You know summer is over hereabouts when all the French number plates disappear. It’s not that hordes of French come here on holiday, it’s actually Portuguese who have emigrated to France and come back to visit relatives. Anyway, with summer gone, although temperatures remain high, thoughts turn to harvests. For most of the locals that’s the grape harvest and actually for us too. Not by planning though, as our grapes come from a rogue vine which has been here for years and which we have tried to tame – with some success. Anyway, plenty of grapes to eat but not enough for wine methinks. As the local professionally made stuff is so good and cheap it’s hardly worth us making our own anyway.

After all our hard work growing stuff, I don’t know quite how I feel about our two largest soft fruit crops. Both of which have grown without a jot of help (or water) from us. The grapes, just mentioned, and the blackberries which still grow in profusion around the borders of the garden.  Their bounty is no doubt due to the torrential rains we got over springtime. This time I’m not complaining about them as I have made a number of apple (from our apple tree which has also done pretty well this year) and blackberry crumbles. Makes up for the lack of plum crumbles I suppose.

We have also had quite a few pears. Only problem is they are rather small to say the least. We can save a few but I think the rest are only good enough for the compost heap and the chickens.

The strawberries are finally over. They have been great but the autumn raspberries never really got started. Another result of the spring rains will be a bumper fig crop. There are loads of wild fig trees around here and we’ve got our eyes on a number, they are just ripening now. Can’t wait for some fig jam and fig tarts! There are also plenty of wild quinces about. Just as well as our old tree has none and our new tree a solitary one!

With regard to the Veggie patch, that will have to wait for an update from Jackie, but I saw she was busy digging up a few plants which have finished including the disappointing courgettes but the tomatoes are still going strong.

On the livestock front, the last of the roasties have been dispatched and are now nestled in the freezer but I have warned the laying hens that they may be next as they have gone right off laying. They tell me it’s normal for this time of year and that they’re just having a rest before gearing up for the winter, but I’m not so sure. I might take one just  ‘pour encourager les autres’ as they don’t say round here.

Flower-wise, the sunflowers have done well and a number of wild flowers Jackie nurtured from cuttings. However we’ve had one surprise. Jackie’s sister gave us some Jersey lillies to plant. We thought they had died as the few leaves that had sprouted withered away quite some time ago, so it was a very pleasant surprise to see these pink beauties suddenly rear out of the ground:

And finally the hollyhocks have been chopped down – literally. After a sterling effort this summer, reaching a height of 3.5 metres, they are gone. And so to Autumn…