Blogtober Two

The above photograph was taken around about dawn as I was wandering through to the kitchen, bleary-eyed, to sort out breakfast for Mocha the cat and a mug of tea for myself. As yet, I did not know that I would be attempting Blogtober.

The end of September had seen 50+mph winds from the south, which meant that the beginning of October has Autumn on speed-dial. Today, in surprisingly pleasant weather, I finished giving the front lawn its only cut of the year, as all the wildflowers have now set seed. It was, however, noticeable that the year is inexorably turning, with plenty of evidence from our neighbour's trees decorating parts of our garden: Rowan berries, Sycamore keys and a pair of pine cones.

There's an off-putting festive vibe to those photos!

In the rockery, the Big Geranium (technical horticultural term) is still in bloom, providing nectar for some Honey Bees, whilst in the background, a solitary Sedum was hosting several White-tailed Bumblebees and a Red Admiral butterfly.

In the back garden, the main floral interest for insects is Cat's-ear, the yellow heads providing a pitstop for more bees and hoverflies (Helophilus pendulus and an Eristalis sp). Only a single Knapweed flower remains in the wildflower patch, whilst a few Fox and Cubs blooms keep my heart aglow.

Several trips to the local household recycling centre saw all the green waste added to the large pile destined for composting, before I returned home for a relaxing lunch on the patio.

Rain has put paid to any hopes of a sunset photo to bookend this post, but on a happier note, an OS map of our upcoming holiday destination arrived this afternoon, so a pleasant evening awaits!