Friday 23 September 2016

the taming of the wilderness ...




You may wonder where I have been - why I haven't been visiting your blog or leaving comments.  The reason is simple - I have been in the garden trying to tame the wilderness it had become.  Regular readers will know that I like my garden to be a little wild; untamed; natural looking.  But there comes a point where you have to take control before it all becomes unmanageable. 

We have had some lovely autumn days, where I have been working outside from sun-up to sun-set - giving little thought to time passing and ignoring the call of the internet and computers.  For who wouldn't rather be out in the fresh air than cooped up indoors.  Not I.  There will be plenty of time for that when the season turns once more and winter arrives.



In the world beyond the garden gate:-
berries and fruits shine out like beacons waiting to be plucked from their often thorny stems.  Scarlet hips, crimson haws, indigo sloes  with a pale bloom on their skins.  Glistening purple elderberries drooping under the weight of the fruit.  Burnt orange rowan berries hanging in clusters.  Acid green crab apples.  Knobbly horse chestnuts.  Spiky sweet chestnuts.   Mother Nature knows no bounds at this time of year and provides glorious bounty from her wild garden.


Autumn cooking is for storing, squirrelling and hoarding, in larder and cupboard, attic and cellar and freezer.  In the mornings, a mist rises and wreathes in and out between the tree trunks.  On the damp grass lie windfall apples and pears, burrowed into by late wasps.  By noon, the sun is high, and it is warm.  The leaves are beginning to yellow and curl.  Runner bean flowers are shrivelling at the tops of their poles.  Fruits hang thickly clustered from their stems, over-ripe, ready to fall, plums and damsons, apples and pears, rowan and elderberries and dark succulent brambles. ~ Susan Hill
 


I hope to get back on the blogging circuit in due course, when I have a little more free time to spend with you; until then ...
Elaine
 


42 comments:

  1. It really is just holding back the wilderness. What a bounty. All you need is the cornucopia.

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    1. I don't particularly like manicured gardens but it so easily gets out of control and sometimes drastic measures have to be taken. I love the hedgerows at this time of year always plenty to look at and forage for and photograph of course.

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  2. Such beautiful arrangements composed from the best that Mother Nature has to offer. Thank you for sharing your wonderful photographs with your fortunate readers.

    I'm off to gather the pear harvest as the boughs are getting heavy. Enjoy the many hours spent in your garden.

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    1. Thank you CD. I wish I had a pear harvest to gather, unfortunately I haven't had a single pear yet from my tree :(

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  3. When comparing blogs with gardens, there is no competition. I'm glad you have your priorities straight! <3

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    1. Thanks Sarah - I wish I had time to do both but sometimes something has to give.

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  4. I'm rather enjoying Autumn this time round; maybe it's because I've got used to mild Winters recently. My fingers are crossed for another.

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    1. I love autumn when it is sunny and bright, not so much when it is grey and gloomy.

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  5. Lovely hedgerow bounty which so many people neglect to make use of - yesterday we made sloe gin to team with our damson ice cream

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    1. Sounds a good combination Rosemary. I have used all my damsons now and forget to save some back to try out your ice cream recipe - darn it :(

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  6. How beautiful! Thank you for sharing nature's harvest with us, such a wonderful time of year:)

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  7. I love the Autumn berries and for some reason this time of year really takes me back to my childhood. We would walk around the farm more than usual because the harvest was over and the fields were clear, and I would gather things from the hedgerows and take them into school. We had a nature table and everybody would bring things in and then we would identify them, draw and write about them. Lovely memories from this post Elaine. I, too, will gather some when I go out. Thank you.

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    1. Glad you enjoyed the post Rachel - I remember the nature table too and going for nature walks to try and identify different crops and things growing in the hedgerows. Enjoy your gatherings.

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  8. We are definitely squirrelling and hoarding!

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    1. Me too Sue - the freezer is groaning at the seams - trays full of apples - squash ripening - I think we will manage to get through the winter without starving :)

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  9. As always Elaine your photo's and description just lovely to look at and read.
    Take time to enjoy and tame your garden.

