Daylight robbery!

There's a lot of it about.  It would be handy if the squirrels all had name tags so we could count how many there are.  There must be dozens of them up and down the streamside walk here.  I know some people regard them as pests but they are very entertaining to watch, even if they do chew through the nut and fatball holders.

Early in the year they chase each other across the spars of the pergola.  Their sure-footedness and the speed with which they move is amazing.

A few autumn delights from the garden today.   These tiny crab apples are about the size of my thumb nail.

I love the seedheads of the clematis 'Bill Mackenzie' which follow after the little yellow lantern-like flowers.   This plant climbs to well over 20feet up into a nearby tree.

This is a type of sycamore and I am watching the leaves change colour almost daily.  In early spring they are a very dark reddish brown.

This hydrangea is very pink in summer and I think I like it's faded autumn colouring better.

It has been a very dull and damp day today and I thought it odd that these drops of moisture were only on the red leaves of this shrub.

A lovely burst of colour from this acer which grows in a neighbour's garden.  

More water droplets on a spider's web on variegated box.   You would think that the weight of the moisture might damage the delicate web which is so fine it is almost invisible.

The green tomato conserve is as good as I hoped it would be but I haven't yet tried the red tomato relish.  Maybe it should be left to mature for a while.  With the greenhouse now empty and the forecast of arctic air by the end of the week I spent the morning  lining it with bubblewrap and tucking up the geraniums and other tender plants.  I wonder if I will manage to keep them going through the winter.  The local garden centre will benefit next year if I don't!