grandchild's first birthday with his parents child 4 and wife, with child 2, his wife and their child coming over also.

But first we have Halloween to do with child 2, his wife and their child this weekend.

Child 1 and 2.

Making the Aussie visitors Child 3 and his girlfriend 3a feel at home.

Child 1 and 3.

Child 3 and 3a with Nanna.

The Things. 1, 2, 3 & 4.

Child 3 and grandchild made this mess.

Even the dog didn't escape the chaos, however according to our 3 year old grandchild, the cat has 'gone to the pub'

Back on his home turf.

Gardening jobs for October - Preparing the garden for winter.

I picked up a gardening magazine this month to find out what I need to do to prepare the garden for winter. 

I've never been that much of a gardener, more a give it a go and and see what happens. In the past we've had work and kids, so the garden has been low maintenance, shrubs, bulbs and seasonal bedding. For the past 10 years, living abroad, I've experimented with gardening and growing vegetables. It hasn't been easy in Dubai, but you'd be surprised by what has grown in the sand.

During lockdown I was back in the UK and in our former family home. The garden had been pretty much neglected, along with the house while we were away and the weather was perfect for growing my own veg, plus I actually had the length of time to see the season through.

The lawn.

The first thing I want to do is empty the sand pit and I'll be using the sand to level off parts of the lawn where I'd removed paving slabs from. The tip is to work the sand into the lawn with a hard brush. The lawn is actually more weed/moss than grass, so a perfect job isn't required, more experimental. The last of the grass seed has gone down after what I hope is the final mow for now, I've already adjusted the mower for a higher cut should the opportunity arise. Just need to keep the front lawn free of leaves or I'll lose the grass again I've spent all summer nurturing.

Planting.

I've been working out which seeds I already have that I can plant in the green house over the winter for a spring crop.

It's peas, beans and sweet peas, plus planting out the bulbs in the front garden. The back garden will be more focused on vegetables and fruits. I've been collecting seeds over the summer, it'll be hit and miss what pops up in the garden next year as nothing is labelled.

I need to stagger planting next year. All my tomatoes, beans and peas were harvested too close together, I'd like to try and spread this out through out the season a bit more.

I need a reminder to open/close/water in the green house daily/weekly

Jobs left to do

The sunflower is still going. I'd like to dry the seeds for next year, but I'm going to leave the heads on for the birds. The geranium needs cutting back to the roots and is good for the compost bin. The hydrangea shouldn't be cut back as the dead flowers provide cover for the new ones against the frost.

The bay and olive trees will need wrapping up for winter soon. The bay tree only needs light pruning throughout late spring and early summer. It's been happy here during the summer and hopefully it'll be the right spot for the winter also. I've also moved all the garden ornaments to the bay tree, so they can be used again next year.

I've put winter bedding in the hanging basket, it does get watered from the rain where it is. I've out a small plant tray in the bottom of the basket so the water doesn't just run through.

Here's what I did in September My September Garden

My Sunday Photo - Week 144. O is for October

I didn't think October would be a month I would see in the UK in 2017. The purpose of my trip apart from visiting family and friends was to help the teen transit from school to working life. I had planned to be back in Dubai by now.

October marks the 1st anniversary of the death of my Fathers youngest brother and my Mothers eldest brother and the 12th anniversary since my Grandma (Fathers Mother) died.

October is also my husbands 60th Birthday. We had a party with family and friends in the UK earlier in September while he was visiting. We will have a belated party when I return home also.

October also marks the change of seasons, from summer into autumn and the passing of time since my Father died in July.

When I arrived in the UK for a month in March this year, I commented on how lovely Spring was, I returned in June in the middle of a heat wave. I've watched the leaves and flowers blossom, I've enjoyed the long summer evenings, I've embraced the rain although I'm now tiring of it and the evenings are getting darker earlier and the mornings are colder. The leaves are changing colour and falling to the ground, there are spider webs glistening in the morning sun and a mist over the river outside the flat in the mornings as well as a chill in the air.

I hope not to see winter this year in the UK. I hope that my winter photos are taken from the beach in Dubai at the bottom of the road from where we live before we move further in land, but I suspect I'll see the end of winter and the start of spring as I will probably return to the UK in February 2018.