Cold?

   The weather has been mixed. Few days of frost in the mornings followed by cloudy and mild days. I guess winter is starting to take hold but it is taking its time.
   One of the joys this autumn and early winter has being able to pick ripe tomatoes from the poly tunnel in November!  I have managed to pick more Champeau Gardeners Delight (Champeau Gardeners Delight because the plants were grown from seed gathered within my garden rather than bought from a seed merchant) and they have been very tasty too! Note to self plant poly tunnel tomatoes later! They are now though finished. Two harsh frosts did them in and they plus some chili's that were just there in case they might produce have been removed. The poly tunnel is now pretty much empty, just some Sanguine beetroot that is looking quite good! I am wondering whether or not to plant some broad beans in the poly tunnel and maybe some peas. I got a few pickings of early peas this season from ones I sowed in the poly tunnel. Maybe a little more thought as to how I plant them, that is, in proper rows rather than scattered! Found two reasonable sized parsnips for one of my dinners. Least the voles have left one or two for me! All the outside beetroot have been harvested. A poor crop but hey something is better than nothing. I am very pleased to have pruned my apple trees, well at least what I call the "new" ones. They are over seven years old and produced well this year. This is the first time I have pruned them. Do or die? I will see. I have started to clear brambles with every intention of dealing them a knock out blow but it will depend on the weather. Rain is forecast. Course it is.
   On the animal front the chickens continue to lay two a day but having said that today (24/11) I got three! Maybe we are turning a corner here? One of the light Sussex is in moult and the poor girl looks very feather bare. Sheep are fine.
   I had a request for some horse radish seed and root. The root I dug up was a little large so I made a jar of horse radish sauce and put it under the stairs with the pickles. Waste not want not, worth a go!

Normality? Well almost.

   There has been a decent rainfall. I noticed from the garlic that has been yanked up by some bird or another that they are putting roots down. Amazing how a little warmth and moisture and away plants  go! To date it has been a mild November. Temperatures have reached the upper teens and down to around six centigrade overnight. That means  stuff keeps growing. I do not usually say this but I am pleased that the grass has greened up and it putting on some  growth. According to the weather forecast it will all end next week with temperatures in the low teens in the day and below freezing overnight. Oh well what can one expect for November?
   Much to my surprise I have picked another large handful of Champeau Gardeners Delight from the poly tunnel plants. Surely that must be the end of them? I have planted out some small onions that really were too small to eat. I have never over wintered onions other than the Egyptian walking onions so it will be interesting to see what happens. I am not holding my breath! Much to my delight when in my local agricultural dealer I found broad beans! I have bought a packed and I have sowed  a good number to over winter. Hopefully broad beans in the spring! I have finally got round to picking what grapes are left which I must say were more than I expected. The birds must have better pickings! Not really knowing what to do with them I have washed and frozen them. Still do not know what to do with them but hey ho think of something no doubt. Finally removed some lettuce from the poly tunnel. They were a complete failure, to hot, no growth, finally did nothing! Also removed the last of the basil and brought a couple of barrows of well rotted chicken manure in.
    Nothing much to report on the animal front. The hens are on strike. Now down to two eggs a day from ten hens. A couple are in moult but I think it is the short amount of daylight that is affecting them more than anything.
    Still plenty of jobs to do. One I really must do this winter and before Christmas is prune my apple trees. They really do need a good sort out.

Material waiting to be burnt

Turn my back and ....

   I went to visit my youngest daughter in the UK for her birthday and Halloween. Of course as soon as I left it rained. Before I went though I cleared the broken apple tree branch and 

Carved Champeau pumpkins

cleaned out the Ixworth and chicken coops and for the last time the duck coop. The ducks have gone to a new home with a few lady ducks to chase!
   I managed to pick a few more tomatoes but on my return all outside tomato plants were dead. They have now been cleared. Finally  managed to plant some garlic. The rain while I was away was enough to make the soil workable. I also threw in some broad beans in but the seed is very old (2012!) so I am not going to expect too much and I will feel lucky to get any! There is still much tidying up to do and on the top
of my list will be to sort out the Egyptian 

I reckon a garden witch!

 (walking) onions. Once more I am leaving them to over winter. This will be the last time as I will need to dig them up next year to separate the bulbs and start again. As I write this the sky is dark and spots of rain are falling so maybe there might be some more rain.    On the chicken front up until I returned from the UK they were laying well but since my return they have pretty much stopped. Probably due to the short length of daylight at this time of year. The two chicks that survived, both males, are now fast approaching the time for them to be dispatched and put in the freezer. Shame really they are attractive birds but we do not need any more cockerels!