I noticed the elderberries ripening…
and I came across this pretty, squirrel sown gladiola, growing in a pot.
Curly cat peering through the lavender and verbena patch…
and a beautiful self-sown crab apple tree.
Mushroom season is upon us, and kicking it off is this interesting little creature, a first in the garden. Apparently it’s in the amanita family, which makes it hideously poisonous.
Here’s another first joining the autumn parade, I think it’s in the brittlegill family and may be a charcoal burner.
Now my ceramic weights have finally arrived, I’ve had another go at fermenting. I’m using two weights to hold the veggies down so I’m hoping for a better result this time.
Goats, along with the horses are now roaming the woods and dunes in Formby, how wonderful!
Cutting loose?
Apart from daily country walks to the woods, beach and river, hubs and I haven’t ventured out much. We’ve been in supermarkets, the odd shop and a garden center and have sat in beer gardens, although I always wipe down the table and our glasses, which gets old fast!
So hubs, daughter, Littl’urchin and I booked in for a visit to the World Museum in Liverpool. Given the number of new cases in the UK had stabilized to around a thousand a day for the last six weeks, we thought it would be pretty safe to visit.
The museum was managed very professionally. Each floor had staff manning hand sanitizer stations, masks were compulsory, and people were able to self-distance due to low levels of traffic.
It was all very normalizing, and we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Afterwards we headed to Crosby beach for a well earned picnic.
And Finally…
When we got home, the daily numbers came in, three thousand cases! Damn! Today is day five of three thousand cases, I’m really not in the mood for a second wave, so everything is crossed.
Until next time, stay safe and enjoy each day.
That is really interesting about false positives as I’ve heard similar stories here re people giving up waiting and yet still getting positive results. Here people are having covid on their death certificates even if they didn’t die of it. Yes, it’s a muddle all right. Weird and weirder. Thanks Anne.xxx
Aaaaand to complicate things, I’m hearing story after story of strange things. My friend who’s a second year nursing student says several of her friends went to a covid testing place. But the wait was so long, five of the ten left and didn’t get tested. However, all ten got letters stating they’d tested positive. Same nursing friend does her clinicals at a local hospital. When one elderly patient died (asymptomatic, untested for covid), the person writing up the death cert asked if the patient should be marked as a covid death. I tell you, Dina, it’s a complete muddle.
In any case, you hang in there and keep on with your daily intake of country walks!
A lovely post and photographs.
The visit to the museum and the picnic look fun, so nice to get out and about 🙂
All the best Jan
Thanks Jan. It really is great to get out!!!xxx
Looks like a fun expedition. The covid news is very disappointing, but it can’t last forever. Can it? Your granddaughter is adorable, as always.
Thanks Jason. I do hope covid doesn’t go on forever!!!xxx
We are deep into the second wave, going back into lockdown. Stay safe! Love your crab apples.
Amalia
xo
Oh, sorry to hear that. Thanks Amalia.xxx
Great post and autumnal images. And those inevitable masks. Compulsory on public transport down here now.
Thanks Peter. We have to wear masks everywhere indoors too, they are a pain as they make the glasses steam up. I’ve taken to wearing a visa. xxx
I especially enjoyed the photo of the goat in the field with its friends. It has the feel of traditional (i.e. 19th century) English landscape painting — just wonderful. It’s good to see the Little One roaming the world, too. I was caught by your mention of weights — I had no idea that fermentation required such. I’m not particularly fond of such foods, although I’ll have a bit of sauerkraut now and then, but it’s clearly a good way to preserve veggies!
It was a lovely surprise seeing the goats, they are an interesting little crew. Fermenting seems to be a little hit and miss, the weights certainly helped this time around. I start eating the veggies on day four, they are quite delicious then. Thanks Linda.xxx
It is rather worrying the speed that cases are increasing isn’t it. I am glad that you managed a visit to the World Museum, I love that place. I have been there several times with my children, there is so much to see, it’s a wonderful place.
Rising cases is worrying, I have everything crossed that those number fall, and fast. The World Museum is a fascinating place, everything there is not open yet, but it was just good to be able to visit. Thanks Sustainablemum.xxx
The photographs are really. beautiful….and Little Urchin a treat to see. She seems to be growing by the day! Love the picture of goats and horses roaming under the late summer sky.
Yes, numbers are back up again and so it’s time for all those who haven’t been responsible to change their ways……. Otherwise I fear another total lock down.
Back to one day at a time…so glad you were able to take Little Urchin to the museum which she clearly enjoyed.
Sending you all love
Janet XXXXXX
Thanks Janet, it really was lovely being able to get out for the day and do something interesting. Yes, I just wish people would keep their distance wherever possible, small changes keep the numbers down. I am enjoying seeing animals in the woods, it’s beginning to feel a little like the New Forest. Love and hugs right back atcha!xxx
Lovely to see what is happening in your patch & your Grandbaby is no longer a baby … how cute she is! I love the photos of her taking it all in at the World Museum. This pandemic makes you appreciate every little thing you can do as a family. We are in Melbourne ( underLevel 4 lockdown)..& my daughter’s second baby is due any day!
Thanks Gerrie, oh, little ones grow so quickly don’t they? What a shame that you are on lockdown when your daughter is due any day. I bet you are all super excited!!! Looking forward to hearing more.xxx
How lucky, to have ripe elderberries too! I arrived too late, but OK because with almost certainty the birds ate them.
