Solway Surprises

Last weekend we visited the Solway Coast near Dumfries. The landscape is fascinating. Hummocks of grass are covered with crushed shells. The grass is covered by the sea a high tide.

Look at the layers

The sand was more like mud

 This natural pattern made by the sea looks like land art.

Formed by seaweed and shells

Daisies growing in the sand.

They must be able to withstand the salt water

A Cycle Network marker.

Lovely symbols

Highland cows.

Och the moo

We saw this Christmas tree on the beach left over from last year.

A sea tree

Golden pheasants.

Not very decorative 

How would you like this as a play house?

I love the seat

Looking along the beach.

Looking towards England

A wonderful sunset. 

Moody sky

Halloween Happenings

This week was Halloween so the Artful Garden was decorated to celebrate.

A cobwebbed gate

Pumpkin lanterns grown on my allotment

When shall we three meet again

Halloween sheep

Ghostly happenings

Horror faces on tin cans

Boozy Floosy

Bobby Barley looking horrific

Autumn is fully here. This tree trunk looks like a flowing river.

It looks very fluid

The beauty of leaves.

Look at the different shapes

Look up through the trees and see the patterns made by the branches.

Look at the negative spaces

Graffiti.

So realistic

Thursday morning sunrise. 

Illuminated sky

Wet and Weeding

There has been strong gales and heavy rain this week but I have managed  some gardening in between the showers. I have got my allotment weeded. I am still harvesting kale, sprouts and leeks. The runner beans and raspberries have come to an end.

I have a good crop of leeks

In my garden at home there are still flowers in bloom. Red asters.

Bright pink

Nerines give a splash of pink.

Pink exotics

A bears paw.

Beware of the bear

Some lupins have come back into flower.

A pretty white lupin

The bright red bistort makes a splash of colour.

Bottle brushes

Lichen on a gate stoop.

Wonderful colours

This oak tree has split its trunk but is still alive.

Can you see a female torso?

Sunrise this morning.

A milky sky

Happy Harvesting

I have had a busy two weeks harvesting. I have made raspberry jam as I had 61/2 lbs of raspberries when I came back from holiday. I have also harvested my beetroot making beetroot relish, pickled beetroot and storing some beetroot in sand.

Delicious

The runner beans are now coming to an end. They do not like the wet weather.

Has beans

The strong winds have brought the little red apples from the tree.

A carpet of red beads

The red hot pokers flame in the garden.

Golden orbs

The jasmine is in flower against the barn wall.

Bright blooms

The nasturtiums on the allotment resist the frost.

Orange globes

I have just harvested my ghords, not as many as last year.

Knobby ghords

I have harvested my helicrysum. The first crop were a failure.

I had to wait for sunshine for them to open before they could be cut

We had a trip to Conwy. This is part of Conwy castle.

It looks like a toy castle

Marram grass and sea cabbage.

Soft sand

Dried sea holly. 

Very angular

A lovely pub sign.

A life on the ocean waves

I have been experimenting with embroidery.An embroidered gift tag.

Inspired by the flowers I grow

An embroidered card.

For my sister's birthday

I found this Gardeners Companion from 1948. There is a lot of good advice within its pages.

Everything a gardener needs to know

Currant advice

The clamatis has a second flowering.t ujnm