vital functions

Reading. One finish, lots of bits! ( Ursula Vernon, Heston Blumenthal, Katherine Foxhall )

Cooking. Medlar jelly (plain and spiced). Remarkably plausible "pumpkin" soup (also contained significant caramelised onion, leek, carrot; plus token parsnip). Big ol' root veg stew.

Eating. We have established that actually we do both think that "post-jelly medlar pulp + dairy of some form" is Food, so that's something we've been nibbling...

Exploring. Poked around Forty Hall on A Bit Of A Walk. Rather perplexed by an area of stream that looked a lot like a maintained beaver dam -- because beavers have been reintroduced around there, but my understanding was (and the internet claims) that they've got a special enclosure that isn't accessible to the public. "Looks like a beaver dam... very much accessible to the general public" doesn't really seem to fit the information publicly available, so a mystery it shall remain.

Farm shop was open; we acquired LEMONS (for medlar jelly) and a PUMPKIN (see above re soup, I knocked over a display pumpkin and knocked its stem off) and some Interesting Apples (that we have not yet consumed).

Making & mending. Patching cherry stockings continues (slowly).

Growing. Er. Fed the bin? Harvested the yacon and a very small quantity of oca.

Observing. Pigeons and doves various have been being extremely inelegant in the hedge along the boundary between this building's garden and next door's, which has been delightful. Pigeons (and a masquerading seagull) and seagulls (and masquerading pigeon) and Various Ducks and also The Geese at Forty Hall did a hilarious amount of going "... people. PEOPLE. we know what PEOPLE are for." and Pointedly moving themselves from the opposite side of the pond to heckle us. Alas for them we had nothing to offer as tribute.