Mellow Colours, Bright Berries and Teapots.

October is a time of gently pleasant decay. Leaves are turning to mellow golds or burning oranges while berries blaze with glowing colours. The garden is winding down yet full of sights and scents to please me.

The marigolds have curled seeds which promise more beauty next summer and the Rudbeckias have almost black cones with bronze drooping petals as they slowly fade.

Wildlife is making the most of the seeds and berries. Little frogs are hopping about and the birds have been busy.

The strawberry plants have produced a late crop but most will not ripen before the frosts begin. I did find one lovely big red one. It had been nibbled but I washed, trimmed and ate it. It was so delicious it made my day.

The Asters are glorious at the moment. I just love their daisy flowers and so do the bees and butterflies.

A few late roses are blooming, the fuchsias are at their best and a few other pretty flowers are putting on a show.

In the vegetable garden, the leeks aren’t growing well. The soil in that part of the tunnel is poor and dry. I will have to perk them up with some comfrey pellets or liquid seaweed. Tomatoes are still ripening but I had to remove one plant because I needed the space. I gave away a basket of green tomatoes because I couldn’t use them and didn’t want them wasted.

We’re enjoying the carrots and kale. I had some leftover cooked kale. I try to use up leftovers in imaginative ways because “scratch meals” often turn out to be a tasty treat. So, I put the kale in the food processor, added a bit of onion, crumbled Cheshire cheese, a crust of bread and an egg with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. I whizzed them together then put the mixture into individual-sized aluminium pudding bowls and cooked in the airfryer. They were delicious.

I really value my food processor. It makes so many interesting combinations. I use up cooked meat or salmon by mashing them with other ingredients in the processor and make little flat cakes. Browned in a little heated oil in the frying pan and served with vegetables and chutney they make a very satisfying meal.

Like most people I enjoy a good cup of tea. For years I used teabags but they didn’t break down in the compost heap and I discovered that many were made of plastic. So I began to use loose tea. It makes a lovely brew and the tealeaves decay in the compost bin.

I also love teapots and have a few. Our everyday one is a dribbler without its lid but it makes just enough tea for the two of us. For guests I have a bone china one with gilt edging. We had a fad at one time for Lapsang souchong tea which has a satisfying smokey woody flavour and for that I used my little Chinese teapot with a dragon design. But I have two teapots purely because I love the look of them. One has a lovely chintzy flower pattern and is in the bedroom just to look pretty and the other is an Art Deco one which stands in the kitchen. I also have an ornate Indian one (which needs a good polish!) and another Art Deco green one. Last, but not least, I have a metal one with a nice round belly.

Soon be time to think about Christmas baking. I think I have enough homemade mincemeat leftover from last year. It will have matured well with the brandy I put into it and will be even more delicious. Homemade mince pies are such a treat. We eat them for weeks from the beginning of December.

But, let’s enjoy the subtle changes of Autumn in our gardens and countryside before we snuggle down for the Winter. With you again in a couple of weeks. Bye for now.