Sunday 31st October 10

Well a reasonable sleep; got up at 9.30 and had a relaxing morning watching Country Tracks and playing Scrabble on facebook.  I also did some tidying of pumpkin seeds, taking them off the 10 or so sheets of newspaper where they have had their initial drying, and putting them onto fresh dry sheets, just 3 this time.  There are an awful lot of seeds. 

I visited my friend Debbie and returned some things she'd given me which I didn't want, and arranged to get her a few bits and bobs from the greengrocers.  Then I went down to Country Fresh and did my shopping and picked up the 3 sacks of compostables.  When I got back I did a bit of work in the garden, dug out the Compostumbler, putting the materials into a dalek, and immediately refilling it almost completely full. I collected the last of the quinces, which I expect I'll make into membrillo, as it's such an amazing taste.  I also collected quite a few of the windfall Cox apples, which are very plentiful this year, although really small.  I'll need to prune this tree this winter.

I was glad to have a facebook chat with my friend Loony, who's visiting my sister Anna in Sheffield, and a bit later another chat, by phone, with my brother, who's found himself hosting a Halloween party for Loony's daughter and Anna.  I'm sure all the children will enjoy themselves. 

Our youngest went out with a few of his friends to do Trick or Treat, and came back happy and overloaded with sweets.  I popped out to collect my equivalent, logs, as I've found a dead hazel which hadn't been coppiced, and had therefore come to the end of it's life, with a height of about 8 or 10 metres and a trunk diameter of about 10 or 15 cm.  If hazel trees are coppiced, ie cut down regularly, the tree regenerates almost indefinitely.  I'm doing something similar to a huge willow in my garden, but instead of cutting at ground level, which is coppicing, I cut it at about 3 or 4 metres, and this is known as pollarding, which I do every 3 or 4 years.  This also extends the life of the tree. So I came home with one trailer full of hazel logs and sticks, and will go back for more in the next few days.

During the evening I halved, cored and peeled more pears for drying, and a few Cox apples, and also did a few pumpkin seeds.  A busy but good day.