Flooded Fields

This morning the sun is shining, everything is bathed in a golden light, with strong, cold wind.  We decided to pay a visit to the Wistow Country Park where there is a garden centre and bought lots of bags of half price bulbs.  The surrounding area is very low-lying and the fields have suffered flooding as a result.

All the sheep have been moved to higher pasture, but the ducks and gulls have taken full advantage of all the extra water around.

It is almost like living in the Lake District, water, water, everywhere.

Some trees have managed to hang on to their leaves despite the strong winds.  Everywhere looks beautiful in the sunshine.  More rain to come I expect, some roads are flooded, making it rather exciting to travel about.

Hellebores flowering - surely not!

A Hellebore flowering already - surely not!  This one just couldn't wait till Spring - a bit like me really ...

Some flowers just don't know when to stop flowering

double feverfew

One of my favourite plants ...  they have been flowering since the Spring ...  non-stop.

scabious

Grown from seed ... still masses of buds to open ... will they make it?

rudbeckia

The rest of the Rudbeckia plants have died back ... only the seed heads are left ... but this one just doesn't know when to give up.

hypericum

Lots of flowers ... lots of buds ... lots of seed heads.

coreopsis

Lingering on ...

california poppy

Self seeded ... seems like I will have this plant forever in the garden ...

The Waiting Game

This poor old Penstemon waits patiently in its pot, bought in the summer, and still not planted out.  Will I ever get round to it?

Strange but Beautiful

It has been such a wonderful autumn day today - sun all day long - no grey skies and no wind - perfect for a little trip down to our local reservoir.  Binoculars at the ready  but no camera, AGAIN, we spotted lots of coots, a couple of dozen Canada geese, grebe, mallard and gulls.  I even saw one gull sweep down and try to pinch a fish out of a grebe's mouth.   The crafty so-and-so, but the grebe was too quick and dived again before the gull had a chance.

A very bad phone picture taken long distance of mum and dad swan and their three signets, having a good wash and brush up (notice the big piles of poo on the boardwalk - yuk).

The reservoir was smooth as silk and beautiful in the autumn sunshine.  I saw these beautiful garlands of bryony berries

but other berries seemed very scarce, no sloes, not many hawthorn - the poor birds will be short-changed this winter I fear.

At the end of the reservoir road there was a bush that caught my eye, so unusual - I have no idea what it is, perhaps you could help with identification.  I have a feeling it is a domestic garden escapee.

Aren't they just beautiful.  Can you help?