Poo bags ... not just for poo!

No matter how thorough you think you've been when digging up the spuds, when you go over the patch again to prepare it for next year's crops, you always find a few more. Not having brought anything with me to carry produce home in, a quick search of my pockets produced the usual ever-present bundle of (empty) dog poo bags - just the right size for transporting the spuds in. We will enjoy them later, boiled with mint from the allotment and served with a knob of butter ... and no doubt the wippitts will get a share too!

Find out more HERE

Thinking ahead

A bit of a blatant plug today - but it's all in a good cause!
If you are being organised and planning out your Christmas present list for friends and relatives,
why not give those who are dog owners a copy of Dog-friendly Gardening?
It will help them ensure that the garden is a safe as well
as fun place for everyone - two and four legged - to be.
All royalties are donated to a charitable cause: to
find out more visit the website at
http://dogfriendlygardening.jimdo.com/

If you want to buy the book, click the link below!

Click HERE for link

Dazzling

A dry afternoon the day before yesterday meant I had an opportunity to give the patio a quick clean. Not my favourite job and I had been lazy about it during the summer, but really couldn't leave it any longer as although it was fine on dry days, every time it rained it became treacherously slippery. And with autumn well and truly here and winter on its way, there are obviously going to be more wet than dry days ahead ...
So the dogs were left indoors safely out of the way and out came the power washer - it is an 'own brand' one from B&Q and has been one of my better equipment purchases. It does the job nicely and cost less than the comparative named brands. Although you can buy various products to apply to patios and paths to clean them, I'm always wary of those which carry instructions that tell you that although it is a 'pet friendly' product you shouldn't let your pet walk on it for a certain period of time. A presssure washer uses nothing but water, so provided you leave your pet indoors while working so he cannot accidentally get blasted, I'm happy that it is entirely safe. The only down side is that it does tend to blast the mortar out of the cracks - another job for next year - but it was loose anyway, I suppose. And happily the painstakingly cultivated moss between other paving slabs seems to have survived the experience!
The patio will obviously never look like new again (although I'm not sure I should like it to) but it is much brighter and cheerier - and more importantly still, is now safe for both two and four legged folk to walk on.

Click HERE for link

Remember, remember ...

I'm posting early this week, as Wednesday night will be Guy Fawkes' night.
Yes, it's that time of year again and as well as the distress that fireworks may cause your dog and other pets, wildlife has good cause to be anxious too. Please, please, check very carefully beneath any bonfires before lighting them - whether piles of leaves which have been swept up in your garden, or a Guy Fawkes night construction - as hedgehogs may be hibernating beneath them. The best way to make sure you don't accidentally roast one is to actually lift and move everything onto a new pile.


You can find some more info on how you can help this gardener's friend HERE

CLICK HERE FOR LINK

Nom nom nom

One of the things I look forward to at this time of year is pumpkin soup!

I even save all the insides of the Halloween pumpkin I scoop out before carving it as I can't bear to let an opportunity for soup to pass by ...

This is a Valentine Warner recipe - although the sherry is optional, if you have any knocking around it is worth trying as it gets the soup an extra lift!

You will need: 1 x 4kg pumpkin, 125g butter, 2 finely chopped medium onions, 1 cinnamon stick, freshly grated nutmeg, 1.7 litres chicken or vegetable stock, 3 tablespoons sherry.

Remove and discard the seeds and fibres from the middle of the pumpkin: remove the flesh and roughly chop it. Melt the butter in a large pan over a low heat and add the onions. Cook gently for around 15 minutes until softened and golden-brown. Add the pumpkin flesh, cinnamon and nutmeg, season to taste: increase the heat slightly to medium, and cover with a lid. Cook for around 40 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, until pumpkin is cooked through. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Transfer to a food processor in batches and blend until smooth. Return to a clean pan, bring to a low simmer and cook for a further 30 minutes. Before serving, stir in the sherry if you are using it.  Enjoy!

If you are expecting any trick or treaters tonight, make sure you keep your dog safely shut in another room before answering the door - and check that all garden gates have been properly shut once they have all gone. It's a good idea to walk your dog early as well, and a little later than usual in the evening as meeting gangs of trick-or-treaters in spooky costumes may be a little unnerving for some dogs.

Click here for link!

Brrrrrrr

The days are getting shorter, and it is definitely feeling more chilly. 

I know this because Archie and Angel are not keen on lingering longer than necessary outside, and have been asking to have their coats on when going out at night for a before-bedtime pee. My Mum also commented on how nippy it felt the other day and went to look out her winter woollies. I checked the temperature - 14 degrees, so not actually as cold as all that. If it had been an early Spring day with the sun out and primroses and crocuses blooming everywhere we would all have been exclaiming about how lovely and mild it was ... but because it is Autumn and leaves are falling, it is apparently, 'chilly'!

What the well dressed whippet will be wearing in the garden this year

Surprise!

Archie quality checks the apples to see
if they are ready for harvesting

 

It was a bumper year for my apples and pears this year: the first lot of pears - a dessert variety - are all picked, poached and safely in the freezer. I'm still waiting for the next lot to ripen, and then the freezer will be fully stocked for the winter months ahead.

The apples are all in too - or I thought they were.

And then I spotted this: two which I'd somehow missed picking off the apple tree in the garden.

It was a nice surprise and best of all, as they are eating apples, I won't have to toil over a hot stove cooking them for freezing!