The early morning dew

As this blog has developed it seems that Coco and I do very little 'Real' gardening.  Nothing could be further from the truth and Nanny Southwellski has over 40 jars of preserved produce to prove it.

And that doesn't include the 9 pounds of cherries and 6 pounds of gooseberries in the freezer!

We have been eating our own veggies and fruit now for almost 3 months, but then again so have the birds, chooks and caterpillars.

Every jewel placed by hand

You see the thing is that as Coco and I wander around the garden we get a little distracted by the beauty and incredibility of it all.

Nature is a wonderful thing and we are privileged to witness it at such a close viewpoint.

We have a duty to look after our world and environment which is why Coco and I go out some mornings before breakfast and hang tiny jewels on our dandelions.

This morning, as we did our regular inspection and walked around just listening to the birds and Brutus of course welcoming the day, it occurred to me that actually all those jobs that we see every day and that need doing aren't what it's all about.

Dewdrops on our apple tree.

Our garden is a learning space for Coco and I and anyone else who wants to shed off the world for a little while and wander around and marvel at the wonder of it all.

For example, our sunflowers topped 9 feet from tiny seeds that Coco and I planted in pots in the spring.

We are going to dry the flower heads and harvest the seeds to feed the birds, and seeds for ourselves as well as to eat and sow next spring.  And so natures cycle goes on.

Our tomatoes are turning at last and we now have more than we can actually physically eat but we do have some good recipes and of course we have Nanny Southwellski with her vast array of pots and pans and jars to deal with it all.

A huge success, in my opinion is Nanny Southwellski's apple and cucumber chutney.  A couple of nights ago we polished off half a jar with cheese and crackers and it was AMAZING!!!!!

Another equally huge success is the pumpkin stuffed with leeks and cheese that we had for supper last night it was delicious!  Sadly we only have 14 more pumpkins left!

Snack attack!

Now, of late I have become fascinated by spiders.  I know nothing about them except the turn up when you least expect them, they run very fast and scare people.

But regardless of what you think about them you have to admire their ability and tenacity when it comes to web building.

Take this chappie/chappess on the left for example how long did it take to build the web that caught this bug?

Wrapped

Or this web (right) on a young Hazel nut tree.

These are just some of the things Coco and I see every day in the garden, I wonder how much we miss?

Makes you think doesn't

I have a favourite poem, it's quite short but it comes to mind frequently when we are in the garden.

LEISURE

William Henry Davies 1871 - 1940

'What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs

And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at beauty's glance,

And watch her feet how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can,

Enrich the smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.