Go bats in Stoke

Clear it off

Weather: cold southerly breeze. Bright sunshine and high cloud. 7 degrees.

Up to the allotment after about six weeks away, due to the endless rain, time-constraints, and a sore hip. I found that Gareth has very kindly supplied me with a nice new wooden chair, which I've put in the shed to keep the rain off it.

A few golden leaves, still clinging to the apple tree.

I collected all the enormo-marrows, which had been lying in the open soil until now...

The marrows have very hard skins, and I'm interested to see what happens if they air dry gradually over time.

I cleared off the remains of the courgette plants, and then hoed all the weeds off my open sections...

There's a few potatoes under there somewhere, but they can wait until Christmas to be lifted.

Lots of little mushrooms were coming up from the dampest parts of the woodchip path...

All the rhubarb has vanished completely, from above ground.

Weather turning increasingly cold, and we're heading for the first proper frost. But the English rose — like the old nation herself — is still valiantly straining to produce buds despite the climate...

Killer potatoes

Killer potatoes. Really.