Weather and the end of summer

I have a fond affection for the Met Office (the same as you love your bonkers Auntie Doris). I'm not quite sure what they are supposed to do apart from groom young men and women for a career on television in the fiction market as the weather forecasts are nothing like the real world. The August Bank Holiday weekend and we usually have the pleasure of being in Cornwall for one last grasp of summer however due to lack of time and money we are in London having been told at the start of the week its was going to be a scorcher. Of course as the week has gone on the predictions have slowly got cloudier and gloomier until at last we get here and in truth, gloom and cloud and not even that warm! Still, it allows time to plonk about the garden.

What a shame as some lovely sunshine to slowly bring the summer to a close would have been wonderful. Autumn seems so close, I know it is but it's arrival seems to be rushing in. The evenings seem to be getting dark quite quickly and its already gloomy when I get up in the morning - I yearn to keep some of the light and warmth.

Still, Ruby seems to be getting over her broodiness (only by booting her off the nest twice a day and shutting her out of the nestbox) and Harriet is laying well. I cannot tell you the joys of having home-produced eggs again.

With the cloudy weather it's been a working in the garden afternoon and however fast I tidied the borders the chook force - the hen garden untidying service followed closely behind ensured that all soils and mulch were removed to the nearest path, physalis and lemon balm foliage eaten and fertilisation of the lawn was abundant. Saying that, the large established plants seem to do really well with the soil aeration from the scratching though small plants do need some protection from chook force. The bananas Musa basjoo pulled back really impressively after the the snows of winter and the chickens love being under them. Be it the extra fertilisation combined with the warmth and wet of summer we have a banana flower - how very cool is that! Okay, so basjoo's don't really produce banana fruit but hey......we're impressed.

Banana flower and husband

I love our little garden - it's a well cool and chilled place. Planting maybe eclectic (two very differing styles and colour palates) but somehow it comes together and we love sitting on the deck with a drink, its a good way to catch up on the day. It does make me a wee bit sad that now evenings are drawing in it's going to be weekends only now until spring next year when the light evenings return.