The nights are drawing in quickly now. The leaves are turning and beginning to fall and a chill has crept in during the evenings. Soon we’ll be migrating from the kitchen to the lounge each night, drawn by the warmth of the log burner.
The house is crawling with spiders. In every room large and tiny spiders own the ceiling frieze, and hang there motionless. I’m trying to put as many out as possible as they have nothing to eat, except each other.
Littl’urchin manages to spot the minute ones that linger in the lower shadows and crevices and hollers at nana to put them out. I can barely see the tiny dots of life she’s referring to, which led me to seeing an optician recently with said child in tow.
OH MY…..what an ORDEAL! Trying to have ones eyes tested with a two and a half year old tearing around is utter folly! I have no idea what my new glasses will be like, I fully expect them to be a total blur! The worst part was when the eye doctor told Litt’urchin that she could help her nana select her new frames. Utter carnage that was, lots of snatching, grasping, grabbing and refusing to let go of fistfuls of frames, all perfectly placed for a toddler.
Once retrieved, I filled several baskets with glasses frames in need of sanitation, as per regulations. The relief of the staff was palpable as we left the building, despite my innumerable, muttered, embarrassed apologies.
Drum roll please…
my tomato harvest this year! Two almost ripe tomatoes with about ten or so green ones to come. OH MY! Not my best year for tomatoes!
That late, cold spring did for them.
My runner beans however have been little stars. I’ve been harvesting them every few days for months. I’ll leave some to go to seed now for sowing next spring. I’ll keep picking though; I prefer them around six to eight inches long.
Remember the cabbage white decimation of my brassicas? Well I carefully removed the skeletons complete with caterpillars and put them in a corner of the garden to carry on doing what they do…
and decided against planting out the kale and spring green cabbage seedlings growing in the greenhouse. I’ll hold fire until I haven’t seen a cabbage white butterfly for a few weeks.
Something be chomping on my chillies!
Pear harvests are coming daily now..
and the final plum clings valiantly onto the branch.
And Finally…
cotoneaster and crab apples are adding to the riot of autumn colour.
Until next time, stay safe guys.xxx
Fancy giving a toddler permission to choose frames. That’s a sure way to create a new play area where one was never planned to be. I wonder if the staff will be having a chat with the Optometrist…. You’ll have to cross to the other side of the street in the near future so she doesn’t pine for a repeat performance.
Pears, is it Buddy who devours them?
Sorry about your tomatoes and brassicas. You do have a lovely harvest of other things though.
Take care.
Yet another week passes. xxxxx
I know, I was amazed at the optician giving Littl’urchin a free run at all the frames! Yes, it’s Buddy who eats the pears, although now Sam is joining the party. How time is flying by. Thanks Menhir.xxx
The vision of a creepy wandering along and sinking its teeth into your chilli, sending its many eyes rolling and little puffs of steam popping as the pepper edge bites back is mildly amusing. Along with the house spiders, so named as they live in the house, being unceremoniously dropped outside in the cold and wet is very satisfying.
Hahaha, your vision of the chilli eating creepy has the hairs on my arms up! I’m sorry for the spiders that I put out but unfortunately there are far too many of them, it’s almost an invasion. Thanks AnneMarie.xxx
I can just imagine how much ‘fun’ it was to try and keep that little one corraled — and you didn’t get much help from the opticians! Still, the mission was accomplished; here’s to better vision. You need it to see those spiders! You would have spotted the one I found outside my door this week. It was inches long, and furry. Eek! I let it be, but I came back in and waited a bit. When I went back out, it was gone.
It’s still so hard to think of autumn. I know it’s mid-September, and everyone in the higher latitudes is showing proof of every sort, like your berries. But we’re still hot — except for a few cooler days now, thanks to our most recent hurricane. It’s odd, but any hurricane that doesn’t do that much damage but drops the temperature has something going for it.
Thanks Linda. Yes, I can certainly see the smaller spiders now, I’ll be able to give Littl’urchin a run for her money. Oh, your spider sounds terrifying, thank goodness it wasn’t in the house! I’m pleased the hurricane didn’t do too much damage. Autumn has hit with a vengeance here.xxx
Well done on hanging in there with your little one! Hope the glasses are helpful when they arrive. Do you like autumn? Hugs xx
At least I can see through the new glasses which really surprised me. Oh, I love autumn. Thanks Gill.xxx
I’d love to grow pears like yours…….. what are you going to do with all of them? All this great food you are growing will mean you will be cooking for a while! Lovely to have your own fruit and veggies.
What a great story about taking Littl’urchin to the optician with you …I can completely relate to that!
We have had an unbelievably amount of spiders around this year, luckily most of them are outside, but the garden shed was full of them. We think it might be because we have had so much rain in the last year. (Luckily Paul is very good at getting them out of the house with a gentle nudge into a flat glass lid, and then putting them on the closest shrub he can find).
Enjoy autumn in your garden!
