The paddocks

There are paddocks with horses across the river, and one year we had some manure from there. The resulting compost grew some lovely blewits, they were very tasty fried. As you will see, the nasturtiums have been a picture and we've grown lots of purslane, which some folk like for soup. I have pickled nasturtium seeds and made some grape jam.
Our volunteers are continuing with the great tidy-up.

Drought

Well, the dry weather was good for the harvest, but it's been weeks since we had a good shower of rain. Rain always seems to miss this part of the country. Still, volunteers have had a chance to move the compost heaps, we hope to have bins in a shed next year.
The raspberries have been very good and the hedges are full of haws and elderberries.

September sun

Our sunflowers have flourished this year and I'm sure will attract the birds( if the humans don't get there first! I am concentrating on elderberries this year and am making elderberry ketchup (Pontack Sauce), supposed to be at its best after 7 years!
We held a barbecue last week and 40-50 friends attended. we had a hot sunny afternoon for it

Stone Moses

There is a local celebrity in the fields near here, a very old statue of Moses which used to be at Boughton House. He stands on a pedestal in a spinney and has been said to move at around 2am, but I'm not curious enough to check!
Here he is this afternoon in his watery hollow.

Still picking

The grapes, tomatoes and beans keep ripening, and, of course, the blackberries! As you drive through the country lanes you see people with basins picking them.

There is an old North Country recipe where you sandwich the blackberries between two discs of pastry or shortbread so I'm going to try it.
The autumn raspberries are ready too.
I think grease-banding the fruit trees in the Spring has helped as, apart from the ancient apple-tree, there is very little blight.