AUTUMN GREETINGS!

Yes indeed, the colors are beginning to change...time to hang up the "Autumn Greetings" sign, put out the spooky stuff, and enjoy the scent of damp and rot in the air! God I love fall..yes, I do!! The colors are hot and dark and full and rich...chocolate soil,.. gold, scarlet and purple leaves....still plenty of green though and even those are deepening their painterly colors.

Bloggers I follow are sharing their joy of the season...Thomas' purple tomatillo salsa at A Growing Tradition, Mango Cheeks plum and ginger crumble meltingly comforting at Allotment 2 Kitchen, Niki's fantastic gourds at Year Round Veggie Garden which despite all odds have given a bumper crop to share with her community. Well...isn't that the root or rather the fruit, of autumn...this bountiful gift of being able to share....food, recipes, seeds, and simple joy.

Oh it's going to be a great season)))...can you feel it!!


"Find your Bliss"..Andy at Kensho Studio quoted this in a recent post. Autumn..it's MY bliss right now))).

The Change

There's no denying it...summer has pretty well gone from the garden and soon from the calendar, except for the killing frost which I sincerely hope is a little while away yet. Heavy morning dews show us a different garden than the one we have been used to seeing...asparagus fronds sparkle and highlight the custard white squash grown much larger than it should have been allowed (ahem...)))) Very suitable for decoration though!


Foliage is collapsing inside the vegetable garden, although there are still sturdy greens growing...leeks, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and more.

It's this time of year especially, when spiders delight in catching you in their webs, showing off their brilliant weaving skills!


It's time to pick up a few pumpkins and think about Thanksgiving.......lots to be grateful for... it's been a wonderful summer.

Joyful Tomato Days

DO YOU CAN?... "Jumpins" (as my uncle Richard is fond of saying))))...Yes I do!!!

Sure I started out with the pickles and jams about thirty-five years ago...but recently (the last six years or so) I got "all exotic"..and if you have followed my blog I specifically grew tomatoes this year hoping to make again, my favorite Tomato chutney.. from Madhur Jaffery's book "Taste of India" and a new recipe of Sarah Raven's called Chilli Jam.


It's been a great day..lots of boiling and steam... tomatoes from our garden (gold, purple and red) simmering...the house smells of garlic, cumin, ginger, fennel....and more.

Yes my legs are saying sit down, but my mouth is saying...sigh, bliss..ummm..as I reach for the cheddar cheese, crackers and that lovely soft warm chutney..ahem..jam. Makes no diff..it's divine.

Upon Reflection..

"A Place to Sit, and Reflect on your Day"...every gardener needs that...their quiet place..their still place. When the sun starts to sparkle low through the birch tree tops about six'ish, we wind our way to the pond, feed the fish and talk about our day and also our plans for tomorrow.


About four years ago, we found a goldfish scroll in Toronto's Chinatown....it just didn't get used..until this year. We hung it outside above the pond, and although Hurricane Earl had a rip of it..the scroll has a lovely appeal reflected in the water, with the goldfish babies swimming through the image.

Thinking outside the box..is that what they call it...))))

Night Shots

There's wonderful beauty in the night garden. Beaming moonlight and glowing house light peek into crevices, paths and the secret evening hideouts of our daytime garden friends.

My heart gave a little thump last evening, walking near the pond; I had forgotten we had a new resident. No, he wasn't real, but for a moment, I thought he was. Stainless steel and life size, he is the most awesome belated birthday gift and I want to thank N, K and L for crafting it, and giving to your "gardeningbren" cousin!! She is just thrilled with this "fine bird".


On the other hand, it is sad to see the garden waning...leaves starting to fall, tomato plants drooping at the end of their season. Others are holding on though, and those of course, would be the German Gold's who are really coming on now....Golden tomato soup, salsa and sauce..mmm and we are getting a few hot peppers...perfect timing.


The nasturtiums are continuing to bloom their heads off, covering plants that are in demise.

Still promise in the soil..............

Big Clean Up and Thanks for Kind Thoughts

Thanks to all who sent their best wishes; we appreciated them so very much. Power is just back on!

Remarkable at the end of the hurricane..... wind'n sunshine with gratefulness. The cleanup, although tedious, was a huge page turner...the garden looks renewed and refreshed, although sparse. We can now fully see the veg garden fence, and beyond. (I honestly don't know why this photo looks so blue or purple and I did try to adjust it... but you get the drift)))


Sweet peas on the back wall, are mostly gone now...lost the main (focal point) bean tepee inside the vegetable garden but the Blue Morning Glory tripod stayed in the ground just fine. The Miscanthus, although flattened...found it's memory and with a little support is going to be alright. Same re the Verbena Bonariensis, a joy to the hummingbirds and my eyes right about now))).

Speaking of the hummingbirds, they are still here and surprisingly, blooms they are enjoying including the above...are radish flowers...who'd a thunk? Maybe they like a little spicey hot with their sweet? I know I do!

Again, thanks for all the kind thoughts and messages....so very appreciated. Bren

Earl's Almost Done Here!

The morning paper didn't lie...it was rather a rough go!! Gardeners in our area, had their bean teepee's toppled, all sorts of perennials flattened, crops damaged and close to us, a number of trees came down. Not willing to actually stand in the torrential rain, we took a few photos from inside the vehicle. This is in a neighbour's front yard:


The Captain had to check on boats.... it was wild on the water but thankfully, no vessels in his care were lost .

The wind is still blowing about thirty or forty knots but Earl is moving on..thankfully. Tomorrow will be a BIG cleanup day...a composting opportunity)))).

Kinda' Blue..Hurricane Coming..

Waiting for a hurricane...Earl. Hope the garden doesn't suffer too much. Will the Heavenly Blue Morning Glory be able to hold on for dear life, and will Cimicifuga racemosa below remain standing tall?

....Or, will Earl, like Danielle, go out to sea and just leave us with more hot weather? That would be nice.