We had some spectacular storms during mid September, violet grey skies and orange flashes from sheet lightening and thunder claps louder than I have heard since being here. It was a month of unsettled weather, vast quantities of rain with all the usual fallout from such weather: floods, travel disruptions and power outages. We escaped everything except the rain but the joy of being high on a hill is knowing that the rain will run on past any of the buildings and drain quickly from the land.
The first part of Wildflower Meadow Match has now been completed. Our job was to remove all the Ragwort before the farmer came to make the first cutting in the top half of the field. It looked pretty barren as you would expect. The cut grass (and nettles and thistles and docks) were then turned and the top soil was roughed up a little before receiving the scattered seeds. It still looks pretty barren. This is a project run by wildflowercollective.org.uk who describe themselves as a 'dating agency' for wildflower meadows. They have created a Lizard supermix from various sites around our area but the project is taking place all over Cornwall, Devon and the Scillies. The sites have been divided into two types; 'Donor' and 'Receptor'. We are a receptor site.
Meanwhile the Blackberries continue to ripen, sweet as ever but smaller in size. Baskets of these have been picked and frozen for future jam making and various other culinary delights. In amongst the green leaves, deep magenta reds are appearing, a sign of Autumn creepng in whilst the fruits still ripen. The Sloes and Haws are appearing but are much more sparse and to be frank, they all look a bit scrawny, not at all our usual magnificent display. The Sweetpeas which arrived so late this year are still producing magnificent blooms, whilst the Chestnut tree is producing the bright green, prickly cases that house the nuts.
All 16 of the newly planted trees from Spring have grown well and survived the wet and the westerly winds. In addition to this we now have 14 Oaks across the field that have self seeded - sadly two of them have oak fungus, something that occurs in damp and wet conditions and we're certainly experiencing that. I don't know what this signifies in terms of their survival - apparently it doesn't kill them but can weaken them, and then, of course they become more vulnerable to other disease.
The Swallows have now all left and the silence is felt. Out on a dog walk I came across a very wet, bedraggled and lost young Grey Heron wandering across the road. It was the morning after severe winds and rain and the Heron looked like it had taken a fair beating, either that or it was drunk. I managed to get it to fly away from the road and back towards the river. They nest all along the Helford River and there are some in the woods down at the bottom of our field. Sometimes in the early morning I see them take off and rise above the canopy of the trees. It's always a treat to witness. Even better, this month, I came across one of them in the middle of the field, not far from me and it took off right in front of me - a first. A Buzzard also came and hung around our yard. They are always up above us but I've not known one to come and sit on a post in the yard - I wonder what it had spied in the way of food? Hopefully a rat. Saw White Egrets down on the Helford and heard the Curlews calling to each other in the early morning.
As the month went on the early mornings and evenings began to move into Autumn and there was a proper chill in the air reminding me to bring out the woolly jumpers, but many of the days remained beautifully warm and sunny.
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