So many sloes in the hedgerow at the side of the open garden and also in the woods at the end. Looks like a good year to make sloe gin, after they have been sweetened by the first frosts..

There are at least 6 pear trees in the orchard. Two are early William’s style Bartlett pears, a couple appear to be Comice and perhaps another two are conference. What to do with so many pears after such a good harvest? The early Williams pears are all coming ripe at once ( about now having been picked last week) and I will need to preserve or juice them I think

We had plums this year at the end of August but they were over all too soon and many rotted on the tree because they were on branches too high to pick on our very old tree. If I plant any new trees I will plant plum trees, we so enjoyed the ones we had.

The vegetable garden is at last looking as it should have been looking 6 weeks ago. The persistent rat problem put everything back many weeks as I had to resow many crops once I had secured the perimeter!! Anyway, it is going well now and I even get the odd bean and tomato. The runner beans are not cropping well- probably too late and not enough water. This winter I plan to get the overhanging birch tree removed which will have a good effect on the beds furthest from the house.

The first apples from the orchard have been cropping for the last couple of weeks. After extensive research I believe that they are Norfolk Royal “a mid season dessert apple developed in Norfolk in the 1920s.” I suspect they were planted here as they are quite resistant to cold and the tree certainly seems to be happy and growing well.

The apples are quite large and juicy and we have made about 3-4 litres of juice with them so far. They are also good for eating but go off quickly like all early apples. I have also made two apple cakes which went down well.

I plan to identify all the apple types I have in the orchard and also the pears. One type of pear ( probably Williams) is ready to pick now although not fully ripe yet.

The William’s pears were all ripe within a week and too soft 2 days later so the window of opportunity is small.

Norfolk Royal all picked and none left on the tree and the ones that are stored will only be good for another week or so.

Given to me by David for my 50th Birthday and planted in the ‘park area’. Currently it is a little taller than me – lets see how big it grows!

While we were away in Brittany Lois and Dad uncovered the pond! It doesn’t look much here but is a whole new area to think about. I think I will renovate it in the early Spring- take away some of the growth above it and take out some of the silt at the bottom. Then plant up with a water lily and think about the surrounding plants. This could be a nice additional area.

No postings since May- oh dear! Not enough space on my phone for taking pictures and also so much going one. I wish I had recorded the peonies and delphiniums which were a highlight in June. Apart from that I was doing battle with the rats in the vegetable garden who ate everything in sight- even the rat poison- and went on forever. In the end the extra fencing and clearing the wood sacks/piles helped and now it is burgeoning.

I also failed to establish underplanting in the orchard as the rabbits dug up all the lavender bushes bar one even though I replanted them often and waterbed them they didn’t survive.

What I learnt over the summer

• the garden peaks in May/June with little after that. I need more sustained flowering shrubs and late summer flowers; lavender, roses, hydrangeas and other perennials
• more flowering shrubs needed to make a bridge between trees and flowerbeds
• larger, fuller flowerbeds near to the house with cottage garden planting
• more additional focal points like arches and obelisks for height and interest
• maintain rodent proofing and fence plants off until they establish

I am happy to feed the birds- although the rooks that descend on my bird feeder and the naughty squirrel who hangs upside down helping himself to the peanuts, do try my patience at times. However, I am much less sanguine when I discover that someone/something has been nibbling the tops off my kale and broccoli seedlings over-night. I thought at first it was a muntjak deer which had jumped the fence, however after dangling lots of computer discs around the place to scare them away, the problem remained. I then discovered on the internet that it was probably a rat- and I have seen one in the garden. So what to do? I don’t want to trap them and have to clear up corpses each morning. I heard that they hate mint and so I have put minty things around the veg, however, they may start to help themselves to the fruit when it is ready. They are also effectively fenced in by the rabbit proof fence. Perhaps I can starve them to death before the fruit comes in. Whatever I do it doesn’t seem very kind. Ideas?

This week it’s all about pink flowers in the garden.

Rhododendron- couldn’t get much pinker.

The pink horse chestnut comes into flower.

By the pond and pergola. Not even sure what it is !

Look like pinks, but the foliage appears coniferous.