Rewind the clocks

The clocks went back at the weekend (end of British Summer Time, and an extra hour in bed) and the weather seems to have changed too - it's got cold.  We had the first hint of a frost Sunday morning, the windows were streaming inside, and as the temperature dropped to 11 degrees yesterday afternoon - that's inside the house - we sensibly decided the heating could be switched on for a couple of hours in the evening.  

The leaves are falling very quickly, it seems.  I keep meaning to get out for a walk to capture the autumn colour before it disappears; maybe tomorrow.  We've not been out much recently, we've been trying to catch up on a few bits and pieces at home, including some of those annoying little jobs that keep being put off.  I've had to remind myself of that mantra - 'Doing it gets it done' - and once I'd decided to, of course the work got done far quicker than I thought it would.  It's always the way.

I have worked my way through the pile of mending and sewing alterations that had accumulated (sometimes I think it would be far quicker to start from scratch rather than trying to alter shop-bought clothing) so I now have a clear conscience about spending some time sewing clothes for myself.  Having had such a thorough decluttering of my wardrobe at the start of the year, I am now in need of one or two extra layers for winter so I shall be giving this some attention in the coming days and weeks.  There's also a quilt to design and make, and I'd like to make one or two gifts for Christmas this year.  

Good intentions as ever, just running out of time, as usual!!

Winter preparations

With rain forecast on and off for the rest of the week, we took advantage of some sunshine yesterday to do some more tidying up in the garden.  This season we had a good number of pots in production (tomatoes, peppers etc) and now the veg has all been cropped, all those pots needed to be emptied and cleaned.  The compost is good to use again but needed to be put through a riddle to eliminate roots, stones and such like.  It's good exercise for the stomach muscles!  The sieved soil is now bagged up and will probably be used when we come to plant the garlic for next year.   Today N is in the greenhouse cleaning pots. 

The carrots planted in the summer have now been pulled - a really good crop to tide us through autumn and into winter:

When we returned from our break we were a bit alarmed to see the cabbage plants sporting a rather holey look, reminiscent of lace doilies ;( .   Despite netting the bed some time ago, the cabbage white butterflies have found a way in and the caterpillars have been munching away.  That is not the idea at all!  We are now having a daily caterpillar patrol in the hopes of stemming the onslaught of little green marauders!  Those cabbages are destined for our Christmas dinner table.

Having reacclimatised ourselves to English temperatures again, the heating has been firmly switched off and hopefully will stay that way until the end of the month at least.  The mornings are getting darker, and it always surprises me how our bodies readjust to that; we're waking much later than during the summer.  We've rearranged a couple of rooms, as we tend not to use the big lounge during the winter, preferring the cosiness of the dining-room; it also means we're not heating the entire house unecessarily.  The quit is now in use on the bed (and it keeps us lovely and cosy at night), and winter woollies are being dug out of cupboards.  Keeping busy and active through the colder months helps too, and we have more than enough projects lined up to keep us occupied.  The summer days of salad are now at an end, although there are just a handful of cherry tomatoes left on the kitchen window sill together with a couple of rather skinny cucumbers, and we are looking forward to warming casseroles and home-made soups.  I have promised myself a new pair of 'proper' slippers by the end of the month and I shall then be all set for winter.  

Maintaining a positive outlook helps too ;))

Sunshine and jumpers

We climbed this set of steps every morning - 130 steps in total!

A few days away in the sun; Thursday morning we left temperatures of 25 degrees C and returned to a chilly English autumn afternoon of barely 12 degrees!  We had to put the heating on to thaw out  :(

It was, as always, a lovely relaxing break.  Lots of walking in the sun, good food and drink, friendly locals and a lifestyle we find very agreeable.  Everything looks somehow better in sunshine!

Back home again and we are reminded that winter is not so far away.  The summer clothes are washed and put away for the year; jumpers and extra layers are reached for to stave off the definite drop in temperatures.  It's taken a couple of days to get ourselves back into our routines again (or perhaps we're just taking time adjusting to the drop in temperature!) but I'll be back baking tomorrow, and tackling some of the pile of mending and alterations that seems to have manifested itself recently.  And I've been reminded that Christmas is not so very far away (surely not?) so I guess a bit of thought in that direction would not go amiss.  Obviously time for another list .....

September gratitude

A few pictures to remind me of the garden in autumn; there's still so much to enjoy out there.

Palest pink cyclamen

The cotoneaster is smothered with berries

Yellow peppers!  A first

Under the netting the winter carrots are growing strongly

Our squash harvest!  Not quite enough for a pie ...

