Dog walk at Knowlton Church

We had a few visitors yesterday and took some time out for a walk round Knowlton Church with Juno. She loves it there.

Juno

Juno and I have been out and about a lot recently, enjoying some of the sunshine and mud. On the way to collect Maria we stopped near the allotment and she met the pigs in the next field, piglets included. Yesterday she took a comfortable seat on the motorhome to watch me clean the car. As soon as you pick up any keys, she's ready to jump in the boot or on board the van.

Scenery

It was very sunny first thing on the dog walk to Remedy Oak which accounts for the rather dazzling photos. Not long after, Juno and I headed east to the New Forest near Moyles Court for a four mile round walk which takes in fantastic views across the Avon Valley and the surrounding area. 

Lovely being able to enjoy the countryside in the sunshine and then a spot of lunch, homemade pasty pie and cheese with a flask of coffee, for me anyway. Poor Juno had to make do with a few crisps when we stopped off at the pub on the way home. She made up for it later.

We are still eating plenty of home produce, today that included courgette, spinach, chard and garlic, all of which went in with other ingredients to make a vegetable biryani. Though I say so myself, it was very tasty.

WM allotment

 

I have been driving all over today with Alison, Bridie, Joseph and Maria all needing lifts, as well as the usual responsibilities. I stopped off at the allotment for the first time in over a week to plant out both the garlic bulbs and broad bean seeds. They will all over winter having put on a bit of growth in the next weeks, and be ready for harvest from early summer onwards, a little earlier than would otherwise be the case. 

The brilliant thing was being able to pick basil, coriander, lettuce and spinach from under the cloche. Very welcome at this time of year, as well as the first leeks and parsnips. Really pleased with both and they will keep going for several weeks now, great results which demonstrate how the veg can keep coming into the winter months. I also took up the last couple of carrots, so it could be allotment stew for us tomorrow, using these, our potatoes, garlic and some dried chickpeas and lentils. Good, hearty stuff.

Storm Ashley

It's been a wet few days again and the river in the woods is almost up to the brim. Juno would normally jump down and splash about in the shallow water but she didn't fancy it this time. Alison and I walked around Potterne Lake from Potterne Park yesterday, making the most of the dry afternoon and mild weather. A bit of down time in a week which is crazy busy.

Busy times

It has been an incredibly busy week and the first time in years and years since I went to bed after 1am three nights out of the last four.

After babysitting for Joe and Kate whilst they had their council meeting which didn't finish until after midnight, we were visited by old university friends. That included Jack Daniels after 2am and happened to be on the same day as Maria's 17th birthday. Having been at dance, she celebrated on Friday with a trip up to London to see Dizzee Rascal with Bridie and friends. I drove them up and we didn't get back until after 1am. 

It has been a lot of fun though and Maria was so happy. Chris also gave us a set of keys for their place in Lisbon, so looks like we might be headed over there sometime soon.

Kingston Lacy

Alison and I had a little visit to Kingston Lacy with the autumn season in full swing now. Beautiful colours and very quiet in the gardens, so we were able to take our time and fully appreciate the work that has been done recently. There are so many areas where the staff have been changing planting and paths, opening up spaces and so on. It looks great.

We also enjoyed a tour of the house, focusing on the art work but also spending some time listening to the very knowledgeable guides who bring the place to life.

An evening by the beach

Alison and I visited the allotment before heading to the shops in the morning. Juno and I had already walked 5 miles in our long weekend walk and we managed to dodge the heavy rain that came before mid day. Our haul from the allotment included the last of the carrots which are starting to suffer from slugs with the wet weather and declining availability of food for them. We also brought home a couple of squash, a courgette, greens and beetroot.

In the evening Maria was meeting a friend and then going to Waggamamma's in Bournemouth, so we decided to use the time for a walk on the beach with Juno. Cold but beautiful, especially with the moonlight on the sea.

Unexpected bonus

I spent a bit of time at the W allotment whilst Alison visited Joy and was surprised by how many runner beans, carrots and beetroot were still good for picking. The carrots were a lovely size and I was also able to pick spinach, lettuce, basil and Coriander from the cold frame. 

It was also an opportunity to clear away more of the debris from removing the redcurrant bush and to weed a little more. Next week should be ideal for planting the broad beans for early cropping next year, and the garlic for June harvest. We are still working our way through this year's garlic, smoething it is easy to take for granted. Plenty of flavour in the cloves and will last us into next year.

Alison was in the garden this afternoon, deadheading and tidying up, and I gave the car a wash and polish, hoover and tyre pressure check. It's like being retired!

Juno and I walked 4.65 miles this morning and are aiming to beat last week's total distance walked of 38 miles. We'll have 16 miles to do in 3 days, so it is on. Fingers crossed with the weather. 

Mid October

It was a busy weekend with Joseph staying three nights and the girls staying Friday night before a day in Bournemouth. They were all back to school on Monday when Alison and I drove to Dorchester where there was a shop with fancy dress which Alison hoped would provide her with a suitable costume. It was nice to simply walk around the shops without anything in particular in mind before meeting up with Sandra for coffee.

Tuesday was very wet again and Juno and myself were soaked after the first walk of the day, three miles in the mud. The stream in the woods is already full and autumn is just getting going. However, today is a complete contrast with sunshine for now and perfect for a walk across Dewlands to collect the car.

I did a cycle ride yesterday and dodged most of the rain but more surprisingly, I ran on Monday. I was not thinking of running again, at my advanced age, but have been thinking about it for several days. First time since May and I managed over two miles without a stop. Jelly legs afterwards though!

Bournemouth beach on a Friday evening

Maria had an evening out in Bournemouth with her college friends which meant I had a bit of time to kill between lifts. She had a lovely time before we headed home to join Alison with Joseph and the girls over for a sleepover. Juno and I walked a few miles as the darkness fell and she was as suspicious as ever of the moving water. It was pretty quiet despite it being a nice evening and we relaxed just out of reach of the waves as they broke gently over the sand.

Once we'd got back to town, we headed to a local bar for an alcohol free beer and some salted crisps to share.

W allotment

It's getting toward the end of the main harvest now with the runner beans done and the tomatoes largely gone over after the drop in temperature. I did enjoy an extended visit this morning though and got the grass cut along with the strimming. All neat and tidy now. There were still things to pick, including a couple more courgettes, a squash, carrots, beetroot and swede. It is lovely to be picking into October with more to come yet.

I tidied up the old strawberry bed and did a bit of weeding in the bed where the potatoes were. It is manured and ready for planting. I weeded the leek bed and the bed with the new courgettes and cold frame with the spinach and lettuce growing. That just left, for now anyway, the cabbage bed where I stripped the netting away and cleared weeds and slugs before picking my first ever self grown cabbage. It was small but tasty.

Not much more to do for now with the allotments. I can leave a few more days between visits now.

It goes on

More sunshine and very welcome too. I had a lovely dog walk again this morning, heading toward Horton and then swinging back round to Knob's Crook and home. It was so nice yesterday that I got on my bike to ride to Drusillas, a pub which has been closed for years now but will be reopening shortly. Great views across to Horton Tower and the Dorset countryside.