Another cold morning today with frost on my Geranium leaves

Sedum flowers

and ajuga and London Pride leaves.

Even though I come to this end of the garden every morning to refill the bird feeder the Mahonia has come into flower without me noticing. How can that be?

The flowers on the Bears Britches have given way to seed heads. 

The Rosa Rugosa flowers have given way to huge rose hips. I did make some rather nice rosehip wine with them one year, but haven't done much wine making recently as I seemed to be making more than I can drink and have quite a large store!

There is ice on the bird bath. The birds will have to drink soewhere else this morning.

Luckily I tucked my Fuschia and Pelagoniums away in the mini greenhouse a couple of weeks ago. I did take a few cuttings first in case they don't make it. They are on the windowsill in the living room.

The birds are hungry.

The starlings are top of the pecking order, until the jackdaw arrives but he isn't about this morning. The sparrows wait their turn in the ash tree, or flock to the seed I scattered on the ground.

A brave starling has discovered my fatty feast.

And a lone Dunnock has found some seed on the ground.

A lone Bluetit braves the Starlings to get a taste of sunflower hearts.

I wonder what these 3 are talking about.

Is that a Sparrow I spy on the sunflower hearts?

And a Greattit on the peanuts.

The feeders are empty after a couple of hours and they are getting through an apple a day.

Meanwhile in the back garden the feeders outside the kitchen window are a bit less busy although the washing up took twice as long this morning, as I was trying to get a decent photo.

So far it is only the starlings who have discovered my fatty feasts, hopefully the smaller birds will discover them soon.

The weather has turned a trifle chilly the last couple of days, real winter weather so it's time to make the fatty feasts for my feathered friends. First I fill the teacups with birdseed then to one I added chopped sultanas and to the other some tasty(?) mealworms. Then melt enough suet to fill both cups and then leave in the fridge to set. I'll hang them out this afternoon.

Looking through my list of jobs to do in November, the waterbutt has been positioned, it had to go under the drip from the cracked gutter as the kit I got for the drainpipe wasn't suitable for metal pipes and guess what mine are.

Since I positioned it we've had enough rain to make it stable enough not to blow away in the wind.

The wood pile has been tidied, and more wood added to make it need tidying again!

The bamboo canes have been trimmed and bundled up tidy.

And I made a couple of insect hotels by cutting legths ot bamboo and stuffing them into tin cans

And placing them in the archway.

Just a bit windy outside today.

It was a beautiful morning and I was going to spend the afternoon in the garden, but the weather gods had different ideas.

The plan was to sort this corner out to put the water butt under the drip from the cracked gutter.

Would have to move this smaller container I was using to catch the water before I planted the waterlily from the bath in the back garden and a bulrush. And make a stand for the new waterbutt to stand on so I can get the watering can under the tap.

Then I was going to tidy up the woodpile and make a roof to keep it dry. But the sky went black while I was having lunch and the heavens opened and I've lit the fire and am having a lazy afternoon in after taking Rogan for the shortest walk I can get away with.

I've aquired a water butt, been wanting one for ages but they're so expensive. This one was being thrown out so I rescued it. Now the question is , where do I put it?

The obvious place is by the downpipe from the gutter, but it means disturbing my clematis.

The origional idea was to connect it to the waste pipe from the bath to make use of the bathwater, but it is quite big and will take up most of the path stopping people getting to my front door......mind this might not be such a bad thing.

It could go here and catch the drips from the gutter on this corner to replace this container which I had been using as a water butt, but have now planted a wayerlily and a bulrush in.

Or should I try and attach a gutter on my shed and collect the water which lands on the roof which sounds quite a good idea but do I want to upset my sitting area?

Just have to wait and see which solution suggests itself in the course of time. Can't see me doing much in the garden while this weather continues anyway.

Sitting in my chair this morning with my coffee, the garden is a damp place now after yesterdays rain, the sun only catches the top of the hedge at this time of year.

although the vegetable plot fares better with the low fence. However it catches the wind more than the more sheltered main part of the garden,

This part of the garden, just outside my back door is a constant wind tunnel, nice in the summer when the breeze cools me down when it is too hot in my chair,

but not so good the rest of the time.

But once you pass under the arch you are in a totally different climate, totally sheltered and a good few degrees warmer than the rest of the world, or this part of it anyway.

Which means I can sit in my chair inhaling the scent of the Rosemary bush and Oregano planted next to it nearly all year round .

As I sit slowly sipping my drink a squadron of starlings fly past and a pair of Red Kite circle high above underneath the vapour trail from a passing plane. The everpresent sparrows flit from hedge to feeder and back to hedge.