October began as September ended, with glorious sunshine, but today it has poured all day.  We made the most of the good weather knowing that it couldn't last and the garden is pretty much tidied up for the winter.  Thoughts are very much turning indoors and we both have plenty of projects ready for the winter months.  

September has been a highlight of the year with the birth of a little grandson, a very precious and welcome addition to the family, and we look forward to our role in his life as he grows.  At the moment, that means lots of cuddles ;))

I've not really given October too much thought, to be honest.  I think I'll take a bit of a breather and simply enjoy what we have.  Our life is full of good things and for that I am very grateful.

Early autumn morning in the garden

I took the camera out into the garden first thing this morning, hoping to capture this trail through the wet grass:

We are fairly certain this winding path, all around the back lawn and again on the front lawn, is made by our hedgehog.  We haven't actually seen him for several months, but his night-time meanderings are much more visible in the autumn dew, and if we search, we can often find other evidence of his visits ;)  Perhaps we need to mount a nocturnal vigil to see if we can spot him.

I love the garden early in the morning while the dew is still on the ground.  And this morning, there seemed to be colours of autumn all around me.

Don't laugh; this is our best squash!

I need to make the most of these glorious autumn days.  Before long, we'll be huddled up against the wind, rain and cold.  Days like today are to be stored up and remembered with gratitude.

Autumn mists and classic cars

Misty morning

Autumn is definitely under way here.  Temperatures have fallen off in the morning and evening (and during the day, according to N!), and some parts of the garden no longer get the sunlight at all.  I often open the curtains to find a mist hanging about and the grass stays damp with dew most of the morning.  

The last of the peppers being prepped
 for the freezer

Homemade tomato soup served with homemade bread - delicious!

We're doing our best to spend some time in the garden every day, rain permitting, and it's surprising how much can be achieved in just an hour or so.  The sweetcorn, beans and some of the tomato and pepper plants have been pulled, the beds weeded and dug over.  Considering that this time last year we barely had a garden to speak of, we are very happy with how productive our little plot has been this year.  The beds that are being rested over winter will have a covering of manure to replenish nutrients, to prepare them for  the next growing season.

More time is being spent with indoor pastimes and hobbies - crafting comes to the fore in the colder months.  I seem to have more sewing-related projects on the go (or in the pipeline) than I can sensibly manage; I always like to have plenty to do but it's all got a little out-of-hand recently.  That may, of course, have something to do with a certain tiny person who has crept into my life :))  

A trailer just big enough to sleep two!

Over the weekend, we managed to get out for a walk along the front.  It was the annual classic car rally, and there was a magnificent array of cars parked all along the esplanade.  We were duly impressed; much gleaming chrome and polished paintwork, and trips down memory lane.   There were so many people there, admiring the wonderfully restored old vehicles and chatting to their owners.  Another very enjoyable day out.

A walk (in the sun) down memory lane

September is spoiling us with glorious sunshine, it's been just beautiful this week.  We're doing our best to take every opportunity to get out and about and enjoy these end of summer/early autumn days.  

Another walk earlier this week, something of a nostalgic wander along half-forgotten pathways I used to know as a small child in the company of my very special Auntie S.  Happy memories came flooding back, and I recalled ice-cream blocks in wafers, and paddling in the island-shaped pool.  It was such a delightful walk, and so peaceful in the woods.  We spotted two red squirrels in the trees (always a treat), and spent what seemed like hours just looking out to sea.  In the midst of so much rushing around and general busy-ness, it was such a pleasure to be able to just sit and be still.

The good weather means we can continue the garden tidy-up in sunshine, a real bonus.  Gradually the summer crops are coming to an end - the runner beans are finished and the fine green beans are not too far behind.  N's called it a day with the squash plants, sadly they never really got going and the very few fruits that formed have failed to thrive and survive.   We had the last of the lettuce leaves yesterday - we haven't bought salad leaves at all this year, so that's been very successful.  A few days of sunshine and warmth has been very beneficial to the tomatoes and peppers, and every day a few more fruit are turning red.  More tomato sauce for the freezer.  The courgettes are almost at an end, I think there are 3 left to crop, and the sweet corn is coming along well.  We're looking forward to sampling those in the not too-distant future :)  And on a walk into town we spotted damsons for sale in someone's garden, so we bought a couple of bags to make jam.  I remembered to count the number of fruits that went into the preserving pan (124), so I could make sure I retrieved the same number of stones before bottling - it makes for a bit of fun.  Sadly we could only find 123 stones.  Oh well ...

