What Superman does on his day off

This little man and I dropped everyone off at football and golf this morning, then had a wander round the golf club.  We found some autumn colour.

And a view of the river.

And at the start of the small golf course the first thing I noticed was this fantastic apple tree.

It was huge, and covered with apples.  Underneath there were literally hundreds of windfalls.  Me and Superman filled a couple of carrier bags.  Well, no-one else seemed to want any.  The golfers are all too busy concentrating on being in the zone and comparing their equipment to notice free fruit lying about the place.

On our way back again to pick up the golfer Superman managed a little mischief.

Not only did he climb into a buggy, he managed (at the top of a slope which leads down to the car park) to take off the brake.  They're surprisingly heavy, so once he'd leapt clear, out of the way of any possible attachment of guilt, I struggled to hold it at the top of the slope.  So I climbed on.  It wasn't immediately obvious whether there was a handbrake.  After a moment it was clear there wasn't.  I slammed on the footbrake and spent about five minutes sat there saying things like, "I don't know how to stop this running away" and "Is there an off button?"  No-one came and helped.  In the end I worked it out myself.  I did keep checking it as we nonchalantly walked away.  Last I saw, it hadn't moved...

After lunch Superman headed for the coast for climbing and cycling.

I'm sure it does, but we didn't have any.  Not today anyway.

Scanning the horizon for enemies of superheroes and pirates.

Superman's having a lie down now.  It's hard work being a superhero.  Total breeze being a superhero mum though...

Birthday conversations

A conversation with the middle boy, a couple days ago, during a brief passing phase of kangaroo interest.

Him:  Mum, what do you like doing best?

Me:    Spending time with you baby.    Pause

Him:   What's your favourite hobby?  Well, it doesn't have to be your favourite, but what do you like to do?

Me:    Hmm.  Well I quite like taking photos.    Pause

Him:   What's your favourite animal?

Me:    I think it's a pony.  No, no it's a horse.  I'm picking horse.   Pause

Him:   Do you like kangaroos?

Me:    I do as it happens, I really like kangaroos.

To be fair, he did put a picture of me with a camera on the back of the card.

After school today I had the following conversation with the biggest boy.

Him:  What did you do today on your birthday?

Me:   Well after I took you to school, I washed up, did some washing and hung it out to dry, I hoovered, dusted and washed the kitchen floor, I fed the guinea pigs, did some cooking, changed a bed or two, cleaned out the guinea pigs and put the washing away.  It was a really special day.  Long pause.

Him:   Are you being sarcastic?

Well, maybe a little.  But I did have a wonderful long phone conversation with a friend who lives in Jamaica now.  The kind of conversation with the kind of friend that makes you feel that everything will be okay, that there is someone on your side, someone who understands, who makes you feel that you can take on the world, and that the world is a wonderful place.

One year older.  Probably none the wiser.  Pressing on regardless.

If you go down to the woods today

You'll pass a small herd of alpacas, a few assorted large horned cows and you'll find lots of little fungi.

If only I knew exactly what I was looking at maybe I'd be making wild mushroom pasta right now.

We had a busy weekend full of all the normal things - football, books, a fast grocery shop, walking in the country park, more football and a bowling party for the eldest.  It was a bit rushed to be honest.  I'd like more time to just hang with the little people.  Everyone is a bit tired at the moment.  I've just held the littlest boy as he sobbed himself to sleep - he doesn't want to be in his new room any more.  He needs to be nearer to me in case he doesn't feel very well in the night.  He wants it all put back the way it was.  Oh dear.  Actually I want a few things to go back to the way they were - if only it was that easy.

I did a little garden tidying today while everything was nice and dry.  Underneath some dying peony foliage I found this little caterpillar and a cyclamen that I'd forgotten existed.

I do love these delicate little flowers.  This plant asks for nothing, quietly appears every year as everything else is dying, and blooms in an elegant understated way.  And the leaves, oh the leaves - beautiful.  Heartshaped and painted darkly, a perfect foil for the pale flowers.

I pulled up the borlotti beans in the garden, amongst other things.  Some of the pods were dry and contained the beautiful painted beans.  Some were still fresh, and the beans were a pale green.

I'll be making vegetable soup with a handful of them.  And maybe some houmus.  There aren't loads, so I'll be eeking them out.  The fresh ones are delicious, really worth growing.  I shall save some of the driest ones for planting in the spring.

I also found my new favourite salad ingredient, growing in between two rows of runner beans.

Delicious crunchy radish seed pods.  I planted a row of radishes between the beans ages ago, but they didn't really do very well.  However now there are these wonderful little pods to pick.  I know you can get a particular variety especially for the pods (rats' tail???) but these work just fine.  Other half ate them at lunchtime without even asking what they were!  Handy, if I ever feel the need to feed him anything suspect.

I do hope you have a good week.  I'm so tired I can't keep my eyes open, so it's off to bed for me.  Let us hope I am not required to be on call to the little people.  Sweet dreams.