    I'll always have the kettle on ... just in case you want to stop for a cuppa!

    All the best Jan

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    1. Thanks Jan - I'll take my tea with milk, no sugar :)

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  10. Your photographs take me back to my childhood and the harvest festivals we had ..... Autumnal berries, rich colours, harvest, hips and fruit ..... oh, I see that it has also invoked Rachel's childhood too !!
    .... I think that being outside is far preferable to looking at the computer Elaine !!!!! XXXX

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    1. Glad you agree with my philosophy Jackie. I used to love harvest festival too - a few years ago I prepared a basket of goodies for the church and felt really proud that I had grown everything myself.

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  11. Beautiful photos - I could almost reach out and touch those berries.

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    1. Thanks Sue - you can't fail to take good photos when the subject is so colourful.

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  12. Lovely autumnal pictures. It's been a good week for gardening so I don't blame you for making the most of it. Flighty xx

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    1. Thanks Flighty. I am just grateful that the weather is holding out at the moment so I can complete all that needs doing.

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  13. So beautiful bouquets, Elaine - such a treat! And as a gardener (who in Berlin has to be content with a balcony, but still gets plenty of quinces from the tree I planted in my old garden in Hildesheim) I understand that you use every minute to work in your garden!

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    1. Thank you Britta - gardening as you know can be jolly hard work but the results are worth all the toil.

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  14. I love seeing your fall bounty, Elaine! I'm thinking I need to tame my natural gardens a bit next summer. For now, they've gone to seed and last night got covered by snow. I'd rather be outdoors, too. Winter is long and hard here!

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    1. There are some beautiful sights at this time of year - I enjoy collecting a natural bouquet of beautiful hedgerow fruits - how I wish I didn't have to tame my garden but it puts on so much growth during the year it begins to take over and plants get lost or hidden by the stronger plants and the garden begins to suffer - sometimes you have to be brutal to get good results. Sorry to hear the snow has arrived already - if only your summer lasted a little longer for you to enjoy a longer season of warmth.

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  15. I agree about making the most of being outside at the moment. We're enjoying some lovely autumn days and there is so much to do in the garden and with berry/fruit picking.

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    1. The trouble with wanting to be outside all the time is that the house goes to pot :) Still there will be plenty of wet days when I can put everything to rights and start thinking of indoor activities instead.

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  16. Hope you have enjoyed your time in the garden! xx

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  17. The warmer autumn weather has been a precious opportunity to get things done outside. I carted away wheelbarrow loads of brambles yesterday. Just in time too cos it is pouring now. Happy taming!

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    1. September has been glorious here - I am so thankful, so much has been achieved.

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  18. Ah Elaine - I do not blame you for being out in that lovely garden of yours. The wild look is a favorite of mine and your photos are gorgeous friend. Hope you enjoy each moment of this autumn season. Have a great week! Hugs!!

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    1. September seems to have gone by so fast - I am enjoying every moment of the beginning of autumn.

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  19. You know I like the wild look of your garden and my own garden is sometimes a kind of jungle too. But there is always a time of action when it´s going to far. I think we are very lucky with the nice autumn weather spending lots of time in the garden, working in our wilderness or enjoying the last sunbeams with a boo and a cup of tea.
    Hope we get another week outside, inside is for the dull and rainy days!

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    1. After all the work that I have done it looks a bit too manicured for my liking, but as garden tend to do, it will all grow back in time.

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  20. Completely understand Elaine, I'm the same I'd much rather be outside than indoors writing a blog about being outside gardening! Your arrangements are so beautiful, there is an abundance of fruits and berries this year, gleaming in the sunshine.

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    1. We are on the same wavelength Annie - I do love this time of year to be sure.

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  21. How beautifully you've captured autumn, such vibrant bountiful images! I must go berry gathering soon. You remind me that I urgently need to deal with the garden too. Another delightful post....you enjoy the garden and the mists!xxx

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    1. I have hardly been indoors all September, just to eat and sleep really, long may the lovely weather continue.

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