We eat the pears, they last for ages. Everywhere I walk in the garden I seem to walk through large webs and see fleeing spiders, hubs actually came in with a large spider on his head a few days ago, littl’urchin spotted it. Thanks Gerrie.xxx
Excellent optician trip! At least you were allowed to touch the frames. I’m normally hopeless at choosing and try on virtually every frame in the shop. This time, I wasn’t allowed to touch any. I had to point out 5 pairs to the assistant stood by my side. That’s better than my friend’s experience though – she wasn’t even allowed to even look at the frames, the optician chose some that they thought would suit her face! Then, when I returned to have my frames adjusted, they did it out on the street! :O)
Very envious of your pears – we pruned the trees last winter and have had no fruit this year. That, and the squirrels ate all of our plums! I hope you find out which tough creature has been munching your chillies! xx
Good grief, fancy not even being able to touch the frames or look at them, what strange times we live in! Laughing re your experience of having glasses fitted on the street. Shakes head in disbelief! Shame about your pears and plums, hopefully it will be better next year. I have absolutely no idea what has been munching on my chillies. I would have thought they would be pretty safe from the chompers. Thanks Veggiemummy.xxx
Couldn’t help but laugh at your experience at the optician, takes me back to when my daughter was that age! Your harvest is magnificent, mine -non existant except for brambles !
Thanks Pauline. You have a beautiful garden so no need for harvests.xxx
I’m due an eye check soon …
Hope you will be pleased with your new glasses – I think I would have needed a pick-me-up glass of wine after those trials and tribulations 🙂
Your pears look good, and lovely colour in those last two pictures.
All the best Jan
I pleased I can see through my new glasses, I wasn’t expecting to be able too. I certainly needed a large white after that appointment. Thanks Jan.xxx
Ha! I just received my new glasses Friday…they never fit well, at first and I’d rather not explore what that invites regarding a description of my misshapen head. Your adventure sounds a bit more frenetic than mine. Phillip’s fairly well-behaved.
Gardening has been completely unpredictable this year. I think you’ve done your usual smashing job of producing food and flowers. I could’t even weed yesterday; it was like prying brick apart, but then–HOORAY!– some rain fell, so the weeds’ minutes are counting down. Phillip grew popcorn this year, so I’m excited to see how that turns out!
YES, spiders everywhere right now. Glad at least the arachnid family is thriving. But outside, please. Our friend, Lucinda the orb weaver, may have disappeared in the rainstorm, but perhaps she’s resting before she re-spins.
I cannot believe the beauty of those gorgeous pears. What a a magnificent color, they are!
Peace to you as your days draw in: time to be cozy and rest by the fire. 🙂
New glasses are awful for the first few weeks, I’m still not used to mine. Hahaha, there’s nothing wrong with the shape of your head….laughing at Philip being fairly well behaved. Oh wow, popcorn, lucky you. We’ve finally had rain too, and of course it’s non-stop now. Here’s to Lucina re-appearing. Love and hugs to you all.xxxx
Oh boy. I can’t believe they thought it a good idea to have Lil’ Urchin “help” choose frames…. Well, you both (and they) survived the adventure.
For once, I’ve beat you in the tomato harvest. I think I’ve had maybe 10 cherry tomatoes ripen. It’s still quite warm here and I’m hoping my aunt’s yellow tomato vine will continue to produce.
Those pears of yours look scrumptious. Sorry about the chompers. Hope they’ve left some for you!
I’ve certainly learnt my lesson re eye tests and toddlers. Never. Ever. Again! I was amazed to find the new glasses turned out ok. Well it’s about time you got a decent tomato harvest, here’s to the yellow ones ripening. Thanks Anne.xxx
I recently went to the opticians, and got new glasses which cost a small fortune.
You got more tomatoes than I had, the runner beans have done well and the pears look good.
Thanks, and you too. xx
The price of glasses is scandalous! I think this is the worst year ever for tomatoes. Here’s to next year being better. Thanks Flighty.xxx
I had a huge spider running around on my pillow one day. Needless to say it went out! Ruby loves to chase any that she sees and bats at flies on the patio doors. Like littl’ urchin she spots even the tiniest ones that I can’t see. Here’s hoping the glasses are OK.
Oh my goodness, I would not like to have a spider on my pillow!!! URGH! Our dogs go after flies and spiders too. All ended well with the glasses. Thanks Sue.xxx
Haha, I can just imagine what it’s like trying to have your eyes tested with a toddler in tow, I bet you don’t do that again in a hurry! It’s been a strange year weather wise, it’s no surprise that some veggies have decided to sulk, such a shame about your tomatoes. It wasn’t the best year here for tomatoes either but they did a little better than yours, the fruit has been brilliant though, it’s been a good year for blueberries and my little apple tree has produced more fruit than ever before. Don’t mention spiders, urgh! I haven’t seen one in the house yet, I’ve just probably jinxed that now, haven’t I!
Thankfully, my glasses were ok! Yes, the fruit has done well here this year too. Goodness, I can’t believe you haven’t a spider in the house, they are everywhere here, some monstrously big too. Thanks Jo.xxx