This morning Jackie continued with her general maintenance work, including
autumn cleaning the greenhouse, and clearing and resetting paths such as the Head Gardener’s Walk.
My minimal intervention was the removal of brambles invading from No. 5 Downton Lane. This, and the amount of weeds piercing the gravel is somewhat reminiscent of our arrival here 1n 2014.
I then wandered around with my camera.
Each of these images bears a title in the gallery,
as do these in the front garden one. Please ignore the rose stems that need sorting out.
This afternoon we drove into the forest.
If these ponies had come for a drink beside Bisterne Close they would have been disappointed because the pool has virtually dried up.
I stopped along Burley Road to investigate the tree work on the fallen giant that has recently added its bulk to the
arboreal ossuary that this area has become.
Early this evening, having been encouraged by my very good blogging friend, Uma Shankar, One Grain Amongst the Storm, and endorsed by another, Laurie Graves, to break up the sequence of material on my three great aunts, I made headway in preparing the next episodes of A Knight’s Tale.
Later, we dined on a repeat of yesterday’s menu, with which Jackie drank the same white wine and I quaffed Colin-Bourisset Fleurie 2019.
There is some very interesting looking (and large) bracket fungi near the base of one of those trees. You mention ‘autumn cleaning’ – are your days becoming perceptibly shorter as our are lengthening? I have enjoyed seeing the arboreal ossuary.
Thanks very much, Anne. Yes, the days are getting shorter – but we are still in summer – just preparing for autumn
Yes, I was worried by the mention of autumn myself . . .
Shame they aren’t chestnut trees – a chestnut charnel house would add to the alliteration.
🙂 Thanks a lot, Quercus. Just preparing for the next season.
🙂
Hi Derrick – I like that shot with the blue house in the distance – those windows are nice 🙂
That’s our house, Barbara 🙂 Thanks very much
It’s a nice view!
Loved the forest photos
Thanks very.much, Sheree
Beautiful photos as always, Derrick! ☺️🇬🇧
Thanks a lot, John
I’m guessing the autumn clean you mentioned is a clean and tidy in preparation for the autumn, kind of like spring cleaning the house.
It’s always a privilege to visit your garden, especially when in full bloom such as now.
Thanks a lot, Sue. Yes – preparation for the next season.
The variety of plants and flowers in your garden never cease to amaze me. The fungi at the base of one of the tree trunks caught my attention.
That bracket fungus takes many forms, sometimes creating a row of steps up the trunk. Thanks very much, Rosaliene
Let’s hope there is plenty of summer left before Autumn arrives in full swing –
Your garden still looks as though it’s full of beautiful summer joy!
Those ponies would have plenty of water in Sussex – it’s been quite wet recently 🙁
Thanks very much, Emma. We are currently escaping the worst of the rain. My autumn cleaning phrase was because Jackie said she was getting ready for that season 🙂
My eyes are being attracted to the images of the flowers
Thank you, Mina
Most welcome
Beautiful shots, Derrick. I love the sunflowers saying hello!
Thanks very much, Jill
Always good to see the owls keeping wide-eyed watch. 🙂 Even spotted one by the garage door nasturtiums. 🙂
Your forest tree photos (in various stages of their lives) are amazing. The fungus, mushrooms, and moss look a bit other-worldly in how and where they appear.
That sunflower seems to be beaming about it’s tallest flower in the garden status. 😀
(((HUGS))) 🙂
Thanks very much, Carolyn. The sunflower is showing signs of osteoporosis, but still beaming 🙂 X
Beautiful photos Derrick.
Thanks a lot, Gary
That is some tree that fell! Look forward to reading the installments about your great aunt.
Thanks very much, Laurie – especially for the encouragement
My pleasure!
I love all the color and variety in your garden. The garden view from the rose garden looks like something that would be in a movie.
Is the “arboreal ossuary” the result of the recent wind storms, or just nature and time?
The very large tree is recent, but others are over time. It is a combination of shallow roots loosened by much rain, then the winds, that bring them down. Thanks very much, Merril
I can’t get over how good your garden looks. Is now the peak of its season?
Yes – we are at the peak. Thanks very much, Liz
You’re welcome, Derrick.
The photos of your garden seem like new perspectives to me, like a dream I had of going through a house and finding more and more rooms I didn’t realize were there -magical, Of course I love the mossy roots, little plants, and bracket fungus all magical in their own ways… and handsome ponies, too.
Thank you so much, JoAnna. I had you in mind when I photographed the mossy roots etc.
🙂
Your garden has become especially endearing after I have come to a suffocating metropolis. “Arboreal ossuary” is such an apt name!
Thank you so much, Uma
Your garden looks wonderfully tidy, especially after you’ve just had a hurricane wander through!
Thanks very much, Janet
“Lilies in the Rose Garden” … are poetically enchanting Derrick …
Thank you very much, Ivor
You’re up early Derrick ??
Yes. Woke up thinking about my family history posts 🙂 I’m fine, though. 🙂
I love the clock in the greenhouse, you, Jackie, and where you live.
Thanks very much, Cindy X
The 8th and 15th photos remind me of a couple of jigsaws I have done.
I was thinking “Autumn” but yes, we’ll be into Spring before long. The seasons seem to fly by.
Faster and faster, Chrissy 🙂 Thanks very much
Doesn’t Nature make a mess sometimes!
Indeed. It is now forbidden to take these logs away
It is August already, and time came to think about Autumn preparation. Could you believe. The Summer almost at the end.
Quite so. But this year, who knows? Thanks very much, Alexander
I am a great fan of shelf fungi and you showed some good ones. Are all fallen trees allowed to lie where they fall and hence to decay back into the soil, or are they cleared away to keep things clean and tidy?
They are left where they fall for the reason you suggest. In fact it is now an offence to take away any of the wood. Thanks a lot, John
Good I am pleased about that. Not only does it rotten to the soil but it provides homes all the little animals and the birds and the insects
Yes, indeed
I can’t believe you just mentioned the word ‘autumn’. My goodness time is flying.
Thanks very much, Bridget. It’s not here yet, but we are preparing for autumn 🙂
It must be satisfying to work in such a garden 🌱🌸
It’s really a fallen giant 🌳
Thank you so much, Ribana
As picturesque as the fallen trees look, I hope eventually someone will clear the ossuary up, as it had been done with human remains in the past.
The trees will be left to return to dust, Dolly. Thanks very much.
In that case, it’s different from human ossuaries. I was wondering…
You are very welcome, Derrick.
The title caught my eye, Derrick. The bones of so many fallen trees become food for new life. It is interesting to see how shallow rooted some of these giants are.
Those shallow roots are a real problem for them, it seems. Thanks very much, Lavinia
Thank you for the eye-candy, Derrick. You and Jackie have the most amazing garden.
Thank you very much, Alys
In one of the “fallen tree” photos – I thought there was a man couching – but it looks like some sort of black fungi
Yes. Bracket fungus. Thanks very much, Catherine