The tail end of September in the garden

It's all looking a bit scrappy out there now.

This is a small space that's going to be a wildlife area.  There's the start of a logpile and lots of overgrown grass, which I think may be harbouring frogs.  No doubt there are lots of slugs in there as well.  Hopefully the frogs will eat the slugs.  Whilst I strongly believe that wildlife is a wonderful thing, I'm not in a hurry to stick my hands into that grass the see exactly what's lurking in there.  I have small boys for that.  Why have a dog and bark yourself.

Some of the strawberry leaves are turning this sensational shade of red.

Last year my eldest cut the leaves of off his strawberries in autumn, as recommended by Monty Don, and they were really neat and clean for ages afterwards.  So when I have a moment (!) I'll try and get round and do it again this year.  Or maybe he'll do it for me.  Sounds unlikely now I've said it out loud though.

Bob (Flowerdew) says that you also have to nip off all unripe figs at this time of year.  So being a slave to all that Bob says, I did.  Watch the sap though.  I got some on my arm and it did really irritate for a while.  And it's devilish sticky.

Unfortunately these little figlets are only good for the compost heap.

Elsewhere... there's still a little cricket.

Apples, almost ready.

Pears, still really hard.  Should I be ripening them indoors?  I've no idea, it's the first year I've had more than two!

The odd mushroom, being enjoyed by some unidentified wildlife.  It's almost all gone now.  Must have been delicious.

Tomatoes, ripening very slowly now.  They will soon be finished, ripe or not.

The pepper plants have been composted now.  I wasn't much impressed with them this year.  The flesh is very thin and the fruits were fairly sparse.  I honestly don't think I'll bother again.  Although you may have to remind me I said that in February when I look through the seed box and find a packet or two of leftover seeds.

In the pond there are some lovely fat beetles.  If they see you coming, they dive.  Apologies for the poor photo, it was quite gloomy and I didn't make a very good job of it.

Also a late waterlily.

In the kitchen there are still a few things from the allotment

I'm thinking borscht, salsa, lentil and vegetable soup, cucumber salad and something involving courgettes.  They hold no fear for me any more.  Production has slowed to three or four a week.  I can deal with that in my sleep.

And a final gift from the allotment - pink roses.  Last year I had hardly anything planted there, and I was mainly just tackling weeds.  But there were roses, almost until November which seemed like such a luxury, and a little reward for the effort put in.  There's an old rose bush by the shed, and it's hit it's stride now, after an early flush, and there are lots of beautiful buds.

In amongst the decay of autumn, a little last loveliness.  Enjoy the rest of the weekend all.

Trouble in a canoe, art and a happy clam

Just a few pictures from my week so far.  On Sunday I took the boys in a canoe at the Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust reserve.  It did not go well.  Four people, all sticking their oars in, did not make for plain sailing.  The middle and the littlest did really well, but the eldest (up front) and me (at the back) had long and vocal differences of opinion about how we needed to get through the water.  In the interests of getting our money's worth we stayed in the boat for a good hour.  By the end of it the two of us were not in good moods and everyone was wet (don't ask) and some of us had been tocked on the head with an oar.  If Saturday was Swallows and Amazons, Sunday was a little more like Deliverance.

It wasn't all bad though.  The waterways were lovely - a bit like paddling down the Amazon I fancy.

At the end some swans came and had a little peck of us.  Literally.

Back at home I've been decluttering a bit, and sorting out a bedroom for the littlest boy.  Yesterday he moved into what was an office.  I cleared all of the art off of the walls first, then spent a very trying day moving desks and beds and chests of drawers.  I also dropped the hoover on my foot.

When the littlest boy got home from school he was so excited.  He has the biggest capacity for utter joy imaginable, and it really doesn't take very much to make him happy.  So a room of his own was off the chart, even though it is very bare at the moment, and still has a huge desk in it, which will stay for a while until other things are re-arranged.  He has his soft toys and his quilt and he is happy as a clam.

I made the boys hanging signs for their door handles a while ago.

The top one is the littlest boy's, and the bottom one is the big boys'.  It's supposed to be a spoonbilled sandpiper - a very rare bird that the eldest one loves.  But I'm not kidding myself that anyone could actually recognise it.  The littlest boy also made sure that his other door signs were moved to his new door.

It says "keep out", but I can't remember what the bit above it was.  All done on chopped up cereal box.  I love that he wanted to keep it and carefully moved it to his new door.

On Monday he did a bit of pre-breakfast painting as we were up early.

I do feel he has captured my essence, although my hair is slightly more brown than blue in real life.  The sign says "entr" (enter) - not sure exactly where I am entering.  Much as in real life.

The biggest painted a birthday card for a friend.  I just typed "birdthday" by mistake, but maybe that would be more appropriate.

I'm thinking we should handmake all our birthday cards.  So much more personal no?  And quite a bit cheaper too.  I shall ask to borrow the watercolours.