November

Tags

Autumn plants, berries, church going, Diary, Don Pasquale by Donizetti, family, flowers, garden work, Glyndebourne Touring Company, house repairs, leaf colour, Open Space Theatre Company, snow, St Michael and All Saints and St Felix church, Suffolk, Uncle Vanya by Chekhov, weather

Red Christmas Cactus

Salmon Christmas Cactus

My point-and-shoot camera stopped working and we didn’t think there was much point in taking it to be repaired.  A replacement probably costs what the repair would have cost – if it could have been repaired – so we ordered a replacement which arrived yesterday. Richard kindly said I could borrow his small camera while we waited for the replacement, but I never used it.  There haven’t been many opportunities for photography during the past week and the camera only took a couple of days to arrive.

Acer leaves at the beginning of November

After a chilly week or so in October, the weather this month has been fairly warm for the time of year.  We have also had a fair amount of rain.  I have managed to do a little garden-tidying, though as usual, not as much as I need to do or as I would have liked!  There may be a few more days this year when I can finish off the work so I am not too worried.  We had a couple of storms with high winds last week which ripped most of the leaves from the trees and Saturday was cold with wintry showers.

Mahonia this November

Mahonia flowers

We had a gardener/landscaper and his assistant come to do a few jobs that Richard needed help with.  Almost all our hedges have been cut and tidied by them and the front ditch has been strimmed.  The hedges between us and our neighbours on either side of us have been left for now and will be done at a later date.  Both of those hedges (like the front one) are on the far side of deep ditches which are fast filling with very cold water and are difficult to do.

Copper Beech at the beginning of November

Copper Beech in the sun in the middle of the month

Another job the gardener did was to dismantle our old summerhouse and extend the concrete pad on which it stood.  When I say ‘dismantle’ I use the word quite loosely as all he did was lean on it and it fell down.  With the winds that blew last week it probably would have fallen down without anyone’s help.  Richard is still deciding which summerhouse to buy to replace the old one.  We will be able to keep a few things in it that are needed for that end of the garden and Richard will be able to use it as a little home-from-home – a place to escape the hurly-burly of life in the house – a ‘shed’ with a view (of our big pond).  I am sure a comfy chair and coffee-making apparatus will be making their way down the garden and the bell on the wall of the house will be put to good use when summoning him for meals!

Spindle berries beginning to split

Spindle berries

We got a couple of quotes from local replacement-window firms and have made our choice.  The work to replace almost all the windows in the house, both garage doors and the back door and window in the garage will be done in January.  I just know the weather will be freezing cold when the work’s done and I will have a miserable time of it!  However, it will be worth it in the end as the house will eventually be considerably warmer and our heating bills will be much reduced.

The path round our big pond earlier this month while we still had some leaves on the trees

A new reed that has appeared next to our large pond this year

Richard spent a couple of days staying with an old friend in Manchester a few weeks ago.  His friend had to retire early through ill health (heart attack) but is much better now and is enjoying not going to work.  Richard came home after a very pleasant break much happier about his own retirement.

Lots of little bracket fungi found on a dead branch

Richard and I went to the Rectory coffee morning at the beginning of the month and enjoyed seeing all our friends from church.  We came home with cakes, pains aux raisins, marmalade and a book – no prizes in the raffle this time.  This month we also went to the Remembrance Sunday service at St James’ church which was quite moving.  Representatives from all the villages in the benefice read out the names of all the people who lost their lives in some of the wars we have taken part in – the two World Wars as well as the Korean and the Boer Wars.  The American airmen who lost their lives during WW2 and who were stationed at Flixton airfield were also mentioned.

Crabapple ‘Evereste’ covered in fruit . This photo also shows part of the front hedge and ditch before we had them both trimmed and tidied.

Alice came home the Saturday before last and stayed until the following Tuesday.  This was only the second time she has been able to visit this year but we hope to see her at Christmas as well which will be fun!  Mum came to lunch that Sunday and she enjoyed chatting with Alice and catching up with her news.

The church of St Michael and All Angels

The sundial on St Michael’s wall

Some of the sheep in the field next to the church.

(The three photos above were all taken with my new camera.  I think I will need to adjust the settings to get clearer pictures.)

Richard and I had been to the 9.30 Morning Prayer service at St Michael’s church the Sunday before last. Maurice, one of our Benefice Elders, took the service and spoke about St Edmund, Suffolk’s Patron Saint whose feast day is the 20th of November.  I had been due to take Mum to her church that day but couldn’t because of lunch-cooking duties.  Instead, I arranged to take Mum to church this Sunday just gone.  It was very icy with snow still on the ground in the morning and we assumed that it would be as bad at Mum’s house and at Eye; Richard said he would drive us in his 4×4.  Unfortunately for Richard, the further inland we got the less snow there was and he found that he needn’t have driven me and Mum after all!  He had to sit through a High Church service at Eye church with bells, incense and a procession to boot, because he had been gallant.  Richard doesn’t like High Church services – his Methodist upbringing revolts against them.  I was brought up going to High Church services and I can worship anywhere really, but do prefer my own local church with my friends and Richard by my side.  I think I’ll be left to drive Mum to church on my own as usual in future, whatever the weather!

These next photos were taken by Richard on his phone on Sunday morning.

View of the garden from the conservatory

The greenhouse seen from the conservatory

The garden on the south side of the house from the conservatory

I went out for the evening twice last week.  On Tuesday evening I took Mum to a performance of the opera ‘Don Pasquale’ by Donizetti.  It was performed by the Glyndebourne Touring Company at the Theatre Royal in Norwich.  We loved it very much indeed.  The singing, the costumes, the orchestra and the stage set were fabulous.  A really enjoyable evening out only spoiled by a gale blowing and making driving and walking difficult – Mum was nearly blown over a couple of times and I had to hold onto her tightly.  Clouds of leaves were swirling about in front of the car and bits of tree were falling onto the road all about us.  As I drove along I was aware of loose branches swinging to and fro just above the car and hoped I could get out of the way before they fell.  Fortunately I got my mother and myself safely to Norwich and then back home again.

Wild Rosehips in the hedge.

On Saturday night Richard and I went to see ‘Uncle Vanya’ by Chekhov performed by the Open Space Theatre Company at The Cut in Halesworth.  We both enjoyed the play very much which was acted and directed well.  On leaving the theatre we found it had started snowing and as Richard had left his hat in the car he got quite wet and cold on our brisk walk to the carpark.  The snow was falling heavily as we left the town and Richard found it very difficult keeping to the road once we left the street-lights behind.  Most of our lanes have deep ditches running along next to them and there is always the risk of driving into a ditch in the dark.  We were glad to get home again and into the warm.  The snow didn’t last long and by morning most of the roads and paths were mainly clear but icy.

All photos in this post were taken either in our house or in the garden except for the ones of St Michael’s church.

My musical choice is performed by Emeli Sandé and Jules Holland.

Thanks for visiting!