Getting out and about

It's been a lovely early autumn day today - sunshine and blue skies - so we packed a picnic and drove a few miles to the other side of the island and had ourselves a delightful riverside walk.  We certainly weren't alone, either.  There were lots of people out and about making the most of the weather; walkers like ourselves, but also many cyclists taking part in the cycling weekend being staged on the island.  We did manage to have one or two moments of complete peace and quiet, but it was good to see so many people, all different ages, just enjoying a really great Sunday afternoon outdoors.  Signs of autumn were all around us - acorns, sloes, hips and haws, and blackberries.  We walked about 5 miles, a nice and easy stroll, and thoroughly enjoyed the day.

We had a lovely get-together with old friends/colleagues a couple of days ago and it was just so good to see so many familiar faces, and a chance to catch up on everyone's news.  There was a lot to talk about, which meant a very late night (for us, at least!) but it was such a good evening.

We went to watch the illuminated carnival last night, and it was a good turn-out to support the parade.  There's something a little magical about a night-time carnival; it was colourful, loud (!) and lively, which seems like a recipe for success.

The kitchen has seen a flurry of activity over the weekend; we've processed  tomatoes into pasta sauce for the freezer, stewed apples (a very welcome gift), and made bread and cakes.  I've managed to get the lap quilts washed and dried on the line so they'll be clean and fresh to wrap ourselves in when the evenings get cooler, although we are noticing that autumnal nip in the air already.  Everyone is commenting on the change in temperature and it makes us determined to make the most of good days when they come along.  We are making plans to keep busy and productive in the winter months with various projects but hopefully autumn will provide us with plenty of days to get out and about.

When it's sunny, clean windows

There does seem to be a hint of autumn this week.  The temperatures are dropping off, and there's that nip in the air first thing in the morning.  We need lights on by 8 o'clock in the evening, and I'm reaching for long-sleeved clothing more often than not.  That's OK though, we're so much better now at working with the seasons than against them.  We've begun the tidy-up in the garden, keeping fingers crossed for just a little more sunshine, please, to finish ripening the tomatoes and peppers and sweet-corn.  We'll be having a closer look at what worked well, and what crops we won't be bothering with again.  There's quite a bit of sorting out to do outside so that we are ready and organised for next spring, and there's a few ideas for flowers and shrubs I'm hoping to implement, too.

N has finished sorting out all the screws and nails (and picture hooks - we could supply an art gallery!), and has realised that it's just the first of many similar jobs in the shed and storeroom.  I have taken advantage of some dry weather this week to clean the windows, all of them, inside and out.  It's been quite a good workout, lol, but at least the effort does appear to have been worthwhile.  It is just one more task to be ticked of the outside maintenance list, and as that particular list is quite long, every tick counts.

It's been 'back to school' week here - it doesn't seem that long ago that the kids were looking forward to the start of the holidays!   The days seem to go so quickly, I want to make sure I make the most of each and every one. 

Off we go again

After the sunshine and blue skies of Sunday, it's been a real mixed bag of weather this week - drizzly and dreary off and on.  The rain has been very welcome for the garden and again it's topped the water butts up a little, but we are certainly noticing the shortening of the days.  And dare I say it's getting a tad cooler of an evening, too?  We're not quite halfway through August, a month I always associated with the height of summer (school holidays, I guess), but this year I am very aware that it's more of a run in to autumn.  Strange I'd not really considered this before.

Enough of the pondering, we're still very much on the go.  Quite literally, as we are off 'up north' for a family do at the end of the week.  We seem to have had one of those phases where one or other, or both of us has been popping on and off the Island, and whilst it's been lovely to see people and do new things, we've got to a point where we are looking forward to a bit of time in one place - home!    There is so much to do here (I keep saying it but it is true), in particular some outside home maintenance that we wanted to tackle while we still had good weather, and here we are teetering on the brink of autumn and some of those jobs haven't even been started.  Time to roll my sleeves up, I think.

The garden continues to provide us with almost all our food for dinner; we do enjoy a good salad.  There's been some tomato sauce made, using what's being cropped right now, and I think I shall have to attempt some 'bread and butter pickles' to deal with the surfeit of cucumbers.  It's been a good year for them!

And now it's May

May.  One third of the way through the year - good grief!  

I had a lovely walk yesterday, clocking up about 8 1/2 miles in just under 2 1/2 hours; the pace was a bit fast and as it was all along pavements and tarmac surfaces, my feet did complain a little by the end.  I think I should slow down a bit next time.  A good walk, nevertheless, there's so much greenery about now and everything just looks fresh and new.  

