A lot happened during the month, not all of it to do with the nursery.

We got settled into the barn then himself went off boating for three weeks. While he was away I did a lot of gardening, cutting back perennials and shrubs and ended up with a huge heap to burn. The bulbs arrived, 500 different narcissus, which I planted along the new border leading to the barn. This was slow work because the ground had not been worked here before. Planting bulbs has never been my favourite job. It’s done now and some roses are on order. It needs to be simple to maintain, I have enough to do elsewhere.

My dad came to stay for a few days which was a special time for both of us. Then, a few days after I took him back, I noticed that George seemed a bit poorly and wasn’t eating. A trip to the vets who said he needed to have a tooth out. Much anxiety on my part, not least because it’s not easy to get him into the cat carrier. When I first got him from the cat rescue place he’d already had several teeth removed. when I picked him up after the operation I was told that two teeth were extracted leaving just one. Poor George, it took a few days for him to be ‘normal’ but now he is eating well and seems fine.

The purple-podded beans began to crop early in the month and I was able to sell quite a few at the local village shop, I’ve also given a lot away and frozen some. The there was a frost last Sunday which finished them off so they have been pulled up and the garlic is now being planted.

The weather has been very varied, a few welcome days of sunshine, one day I worked in t-shirt and jeans. But also some very strong winds and an unsettling day when the sky was a dark grey (as if it was going to snow) with a red sun which was due to sandstorms in north Africa and the fires in Portugal.

I made huge amounts of apple and black garlic chutney which are on sale. It is very tasty but very time consuming to make.

As I write this it is raining, the first real rain for a very long time.

I dislike this time of year, the changing of the clocks is something I find increasingly difficult to adjust to but it’s the shorter days and the prospect of cold which is not something to look forward to.