Potter's Patch: Plot and beastie update

So, it's been ages since I've updated on the plot. We're working through the Autumn jobs, trying to be much more organised than last year. We've already got the Japanese onions and garlic in (names escape me - I left the labels at the plot!). We've been clearing gground and generally getting sorted.

First of all though, a few pics from September ..........

Our first (and only) plum. I managed to pick it too early too (sour - bllleeuugh!), so all in all a disappointment :( Looked nice though!

Clearing the disappointing onion bed. There were loads, but all very small and truth be told, too strong. Hence planting Japanese onions in plenty of time this year!

A fairly decent harvest. Suede and squashes have been brill. Apples are tasty (if a little crusty in places) and we've had plenty of courguettes (just because I don't like them I think!). And a lovely big gladioli :)

This is a pic of the newly cleared and freshly planted onion and garlic beds. They're not full up, there's just a couple of rows of garlic in the far bed and onions are in the end of the nearer big bed in the bit behind the 8' cane I laid down to mark the area. I'm going to fill the rest of the bed with leeks, maincrop onions and anything else oniony.

A couple of weeks ago we made the big decision to remove the jostaberry bush. As much as I liked the berries it was just too big for where I'd put it and to be honest we prefer rhubarb. So as the bed was originally for the rhubarb we are going to keep it just for that. I felt sad to be losing it at the time (it was massive and we couldn't get it out without chopping it right back so no chance of donating it). It's created loads more space however, and felt right (even if it was a bit sad :( ).

The Mystery Of The Baby Mouse

Sounds like an Enid Blyton book :) they were one of my faves. I wonder if I'd still like them 25 years on? (!!! is it really 25 years?!).

So, hubby was clearing away the weeds around the bed that is soon to be for the broadies when he looked down and what should he see on the floor by his feet but a baby mouse?! We were rather baffled as to where it had come from. Hubby thought that it may have come from under the edge of the carpet as that was where he had been yanking the weeds out, but no, there was an ant's nest there. We wondered what to do with this little baby mouse. It was very young, hadn't even opened it's eyes yet and wasn't furry, just wrinkly. We weren't going to keep it. We didn't really want it on the plot (I'm about to put broadies and peas in!) but couldn't bring myself just to leave it to die (probably a massive mistake, but I feel that we've probably got enough on our plot to lose a bit to a family of mice - I'll probably regret it when they multiply into thousands!).

Anyway, Hubby then decided to lift up a slab and lo and behold there was mummy mouse in her nest and three more of her babies. Mum scarpered pulling two of her babies behind her. We popped them back in the nest and our baby mouse too and put the slab back down again. We then packed up to go home, crossing our fingers that mummy mouse would come back (if she did - great, if she didn't - well, I guess that'd mean we had less of a mouse problem on the plot). We checked the next weekend and there she was with her (now furry and alert) babies. We also found another nest further up the plot (hmmmm!?). We checked again last weekend and they'd all left. Doesn't take them long eh?

The slabs that the mice were under. It's the clear one just the other side of the pile of weeds.

I have pics from this weekend too, just a few of the newly weeded and prepared broadie and pea bed and apples, but blogger is not playing nice and won't let me upload - pah! I'll try to remember to do it another time.

In my back garden I've had bird feeders up and full in a homage to Cragside, but up until last week I've really had nothing but two fat pigeons and a blue tit. However, last week I did get a robin - yay! We're on a roll now! :) I'm hoping that once it gets a bit colder and food gets a bit more scarce that the birds will find my amazing feeder and become more regular visitors. Especially as out the front of the house we have goldfinches and long tailed tits!

Me and the kids were fascinated by a MEGA sized Garden Cross spider that is in our front window (thankfully on the outside!). Seriously, his lady's backside is the size of a penny! We've been watching her for a few weeks, building her web etc. The other week we noticed a very brave fella cautiously making his way up to her......

Closer.....