Sloes, Slowing down and accepting a little untidiness!
We are now nearing the end of peak holiday season and things are generally slowing down including the garden and me!
It has been a real battle watering the plants this Summer and even though we are a business and are exempt from any hosepipe ban that might have been in place it doesn’t sit well with me watering raised beds not only from a water usage point of view but also cost. As such the herb garden has badly suffered and even the mint suddenly succumbed to the heat and dry conditions a few weeks ago. The mint will recover but other herbs will need replacing. I will definitely need to do more research into drought tolerant plants but not only drought tolerant but also wind and salt tolerant. As I have said previously the conditions are challenging and I am still learning. I am thinking coastal Mediterranean conditions but we will see what develops.
On a massive positive the Geraniums proved absolutely fantastic in the end despite looking really sad and stunted at the start in May/June and I feared they would come to nothing and I even dug up two large beds and ran off to the supermarket a few times to fill them (the upcoming wedding of my step son in June had added pressure!). I left the tiny Geraniums tossed in a pile as a failure with others in pots just hoping they would at least show one flower. It was probably down to lack of rain even though they were actually getting watered it’s just not the same as steady rainfall. I am going to attempt to dig them up and overwinter them for next year as they really have been such a success.
The Cosmos continue to be battered by the winds over the last few days and I might have to reconsider growing or find a better location. It is a shame as I do like to use them in vases for guests and they have a long growing season. The Zinnias are still flowering and really have been the star of the vase this Summer.
Today, and indeed the last couple of weeks, has seen torrential rain at times which has been a real shame for our guests but the garden has really welcomed it. I took a quiet moment away from cleaning, gardening (definitely not the weather today!) and paperwork this morning to just sit in the porch and listen to the rain on the roof and watch the abundance of birds foraging in the secret wildflower garden. The binoculars, I thought were broken as only one side worked, seem to have miraculously repaired - perhaps that was the knock they had yesterday when I was cleaning the porch!
It was great to see lots of different finches and even Willow Warblers feeding off the teasel seed heads and foraging on the ground amongst the ‘gone over’ wildflowers. Over the last couple of weeks I have looked at this area and have viewed it as a bit of a mess and even a little embarrassing that it is not a neat and manicured area that some perhaps think it should be for a holiday accommodation entrance way. However, today I feel proud of the area for what it gives to our wildlife as they need it left as it is for food and I just need to accept a certain ‘untidiness’ at times as it serves a purpose.
The Swallows are still here but no doubt they are starting to think about their upcoming vacation to Africa. When the Swallows leave there’s a real sense of silence and a feeling the season is almost over. Things really do go into hibernation then. For the moment they seem happy to stay and take advantage of the flying insects over the secret garden area and beyond.
The Swallows might like a Winter vacation but I will stay put here in Widemouth Bay. I am often asked do I take a holiday over the Winter and we don’t. We really love where we live and don’t feel the need to. The last holiday abroad we took was in 2015 and the last mini break was 2018 to Mawgan Porth just 30 miles away for a couple of nights. The thought of flights, queues and checks, not to mention the apprehension and anxiety about a holiday abroad just doesn’t make it relaxing for us. Oh and did I mention my passport expired some years ago?!
In between the rain today I walked up Combe Lane and foraged myself for the sloes I had spotted a couple weeks ago when out walking my dog Molly and hadn’t made time to pick until now. I will pop back out for some blackberries very soon. I am sure my neighbours had a laugh at me almost falling into the hedge and getting tangled up in brambles but hopefully when I offer them a glass of sloe gin at Christmas they will see it was all worth it. Foraging is a great thing to do when you’re on holiday and you can very easily make sloe gin whilst on holiday and take it home with you to store for Christmas. Recently I have joined a great Facebook Group UK Wild Food Larder which is all about learning about foraging.
For now if you fancy ‘staycation snacking’ (yes that is a real term for having lots of mini holidays in the UK rather than one long abroad holiday - don’t say you don’t learn from my blogs!) then pop on our website and book a mini break before we hibernate on 1 November for maintenance/repairs/annual checks etc. If you can’t find the dates you want drop us an email and we will look into it for you.
For now sending you all love and warm wishes x