At the end of each month I've got into the habit of looking back over the month and looking forward to the next, and it's been quite an interesting exercise.  Unlike the first three months, April didn't really have a focus or particular project, and that may be why it has seemed a bitty sort of month.  It was a time to take stock, I guess, and see where we were heading next.  Lots of odd bits were sorted out and we finished off most of the garden projects we had planned and the veg planting is well under way. We had a lovely holiday in Spain which we made the most of.  There have been some things that have required our attention and made us stop and consider, and that has been quite thought-provoking.

So if April was a stock-taking month, then May is time to move forward again, and to that end I have a list again.  One project remains in the garden and that will be done this month.  I have a long-outstanding task (which has been cropping up on lists now for several months to no avail) which I will do this month.  I have some sewing projects that have reached the top of my craft list and I intend to at least start those this month, too.  And there is a personal challenge I have set myself this month.  Quite a few other bits and pieces besides, but I shall be more than happy to achieve these specific items.  And along the way, stuff appears that wasn't expected or planned for, and that needs to be factored in, sometimes at the expense of something else.  That's how it goes.  That's life.  It's all about the balance.

Piglets

I intended posting last night but I got rather involved watching the final of the Miami Open between Andy Murray and Novak Djokovich; edge of seat stuff with lots of encouraging shouting from us.  Sadly Andy lost but by the end of the match both players looked absolutely shattered, having played for nearly three hours in sweltering heat and very high humidity.  

We've had some lovely weather here, too, this Easter weekend (and some rain, and a frost this morning, so a bit of a mixed bag really).  A lot of work in the garden, planting more seeds and potting seedlings on, and out and about walking.  Yesterday we visited the pigs and were surprised and delighted to find piglets.

One little piglet . . .

. . .  five little piglets . . .

. . . twelve little piglets!

Mama pig with the little runt suckling - he was so very much smaller than his siblings, and kept being pushed about by them 

And today we had a very pleasant walk along Cowes seafront and into the town. 

This huge container ship was on it's way into Southampton

 There were lots of people about, quite a few visitors and the local shops were doing a good trade.  The holiday season seems to be under way.

The signs are here

We continue to potter slowly and quietly for a few days, and taking out time has allowed us to appreciate the many signs of Spring all around us. 

Fresh green shoots in the hedgerow;

hawthorn blossom;

swathes of roadside daffodils;

little clumps of sweet violet;

an ornamental cherry in full blossom;

and a robin singing his heart out - it was as though he was giving a concert just for us!

And as for the much-talked about eclipse, sadly it was so cloudy here there was nothing to see, no spectacular 'smile' that many parts of the country witnessed.  Never mind, the photos online have been quite impressive, and I do remember the last one.

So many blogs, so little time

Days seems to be skipping past rather too quickly just at the moment.  It's noticeably lighter in the mornings, so we're wide awake much earlier, and this evening we didn't close the curtains till 17.45, much to our surprise and delight - Spring really is coming!  But somehow I don't seem to be getting as much done in these longer days, which is a bit contrary to my thinking.  Pondering this over a cuppa this afternoon, N said he felt the same - no projects started or on the go (although, goodness do we have a few in the pipeline!) - it feels as though we are just waiting to start the next phase of work, and for that we need, or certainly would prefer (!) more settled weather.  I think we just need to get February over and done with; it's always such an unpredictable month.

I have a feeling that one of my problems is I'm spending far too much time on the iPad - really not good at all.  It is just so easy to drop in on favourite blogs, and follow links, and click on to other posts and suddenly a couple of hours has disappeared =:o.  It started with just a handful of 'simple living/frugal' blogs, then I dropped in on a few quilting/sewing/recycling ones and just recently I've been browsing through some helpful clothing sites with the intention of updating my wardrobe (previously documented).  Who knew there were so many blogs out there?  And all so interesting?  And it seems I need to read them all . . . .
I think a little more self-restraint is required on my part, perhaps a time limit per day wouldn't be a bad place to start.  

The final winter spinach crop

Thrifted and deconstructed fabric

Even though I feel as though I haven't achieved very much over the weekend, I've actually done far more that I thought - it's so often the way.  I finished going through the filing drawers (more shredding) and re-labelled them; I've sorted through another cupboard (a few more items to the charity shop pile); I cropped the last of the spinach and cleared the bed; made bread and rolls; spent the morning dusting and hoovering; clothes washing; changed the bed; updated online details for a couple of storecards; turned some old T-shirts into rags; unpicked another thrifted shirt and a dress to add to my fabric stash; started upcycling a shirt into a skirt; met up with a friend for a drink and had a lovely chat on the phone with my little girl.  That's quite a bit really, now I come to think about it! 

The rest of the week has a little more structure about it - places to go, people to see, shopping to do - and hopefully more planning for the garden.  Roll on Spring, we have lots to do outside!