A dish of strawberries

All right, a very small dish.  Of very small strawberries (the alpine strawberry 'Baron Solemacher').  But not at all bad for the middle of October.  I spotted a couple of lovely ripe ones on a plant that has self-seeded into a sunny corner near the pond, and it prompted me to go searching under the leaves; I collected a good little portion for supper, all on accidental plants rather than those in the 'proper' place.  I think that tells me that I need to get plants settled in in the autumn instead of waiting until spring, which is probably too late.  It's an obliging little plant, growing happily in shade if necessary and not fussy about soil, but the plants do need replacing every three years or so.

Given the time of year, I managed quite a reasonable harvest from the garden at the weekend.  Besides the strawberries, I picked three types of bean (the last of the French and runner beans, and some broad beans), courgettes, cooking and dessert apples (the Ashmead's Kernels are just starting to be ready), some radicchio leaves and a couple of spring-onion sized leeks (they were never thinned!); the potatoes and garlic are already in store, and I have had a couple of hazelnuts, although the squirrel has been seen attending to those.  Not bad given the very haphazard planting this year.

Cyclamen hederifolium

The leaves have started to fall, and the leaf-raking season has begun.  The old leaf-mould has been spread on the new bed under the ash tree where the soil is extremely dry and thin.  I hope that will help the plants along a bit.  The only flower colour in there at the moment is from the 'Bowles' Mauve' wallflower, which has flowered on and off all year, and from the sedums; the perovskia does have a (single) flower spike on it, but you wouldn't notice it (it was only planted this year, so I'm hopeful that it will put on more of a show next year).  Elsewhere, there are still flowers here and there; the purple aster has started blooming, the dianthus seem to be getting second wind and there are still a few roses about, the sweet peas and phlox are tailing off.  The little cyclamen are looking good, though.  And the echium is beginning to fade; it will be cut down before it can seed too much.

Bees on the echium

The weather has been more autumnal - cooler, with wet and windy spells, but with some sunshine; Saturday was almost warm, but it has been wet since.

There are still a good number of sparrows about, and the occasional starling and dunnock; the robins are tick-ticking in the background but coming less often for food.  I disturbed a partridge the other day, and the odd pheasant has wandered in.  A green woodpecker has been heard close by but not seen.  I wonder if he's staking out the cooking apples again?

P.S. Further examination of the cooking apple tree reveals a large apple next to a convenient perching branch with big beak-holes in it.  My money's on the woodpecker.
I had been going to say that the butterflies have all disappeared, but not quite; just down from the pecked apple was another apple with a comma sunning itself on it.  Probably the last of the year, I fear.