Alien vomit!!!

There is something freaky up at the plot....
weird dollops of gooey, icky stuff are appearing all over the grass! I have no idea what they are but my best guess would have to be ALIEN VOMIT!

 There are about twenty odd blobs of the stuff....but more appear each day untill most of the grass is covered....

 ....They appeared almost overnight, this happened at around the same time last year too....

 Eventually they turn a dirty yellow colour and crust over before disappearing as quickly as they came...
(cue 'twilight zone' music)

And while we're talking of weird blobs, I found these on a piece of wood...

I was tempted to open them to see what lurked inside but decided against because a) I didn't want to disturb any hibernating, aphid eating beasties and
b) because I'm a total chicken!

And on to more normal things.....

Squash

Now, I am  a lover of squash. I love squashes so much that my mum did me a portrait of one to hang in the living room! So last night the weather was a little chilly and I figured it was time to cut into the first squash of the season.                                                   

 I decided to use this rather splendid 'Turks Turban'.
I've not grown this type before and indeed this plant was a gift from my friend Dom.
Anyway, I thought it would make a lovely risotto for last night with enough left over to make a curry this evening.

But when I cut it in half I found that the seed cavity took up almost the whole thing!
The flesh is a beautiful colour and very dense and sweet but gawd save us! by the time I took out the seeds and the peel there was very little left!
Next year I'll just have to grow thousands of the buggers...you listening Dom? 

Season of mellow fruitfulness

John Keats called this the 'season of mists and mellow fruitfulness' and that is the very best description of English autumn I have ever heard! Today my garden is bathed in glorious, golden sunlight. The chickens are happily free ranging while our old dog dozes and Wurzel is up a ladder harvesting the last bunches of grapes from atop the pergola.

I say the last of the grapes because we've been picking them for weeks now and there were so, so many! Little flower has taken a bunch to school each day, we've given great bowls full to family, friends and neighbours. I've juiced mountains of grapes to make jellys and jams.





and of course, I hardly need say,
there is a gallon of red wine bubbling away in the kitchen.


And Wurzel is out there, picking yet more! Even the chickens are growing weary of grapes now! (They are fickle those hens, shortly before the grapes ripened they had begun turning their little beaks up at cherry tomatoes!) and we will know soon whether there is enough for another gallon of wine.

I love this time of year.