Wow, what an Autumn! The courses have come thick and fast and have, I must also say been successful and very enjoyable. Everyone has been great and I’ve made lots of new friends. The latest two courses this season were ferreting on Saturday and game prep on Sunday. The ferreting far surpassed my expectations with a bag of ten beautiful winter bunnies, even with the high prevalence of mixi in our area and the game prep went well despite my pet jackdaw’s attempts at sabotage. He had a field day stealing knives, pecking my ear, pushing bowls off tables and generally being a nuisance!
Ferreting Course
Normal life can resume now courses are slowing down and it’s amazing how things have moved on since my last proper blog. I’ve missed having the time to record the changing season and now winter feels very present. The old red kettle on the Rayburn is always hot now as the oak, ash and apple logs burn slowly in the firebox day and night, Polish men walk past the cottage each morning to prune the orchard in the valley (they tell me they will finish today) and field fares can be seen streaming over the field opposite to gorge on the fallen pears in the orchard beyond. The birds face a hard winter as the cold spring, so many months past, is responsible for a poor crop of berries, seeds and fruit.
Between courses there has been some time for other things, a particular highlight being a trip up to the North Kent coast to gather oysters with Norman. Alas that I don’t live closer to the coast as I am reminded what a treasure trove the sea side is.
Gabriel inspects the oyster haul
A late bonus this morning was the discovery of a splendid parasol mushroom nearly a full month after the main flush of that species came abruptly to an end.
'I prefer my teddy dad'. Gabriel looking unimpressed with parasol mushroom.