It was quite chilly this morning and everywhere looks very autumny. Probably because of the long dry spring, the leaves are already changing colour rapidly. Mr Barter, the chief horticultural adviser at the RHS said last week: "Trees and shrubs are under a lot of water stress. It's not fatal because they are well adapted but it makes them get rid of their leaves."
There are rosehips, berries of every shape and colour, apples, pears, nuts and lots of other tasty morsels a-plenty! What a veritable feast. Mum and Dad and Kizzie have a tiny wood mouse with a white tummy and a long tail that visits the bird table up at their cottage. He works tirelessly gathering the seeds and storing them for the winter. Strawberry the Cat spends many hours watching him at work and her tail swishes vigorously as he nibbles away. Talking of tails, Truffle sought my advice on the subject. She has just four tail feathers left and I re-assured her that soon they would go too. She seemed a bit concerned, but I told her that a new and beautiful tail would very soon appear in it's place, and showed her my new one, which I am pleased to say, has grown very quickly. Truffle contemplated that her tail may have dropped out because of the long dry spring and wondered if she should have perhaps watered it. Gordon xx