At the end of spring, I always pick the flowers and make syrup by adding some lemon zest! Delicious.
While with ripe berries, you get a thicker and creamier syrup, excellent for treating many problems at the respiratory tract… I who suffer from bronchitis every winter!
Nice to be able to go back to normal a bit… here I avoid, as far as possible, contacts… what sadness, and I still can’t get used to it.
In the office we are organized to maintain social distancing, but outside, I move as if I were walking over a minefield.
It’s been months, but I still can’t really think that maybe it can be like this forever.
A hug to all of you
🙂 c
Oh, you remind me that I must make some elderberry syrup, yes, it is such a wonderful tonic! I do hope this situation doesn’t drag on, at least the hospital care seems to be getting better and more people are surviving serious illness. We’ll just have to hang on in there, but it’s hard to get used to all this. Thanks Claudine.xxx
We still haven’t been to any sort of shop but we have had days out on the open airsp,I think you have been really brave.
It’s lovely getting out isn’t it, you do get sick of being cooped up. We try to stick to the open air so the museum was a bit of a nice change. Safety measures were in place so it didn’t feel risky. Thanks Sue.xxx
I hadn’t realised little one is now walking and very confidently too. She was taking in everything in her own way. Isn’t is lovely to see all the responses and later on, possibly much later,hear back something seen or said.
It doesn’t seem so long since we saw funghi here in our patch. The seasons are skipping along. I’m losing track of time.
Lovely plant pictures. Family pix are so relaxed.
Stay well, take care. xxxx
Yes, Littl’urchin is powering around now, she can run too, I’m just about keeping up!!! She did seem to enjoy the museum, we all did, it’s nice just to get out, certainly makes a change. This year seems to have flown by yet crawled along at the same time. I’m losing track of time too! It’s certainly been a funny old year. Thanks Menhir.xxx
Gorgeous post, as always. Good to see Curly, and what a beautifully-colored gladiolus!
Hooray for your safe family adventure. Everyone looks wonderful: how lovely for you.
Yes, our numbers are way up, due to school and university, which is now back to virtual…so it goes.
Stay safe and well, and all your darlings too, of course. Sending love. Xoxox
Ahh, thanks Kitty. Poor old Curly cat is getting very old. It’s a right old pain seeing the numbers going up isn’t it? Our schools and universities are back now, lots of schools are closing as fast as they are opening due to new cases appearing. It looks like we’re in this for the long haul….sigh. Love and hugs to one and all. Stay safe.xxx
Same here with schools; a teacher died north of us, preventable and sadder for it. Our numbers hit grotesque highs 2-3 days this week, likely because of the universities in the state. I wish we could all just lock down for a month or more, but I know that’s likely impossible…
I miss living in Lancashire.So much space.Don’t eat any mushrooms
Katherine xxx
Thanks Katherine, good to hear from you. I hope all is well. Oh, I won’t be eating any mushrooms!xxx
Lovely post and pictures. Plenty of autumnal signs in the garden. The visit to the museum followed by a picnic looks like a it was a good day out.
Thanks, and you too. xx
Thanks Flighty, it was lovely having a day out. Very normalizing for a change.xxx
As always, there are so many interesting news here and there! Especially love those mushroooms, goats and Littl’urchin walking on the map pictures. That veggie fermenting looks interesting! I’m making salted egg now but the eggs seem to float a bit on the salt water. Now it gives me idea how I can weigh them down. Thanks! 😀
Thanks Jade, this fermentation was a huge success, the veggies are delicious so those weights seemed to have done the trick. Good look with your salted eggs, weights are the key. xxx
There’s signs of autumn all around us now, it seems to be arriving at breakneck speed this year. Glad you managed a little outing, you just don’t know what to do for the best at the moment as some places are better than others at enforcing the safety measures. The number of cases in Leeds is on the increase and is being monitored, there’s talk of stricter measures coming back if the trend continues in this way. The little one is growing fast, what a little poppet she is.
Autumn does seem early this year, the trees around here have changed colour and are raining down, it’s so hard to keep on top of them. The numbers are up in Merseyside too….sighs, we’re expecting to be locked down again. Thanks Jo.xxx
The visit to the museum and the picnic look like fun. Good to see all your activities and happenings in house, garden and your area. It’s disappointing about the new restrictions for socialising and makes us thankful for the gatherings of family and friends that have taken place over the Summer. I expect to hear that our first meeting up of our reading group out in the local park planned for next week will be cancelled. 🙁
Thanks Linda, it’s good to get out for a day, you do get tired of being cooped up. It’s hard to plan anything isn’t it as the goalposts keep moving. Here’s to your reading group being able to meet up. I’m hoping our holiday to the Lakes in October doesn’t get cancelled again.xxx
Lovely post. We’ve noticed lots of mushrooms too when we’re out and about on our walks. Your museum trip looks wonderful and I LOVE your coat! I;m trying to put a positive spin on the rising number of Covid cases – if it’s not accompanied by a rise in hospitalisations and deaths (yet!), then it’s possibly a good thing as it gets us closer to herd immunity. We may have to rely on that if there is no vaccine in the near future. Your ceramic weights are a good idea; good luck with the fermentation. xx
Thanks Veggiemummy. Mushrooms do suddenly seem to be everywhere don’t they? I love my tribal coat too, it’s so light yet warm. I do hope the death rate and hospital admissions stays low, it seems that younger people are catching it now with few symptoms. I was delighted with my fermentation, delicious this time around. xxx