Empty Owl Box

More autumn colours, the Maple tree our owl box is in and a picture of one of the owlets earlier in the year when it was ringed. We occassionally see one of the adults but the young ones have fledged, I hope they will find a mate and a nest box of their own.

Hydrangea petiolaris - Climbing Hydrangea

Continuing on the theme of autumn coloured foliage brightening up dull areas of the garden, this plant grows on a north, west wall and clings on by itself without support. The leaves are not a deep orange but still a lovely colour.

Euphorbia sikkimensis

It has been a very dull day in the Scottish Borders, however, even although the garden is looking tired and in desperate need of a tidy up, there is lovely bright Autumn coloured foliage everywhere I look, that lights it up.

Blackthorn-Prunus spinosa

Better known as a sloe bush the Blackthorns in the hedge is where we pick our sloe berries for making sloe gin. There are not a lot of berries on the bushes around us this year, so we will probably have to go further afield to collect more.

Norway Maple

These are the paired winged fruits/seeds of the Maple tree. I think they look like a childs mobile, that's the hanging kind not their phone!

Hupeh Rowan - Sorbus hupehensis

According to my tree book this specimen is rare in the British Isles, so I may have got this wrong but the tree certainly met the discription in the book. Any other suggestions?

Rowan Tree - Sorbus aucuparia

A fantastic speciman of a Rowan tree the changing berries and leaves looked as if they had a light glowing under them.

Maple Tree

I loved the contrast of the yellow turning leaves against the other still very green leaves of this Maple tree. What kind of Maple tree it is I don't know, perhaps a Norwegian maple.

Birch Polypore-Piptoporus betulinus

I was lucky to have my camera on me when I spotted this fantastic speciman of what I think is a Birch Polypore, unfortunately according to our mushroom field guide book it's not edible.

Autumn Flower Arrangement

These were the last shots I took in Dublin before we left the hotel. They had the most wonderful floral arrangements, so Ellemford show 2010, first prize here I come!

The Girl in the Park

Walking through the park in Dublin this morning, I thought this picture of the girl sitting smoking caught the stillness of the beautiful autumn morning

Guinness

There is no doubt about it Guinness tastes different in Ireland, it is the only place I like to drink it, delicious. This was in a well known pub in Dublin 'Doheny and Nesbitt'

Monkshood- Aconitum carmichaelii 'Arendsii'

This is a great plant for this time of the year, flowering from early to mid Autumn, large panicles of deep blue flowers. Not everyone likes to grow Monkshood as all parts of this plant are toxic and can cause an allergic skin reaction, not recommended if you have children and unfortunately not advisable for flower arranging. However the bees love them and as they are left in the garden, they make a wonderful display.

Basket of Vegetables

A friend asked me how I got on with my basket of vegetables at the Ellemford Show, I got second I lost out again to the worthy Longformacus winner, the same chap who won the jar of herbs. I guess I will have to dedicate a bed in our poly tunnel for veg just for next years show in order to beat him. You can guess which basket was his!