Tuesday View 4th October. The view from my garden.

/ karen

Step out of my garden gate, and cross the ploughed field at the back of the house and this is the autumn view.  Rich fertile farming land. Harvested now. And waiting. Ploughing sounds drone all around.  I can remember a time when the fields stood brown all winter. Now there’s barely a pause. Winter wheat, barley, oats and oil seed will be sown by November.


Hedgerows show the first  shades of autumn, while the oak and ash still stand as green as summer.


We stand and watch a kestrel quartering the fields. A rich hunting ground now the oil seed crop has been harvested. A set aside strip runs round the field margins.


Along the hedgerow walk, there’s a delicious smell reminiscent of apple pie. Crab apple fruit gently cook in the heat. It’s been 20 degrees here today. We collect the ripening fruit to make jelly. Whenever I open my kitchen cupboard doors in the winter, the jars of pink jelly will be there to lift my spirits. Little things  matter in the dark depths of winter. 

Goldfinch  feast on thistle and teasel seeds. The flash of yellow brings more welcome cheer on cold dark days. 

Rosehips galore. The blackbirds love them. We still make rosehip syrup. I grew up on a spoon of rosehip syrup each day before school. It tasted of summer. 


Viburnum opulus or Guelder Rose with sealing wax berries. As beautiful as any garden shrub. 

I hope you’ve enjoyed this walk along the hedgerows and the view from my garden. I have cheated really as Cathy at Words and Herbs asks us to share a view of our garden and  show how it changes throughout the year. My plot is mostly a wildlife garden with patches of brambles and stinging nettles. So as a first time contributor to this meme, I thought I would show you the setting for my garden. And hopefully then you will forgive my weeds and forgotten corners where I tread carefully and hedgehogs curl up in the leafmould with geranium leaves for a roof. 

29 thoughts on “Tuesday View 4th October. The view from my garden.”

    • Thank you. We love it here, despite the high winds in the winter, and the escaping cattle….and the brambles that come over the field hedge. It’s a different way of gardening. More accepting. I think. Good luck with your purchase.

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    • Thank you. Lovely in the summer. Windswept and cold in the winter. I’m just starting to bring all the delicate plants into the 20ft greenhouse. I keep it slightly heated in the winter. Somewhere for me to mooch in when it’s freezing.

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  3. Thank you for leaving a comment on my blog, I’m now enjoying wandering round your garden! You brought back happy memories of Rose hip syrup from my childhood, along with cod liver oil and a teaspoon of malt each day. You have a lovely garden that I’m sure the wildlife enjoys.

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    • it’s beautiful in the summer, but so wild and windswept in the winter. I should have looked on a map before buying the house as it says “windy ridge.” We’ve planted a shelter belt of cherry, hazel, maple and willow. But still it’s perishing here from November to March. Not quite as windy as the Outer Hebrides though, I must admit. We have skylarks in the fields in the photo. I notice you mention them in your April post. They are my heart’s delight all summer.

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    • thank you. It’s been lovely warm and sunny during the day. But very chilly at night. We seem to be getting warmer in the autumn, but cooler wetter spring growing conditions. Thanks for your comments. All the best. Karen

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    • thank you Annie. I was hoping readers would understand my garden and the reasons why I garden. This summer we had a nest of baby hedgehogs in the garden. It was in an area I was still working on. The hedgehog shelter which was basically a pallet with piles of twigs in top, wasn’t even finished. I left the mother hedgehog in peace. Such a treat to see her emerging with her family later in the summer.

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    • Our mothers must have had the same idea! We had the cod liver oil first and the rosehip syrup after to take away the taste. A spoon of malt was my favourite treat. Thanks for your kind comments. Have a lovely day.

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  14. Such a lovely post Karen! I am so glad you have joined in and shared your wonderful view. I don’t mind at all you showing us a view beyond your garden gate, especially with such a beautiful sky! Crab apple jelly in the depths of winter sounds good. And those rosehips also look good. 🙂

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