It was a long Spring this year!!

Here I am getting on with my Autumnal Chores quite efficiently and along comes Summer on 28th. September resulting with me sitting in my Garden Office shedding pounds through the 28 degree outside. What is happening?!!
Needless to say, in the next Diary entry I have no doubt you will be reading how quickly the weather has changed and I’ve been sitting in the Kitchen up against the Rayburn (this is an exaggeration – the Cats are two inches away from it and I never get a look in!).

Kent now records the highest temperature ever in the UK at 38.5 degrees and now the hottest October day on record at 29.9 degrees.
To all those who moan about Kent, there are some good thing’s going on for it!

A Car Free Week

Last week I decided the car should be given a rest and I’d cycle everywhere.
With the weather being so good, this was really enjoyable and just doing what I would do normally without any specified cycle rides, I managed just over 80 miles, which I guess saved me about £10 in Petrol.

Amongst this was a half train / half cycle ride to Canterbury for the Cricket Club’s Staff Meal. Having not cycled as much as I should have done since John O’Groats to Land’s End, I felt surprisingly good. I can only imagine that the 970 mile ride kind of embedded something within me somewhere. Certainly I was cycling up the same hills with ease compared to pre-JOGLE when I struggled.
Thing is, it worries me when I feel fit, I think I shouldn’t be!

This obviously brings about the thought I should be doing this more often, both for fitness and financial reason’s. The only downside is that a percentage of Car Drivers in the Ashord area seem to think it’s just and right for them to squeeze me off the road. I know I’m thin, but not as thin that they can’t see me!

The Car sails through MOT

A bit hyprocritical to go from cycling to car in one paragraph, but the car went in for it’s second MOT in as many years and once again passed without any hitches.
I was a bit put out when the man at the Garage phoned me to say “Mr. Cannon, your little Picanto’s ready for collection”.
Well, it may be little to you mate, but to me, it’s a Car and a mighty fine one at that!
In celebration of the pass and the fact I had £150 put by just in case, I had an Oil Change, so it’s purring!

Around the Garden

The Chickens are now totally confused with the weather, one day they’re sheltering from the wind and the rain in their Lean-To part and the next, back to scraping around through the tunnels they’ve made in the stinging nettles.
It’s strange how they don’t mind the Nettles, all be it they’re over five feet tall in the Run!
I’ve split the Run in two; one half is cleared of all weeds and Nettles and the other half isn’t – where do they usually run out from? The other half!

By the way, the Rayburn was made in 1953 and I was made in 1948 – which one is wearing better? !!

They’re looking quite well yet one, even after six month’s, hasn’t regained all the feathers yet. They’re typical ex-battery hens, full of street cred and mishief!
They’re down to one egg, occasionally two eggs a day now, but I’m not worried as long as they’re not!

The vegetable Garden is now starting to look somewhat tired although I’m still getting Runner Beans, Courgettes and tomatoes from the Greenhouse.
The Squash are amazing and still getting bigger on a daily basis, so much so I’m beginning to wonder if they will ripen!

I’ve decided that next year I will grow using the non-dig method, so am awaiting the right moment to prepare the beds to cover for the Winter.
I want to give myself a bit more room though, so I shall have to do some digging in a few weeks time.
Just before the frosts is about the right time, so end of October I reckon. Mind you, with these recent weather pattern’s, it could have snowed by then!

The Feezer is full and I’m now just awaiting the Medlars and Quinces to ripen from the big house opposite.

All in all a good season.

The Diary is active

In the next two weeks I have quite a bit coming up.

This coming weekend I travel to London for a family get together at my Sisters.
The weekend after that I shall be going to one of the pick-up points with ‘Fresh Start for Hens‘ (Battery Hen re-homing) to see their good work for myself, hopefully lend a hand and hand over the £600 raised from my Bike Ride.
Then I’m off to North Wales for four days to visit my good friends John and Val Harrison (allotment.org.uk) on their Smallholding.

So busy busy yet enough time inbetween to catch up with things, collect more wood, prepare for Winter and hopefully write a few new web pages as well.